When I got to London from New York in September of 2014 for my year of studying abroad, I hardly expected anything from The Vaccines. I knew they’d taken a break from an extensive touring schedule that included them covering the entire globe, and heard distant talk of them recording a new album in isolated seclusion. I was a fan of theirs, having seen them play in Manhattan a few years prior, and then opening for Phoenix at the (rather depressingly empty) Barclays Center in Brooklyn not long after. Virtually nobody in the small audience knew who they were and it was only my friend and I who were singing along loudly (and horribly) to ‘If You Wanna’.
With The Vaccines being a band native to London, the thought of seeing them perform at some point flitted through my mind hopefully, briefly, faintly. Never did I imagine that I’d be able to see them multiple times across Britain in the course of six months, in a series of gigs that coincided with the release of their latest record, English Graffiti. From seeing them play a fan-only intimate show at Village Underground in Shoreditch, before selling out Electric Brixton, and watching them headline Liverpool Sound City in May, I was able to witness The Vaccines propelling themselves into the top of the indie band hierarchy and trademarking their ever-transforming sound into their beloved signature brand of incredible pop.
What truly amazes me and opened my eyes about London is just how accessible live music is. There’s something that’s so incredibly different about how music is absorbed and appreciated in England than it is in America. Bands are treated better in Europe, I think, with its incredibly vibrant music scene; after all, it was only when The Strokes hit massive success in Britain that they were heralded as reigning monarchs of indie rock. As most of the artists I listen to are British, being able to live in London and see firsthand the entire journey a band goes through to promote their material was a fascinating experience, for emerging bands and long-established ones. From the early buzz and rumours circulated by music publications about a band’s new material, to the band playing “one-off” intimate shows “just for their fans” in their local town, to then releasing a new single and ultimately announcing their debut record and headline tour; being able to be involved in a band’s hype from day one is a thrilling excitement. Just about any sort of space can be a stage in London, too. I was fortunate enough to watch The Vaccines play a free show at The Rugby Tavern pub in Bloomsbury the day after they headlined Electric Brixton that didn’t even have a proper stage – and this is a band who have sold out the O2. I can’t even go see a band play a pub in New York since I am under 21 and am therefore not allowed to physically enter the bar (no joke). Even local Manhattan band Public Access TV have moved to London for the summer, first to support The Strokes at Hyde Park, then to announce an open call for the band to perform at house parties, and finally to record their debut album. They sure haven’t done any of that in NYC. Below is a chronicle of my semester-long adventure with The Vaccines… and how I accidentally, unintentionally, saw them ten times.
1. Village Underground, London, 20.01.15
I’ll start off with saying that as of early January this year, none of these Vaccines gigs were booked. A lot of these gigs are pop-up, announced only a few weeks (or even hours) before they actually happened. So in early January, I was not planning on seeing The Vaccines play eight times. I wasn’t even expecting them to play one time. But come January, I get an email from their mailing list announcing an exclusive, fan-only show at the Village Underground in Shoreditch of small capacity. The catch? Since it is for fans only, tickets were only to be won via a ballot. So of course I enter, and of course I don’t win. The date that the winners are announced comes and goes, and no such congratulatory email is sitting in my inbox. I begin to lose faith in God and humanity and Beyoncé until, by some miracle, I see a tweet promoted by dice.fm, a music promoter company who distributes concert tickets with “no booking fees”. I see that they are advertising the Vaccines gig. I enter my details. I am put on the waiting list. I wait. I wait, and wait, and wait, and I am sitting at Shake Shack in Covent Garden when I get a text from them saying that I have been successful in the waiting list and have my pair of tickets reserved. I nearly flip the table and terrify all the Shake Shack-goers out of excitement because I HAVE WON THE INTERNET. I have won a pair of tickets to go see The Vaccines play a ridiculously small show in East London, probably their only show of the year. Or so I think.
Situated underneath an abandoned railway station, Village Underground is the perfect blend of ramshackle and cozy dinginess. Brick-laden and satisfyingly tiny, it is as intimate as promised. From the first echoing chords of raucous set-opener ‘Blow It Up’, the crowd are on their feet, indulging in the style of indie pop that the Vaccines are so known and loved for. It is a homecoming welcome like none other, the set a celebration of their greatest hits, ‘If You Wanna’ and ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ a cathartic karaoke therapy session for the whole of the Vaccines faithful. Just a tip? Yelling “I AM ON MY OWN!!!” during the bridge of the former along with Justin Young is the best ever form of stress relief. Really.
New single ‘Handsome’ from rumoured forthcoming album is debuted, a classic guaranteed-anthem fringing on the pop variety that incorporates more of Young’s stellar irony-induced lyrics. It is a triumphant return for the band after a long time away from the live scene. There’s just a feeling of grandeur seeing a band play on home turf, especially home turf that is London. The Vaccines are considered to be mainstream in England – something they are very much not in America – with indie music itself seemingly the standard basis music genre. The Vaccines seem to be as much of a household name in these waters as, say, someone like Drake; it amazed me. Everyone leaves sweaty, bruised, and elated, having just watched The Vaccines play a one-off, intimate gig in London. Little do we know that the show is a mere warm-up, a practice set, to kick-start a whole number of shows down the road…