Tales of New York

Apr 15 2008 11:37 am, Will Kinsman

It seems a bit odd to comment on the peace and tranquillity of London, but after spending a few days in New York, it really does feel like I’ve come back to a semblance of normality and order! London may be far from quiet, but even at its most manic it’s nowhere near as mind-alteringly frenetic as New York. That’s not to say I didn’t have a good time, though. I’d been there a couple of times before, but never really done it properly (a day with my parents when I was 14 doesn’t really count), so this time was a real eye-opener. I’m still not convinced I’d want to live there, but I can certainly see the appeal now, and not just because of the late night bars, free-poured spirits and amazing roadside pizza places. In fact, despite those things, as the downside of them is that I feel like I’ve put on a stone and left myself with a liver the size of a walnut…

I was in NYC to interview Vampire Weekend for the May cover of the mag (although I definitely wasn’t working, at least not as far as the charming immigration people were concerned!), and I was just as impressed with them as I was with the city that never sleeps. The gig I saw, a few hours up the coast in Providence, may have been a bit surreal (read all about it here), but it was still one of the best I’ve seen so far this year. And what’s more, they’re also disarmingly nice people. All in all, a very good trip, so cheers to all concerned…

Now it’s a case of recovering from the jetlag (I was fortunate to fall asleep as soon as I sat down on the flight home, and not wake up until they were serving breakfast, which meant I could land at 8.45 yesterday, be in work by 11.15, stay til 7.30 and then not go to bed til midnight, so at least I’m back on a regular sleep pattern). At least I’ve got some gigs to take my mind off it – Elbow tonight and White Lies / dEUS tomorrow should both be great – certainly well worth keeping my eyes open for…

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