PHOTOS BY ERIC UHLIR

In between dances of animated jiggles, the crowd at the Mohawk last night (Nov. 29) was all too eager to lean back and expose that soft patch of skin just above the clavicle for New York City's Vampire Weekend to sink their teeth into. But instead of draining the crowd's essence, the band filled everyone with a youthful exuberance that emanated from their clean-shaven faces singing bright, enunciated melodies as shimmering guitars jangled around with whistling key tones. The densely packed crowd cheered this mix of Afro-pop flavors, charming indie rock aesthetic, and rattling instrumentation that's yielding a sound being described as "prep-rock," which may refer more to their collared shirts, polite manners, and Ivy League educations than their music.

"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," with its irresistible island beat and shout-outs to Louis Vuitton and Peter Gabriel, received quite an enthusiastic reception for a band whose debut doesn't drop until January. However, according to singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig the last time they played the Mohawk the attendance was much lower. "We thought Austin hated us," Koenig said. Quite the contrary; everyone bobbed along with the band like corks on a fun-loving ocean during "M79" as the runaway keys and rising snare roll led into an impeccable harmony. 

We asked: Vampire Weekend has been tagged as "prep-rock." What other bands might fit into that category?

Name: Ben Wintle
Age: 25
Hometown: Austin, TX
Occupation: Unemployed
"Belle & Sebastian."

Name: Shawn Johnson
Age: 31
Hometown: Bar Harbor, ME
Occupation: Unemployed
"Weezer."

Name: Joel Higgins
Age: 25
Hometown: Plymouth, ME
Occupation: Unemployed
"Camera Obscura."

Name: Vesta Rodriguez
Age: 20
Hometown: Edna, TX
Occupation: Student
"Voxtrot."

Name: Amanda Arnold
Age: 20
Hometown: Edna, TX
Occupation: Student/hostess
"Peter, Bjorn and John."

Name: Jackie Rado
Age: 25
Hometown: Austin, TX
Occupation: Commercial real estate
"Matt Pond PA."

Rostam Batmanglij (keys), Ezra Koenig (vocals/guitar), and Chris Baio (bass) / Photo by Eric Uhlir

Vampire Weekend raisin' the 'Mansard Roof' / Photo by Eric Uhlir

'Cape Cod,' anyone? / Photo by Eric Uhlir