Exclusive interview with Vampires in Saigon frontperson Nico Williams

Dressed all in black, Nico Williams grabs the microphone stand and surveys the roaring crowd.  Behind her, the drummer begins to count off the beat and electric guitar reverb fills the air. Williams, the lead singer of Vampires in Saigon, leans forward and begins to sing.

Vampires in Saigon is a local band that performs in the DMV area. The founder of the band is Lightridge senior, Nico Williams. They write and perform music that fits into the punk rock genre. 

Sound-wise, Williams says that they “love the Misfits and Bad Brains, another DC band. Vision wise, I really like Gloss, another hardcore band. They’re all trans, so they advocate for trans visibility. That was always inspiring to me.” 

Vampires in Saigon is composed of five main members: writer, guitarist, and lead vocalist Williams, guitarist and bassist Cate Chapell, bassist and a co-writer  Ayala Albert,  main drummer Ryan LeVault, and drummer Ezra Winston. 

There are many queer members in Vampires in Saigon, inspiring the group to create music for LGBTQ+ youth, specifically the transgender community. 

Williams was in a band called Catalyst which broke up, leading to the formation of Vampires in Saigon.

“Vampires in Saigon was formed out of the ashes,” said Williams.

The band has performed at many venues, which has increased their popularity drastically. This, in turn, has provided more performance opportunities.

 “Probably the show I’m proudest of is DC 9 because in 2014 Alex G performed there,” said Williams, referring to a popular indie-rock musician. 

“I kissed the ground because he was there,” she said. “I always wanted to see him live and it’s like I almost did. It was probably the coolest thing I’ve done with Vampires in Saigon.”

Out of all of Vampires in Saigon’s songs, the one Williams is most proud of is “New York Shame”. 

 “It’s the song that originally got everyone in the band excited about being in the band,” said Williams. “ I see that song as the reason I have the people in the band now. It brought us together and it’s special to me.” 

On March 18, Vampires in Saigon will perform at a trans-benefit show in Baltimore. Williams is also a solo artist and has a new single out called “Coin on a String.” She further elaborated that the song, “comes from the same place about the period of early transitioning I experienced.”

She also has a new single called “Wish” that is coming out on March 3.

Vampires in Saigon’s discography is available on Spotify and most other music streaming services.