You wouldn’t expect indie newcomers Vampire Weekend and big-selling rapper Akon to have much in common. But both of them were forced offstage last night due to fire alarms.

The American R&B star caused a riot when his free gig in a Danish mall was stopped by police attempting to escort fans outside due to the alarm. We would assume having to hear ‘Smack That’ is enough to incite hostility, but the opposite appears to be true.

Akon was performing at the Fields Shopping Mall in Copenhagen when an alarm sounded three songs into his set. As police ushered the crowd outside violence erupted, with rocks and drinks bottles being thrown at officers.

There were eight arrests and several injuries, though nobody was seriously hurt. The singer had already encountered problems when around 3,000 people tried to get into the 1,000 capacity venue, leaving many watching from outside.

A fire scare at Vampire Weekend’s London gig at ULU was far less chaotic. The band was forced to stand in the street with the crowd when their set was interrupted by the false alarm. Rumours that Damon Albarn had triggered the alarm were soon proved false as the watching Blur frontman had already left the venue.

The New York band completed their show after the short break, playing their debut album in its entirety plus a cover of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’. They also aired a track so new it is still untitled. “"We're going to play a new song to make up for going outside," said singer Ezra Koenig. “This song has no name.”

Vampire Weekend have four dates left on their short UK tour, with gigs in Wolverhampton, Oxford, Brighton and Manchester all sold-out.

(by Greg Rose)