The Vaccines Page 2

An epic 21 song set saw The Vaccines play their 3rd and final show of the year at London's Brixton Academy. Kicking off the proceedings was Handsome, a cheeky introduction to a four piece who have continually developed and become better with age.

The UK tour, which is in support of their third studio album English Graffiti, has seen the London band tour relentlessly since its release in May this year. Tracks such as Dream Lover, 20/20 and Give Me A Sign, were met by a great reception from fans and show their versatility as a band. The Vaccines are great for mixing their upbeat indie tracks with their softer, loved up side. Their maturity and confidence shines through in English Graffiti and on stage, a far cry from their debut album What Did You Expect? Which -although an incredibly enjoyable album - felt a little like the 4 guys were in a rabbit in headlights situation; those days are long gone.

Frontman Justin Young gets the audience singing, bouncing and hands in the air. This gig marks a career highlight for the band and it's clear they're very appreciative of their 3 night run at the iconic London venue.

Continue reading: The Vaccines - Live at Brixton Academy 26th November 2015 Live Review

Barcelona: arguably the most picturesque city in Europe. Situated on the Mediterranean coast in the heart of the Catalonian region, it's a landmine of history and culture. In amongst the beautiful landscapes and symbolic architecture; much of it crafted by Antoni Gaudi; lies the wonderful Park Guell, while at the city's highest point resides the Olympic Stadium, redeveloped with an increased capacity for the 1992 event. Then, of course, there's always the world famous Nou Camp, home to arguably the greatest and most successful football club of this generation, which is where our week long journey begins. 

Arriving a day early before Primavera's festivities start enables us to take in the unique atmosphere as champions Barcelona narrowly defeat Real Valladolid by the odd goal. It also allows one final opportunity to contemplate this year's timetable where clashes aplenty are the order of most days. However, such a haven of choices marks a great festival, right? Right. 

This year's event marks the thirteenth edition of Primavera Sound and, with weekend tickets having sold out months ago, it would be fair to say it's one of the few whose reputation and audience is growing despite the current economic decline. Mainly situated across three venues; the Parc Del Forum, Parc De La Ciutadella and Sala Apolo; Primavera has developed from an initial three-day weekend into a full blown seven-day event. 

Continue reading: Primavera Sound 2013 - Live Review

Albums of Note... That 'difficult second album' phase is probably even more difficult when - in between your first and second album - you have performed at the Royal wedding, had your songs splashed all over the TV, dumped one of the UK's best-known radio DJs (Greg James) and started dating one of the United States' best-known producers (Skrillex). Ellie Goulding seems to have done a solid job of navigating the pressures of retaining her identity, whilst no doubt being squeezed by her record label. Overall though, Halcyonis not quite the blast of personality that we expected from Goulding: "The most disappointing thing is that they've not even really allowed Goulding's voice to flourish. She has a vocal that's pleasant if not exactly stand out, but all life in it's been stamped out through auto-tuning and correction, the singer sounding as though she's being possessed by the spirit of nothing at all."

Tall Ships are beginning to gather serious momentum on the live circuit in the UK and their debut album, Everything Touching cements that reputation. It's by no means a perfect debut but Tall Ships are already breaking free of the 'math rock' parameters that have been loosely placed about them. "The majority of the ten tracks are instrumentally intense with sounds overlapping and complimenting each other. An intriguing debut from Tall Ships, but there's just a spark missing. They should cut down on the instrumentals and replace with some words because, when they're used, the science and instrumental beauty are amplified perfectly."

Continue reading: A Week In Music Featuring: Ellie Goulding, Green Day, Paloma Faith, Axewound, The Vaccines And Much More!

Back in the good old 1960's, rock bands would often churn out two records a year. Although The Vaccines haven't quite managed that, the follow-up to 2011's 'What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?' has come out just one year later. So while this old school approach to album making is somewhat admirable, unfortunately 'Come Of Age' is a bland, mediocre collection of songs and it feels like the band have rushed and settled for second best.

If their debut album title was an unapologetic apology, so what? It was their first album and they had nothing to lose. This time around, the stakes are higher and the pressure is greater. We all know if you put a stinker out on a major label these days they'll drop you like a sack of yesterday's s**t. But by trying to play it safe with their second album, The Vaccines have created a dull record that sounds like a Strokes B-side compilation.

Gone is the rawness and pop-punk catchiness of 'What Did You Expect.' and in comes longer, less catchy, thoughtless songs. The band sounds bored, lethargic and uninspired, too afraid to take any chances or experiment with sounds and parts. 'Come Of Age' is certainly not the voice of a generation and, frankly, it sounds like it could've been recorded in a day.

Continue reading: The Vaccines - Come Of Age Album Review

Oh, how some people will love to hate The Vaccines. Lead singer dumps previous format in favour of Zane Lowe-friendly indie scenesterisms? Check. Blogosphere hype machine in full effect over demo before you can say the words tablet PC? Check. Sold out gig with crowd full of Shoreditch cognoscenti (Oh, and Nick Hodgson stuck in the queue outside) before unseemly major signature scrum ensued? Check, check, and verily, treble check.

Continue reading: The Vaccines, What Did You Expect From... Album Review