Band: The Vaccines
Venue: Electric Ballroom, Camden, London
Date: 7th April 2011
‘What did you expect from The Vaccines?’ were the words on everyone’s lips after the release of their debut album on the 14th March this year. The band who consist of Justin Young (vocals), Freddie Cowan (lead guitar), Arni Hjorvar (bass) and Pete Robertson (drums) formed less than a year ago in June 2010 and have already reached heights of success which many recent british bands have yet to discover.
After their first London gig at the Flower Pot in Kentish Town, the band were signed to Columbia Records soon after releasing their debut single ‘Wreckin’ Bar (ra ra ra)’ which entered the uk singles chart at 157. This was followed by ‘Post Break Up Sex’ which peaked at 32, and most recent ‘If You Wanna’ (Hit The Floors personal favorite) which reached 53.
After their hugely successful NME radar tour with Everything Everything, Magnetic Man and Crystal Castles, the band have since been invited to support Arctic Monkeys on a US tour later this year!
So without further ado HTF went hot foot to their Electric Ballroom gig in Camden to see what all the fuss was about..
As we walk around the packed venue on the Thursday night it is clear that we are not going to get a proper view as every spare inch of space is crammed tight with fans! Ranging from teenage girls screaming they love Justin Young to the more ‘mature’ should we say grandad type!
When the band finally came on it was clear they had the audience’s full attention.
As the band opens with ‘Under The Thumb’ it was clear it was going to be a good gig. Followed by the catchy ‘Wreckin Bar (ra ra ra)’ with the crowd singing along, it felt so refreshing to have guitar music back again instead all this electro synth music we have been accustom to on our radio’s of recent.
The music was upbeat and had a feel good factor about it which made you want to sing along. It did help if you knew the words! We did for two anyway, and so did the whole venue as we all joined in for ‘If You Wanna’.
Although most of The Vaccines songs are about normal everyday life, they have that sing along appeal about them. This was made most clear when they played ‘Norgaard’ which is about a seventeen year old girl he fancies, but shes not ready to settle down- ‘‘her minds made up, she dont wanna go steady, she’s only 17 so shes probably not ready!” . The crowd were truely loving it.
Most of the crowd seemed to be appreciating Justin but we felt Freddie deserved a bit more recognition for his sexy stance!
After this gig I would definately recommend that everyone gets a copy of ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’. It is without a doubt a grower and if your not already a fan, you soon will be!
Check out the full set list of last night-
Reviewer: Nikki Grahame
Photo Credit: Roger Sargent
