This is a segment of a review I started writing of ATP Vs Pitchfork last year… never got around to finishing it off posting it. As you will see I didn’t get very far. 

ROTR were nothing short of jubilant when it was announced that the first of this year’s ATP weekends was to return to its roots at Camber Sands, after growth led the festival to the sprawling and soulless Minehead in 2006. Rather than doing a blow-by-blow run down set by set, ROTR have selected their highlights. Enjoy.

 Thrown in at the deep end on the opening afternoon, Memphis’ garage punk wunderkid (although he’s now 28) Jay Reatard’s set became instant legend among those there in time to catch it, and a sore point for those who were not. Ploughing through an album’s worth of material – which didn’t make for a long set given most of his tracks are around a minute long – he cut quite a figure, all long brown curls and thrashing flying V. Garth-a-like drummer Billy Hayes and  bass boy Steven Pope sealed the deal on this Bermuda-triangle of fast-forward Adverts-inspired punk noise, heavier in the flesh than on record, and over before you had time to wonder what he looked like under all that hair.

 The other day a friend asked me “Is it okay to like Vampire Weekend? I can’t work out if it is or not”. A few months previously I had faced the very same internal struggle when the band’s self-titled debut found its way on to my iPod. If they were from London I would hate them. I really hope they don’t wear trouser braces. Are they posh? There must be a reason for me to hate this band. All these issues scuttled through my mind.  The fact is that when I was asked the question, I didn’t even take a breath before answering. “Yes. Of course it’s okay. They’re amazing.”

And amazing they were taking to the main stage Friday teatime. Ivy League indie dressed in head-to -toe Gap (with the possible exception of the keyboard player – American Apparel til he dies) doesn’t look too good on paper, but in practice Vampire Weekend are nothing short of boy wonders – writing superbly crafted, catchy African-tinged pop songs  laced with witty observations of college life. Live the tracks are stripped back yet maintain detail where it is important, and a set that is essentially a shuffled run down of the album in its entirety falls together perfectly.

Yeah that’s it.