The Vaccines

Over the last 5 years that The Vaccines have been together they have created a rather large dedicated fan base. People of all ages came through Brixton O2 Academy’s doors, eager for the indie rock band to take to the stage for their first of three shows at this venue.

The neo-psychedelic trio Sunflower Bean took to the stage first. Firstly their sound quality was shocking. The bass was set way too high leaving the whole crowd shaking at every note. This aside the New Yorkers were entertaining as the group were such a mixture of characters. Julia Cumming and Nick Kivlen seemed to be confused at times as to who the frontman actually was as they competed for the attention of the crowd, making it slightly uncomfortable to watch.

Palma Violets were next up and it seemed as if many had come just to see them. The crowd came rushing forwards as soon as frontmen Samuel Fryer and Chilli Jesson stepped foot on stage. What looked like a bed sheet with ‘PV’ on it (probably stuck with PVA glue), hung behind the quartet, which should have looked amateur but suited their style perfectly. From start to finished the boys had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Jesson was certainly exuberant running up and down the stage and interacting with the audience. At one time Jesson forced two mosh pits together as they were “both doing the same thing so just do it together”. They were a fantastic way to start the night.

Finally The Vaccines strolled on stage as if there wasn't nearly 5,000 people waiting for them. They kicked off the night with ‘Handsome’ and immediately the crowd through their arms in the air in ecstasy. The indie quartet played such a variety of old and new songs that even if you didn’t know their new work you could still singalong to the many others.

Justin Hayward-Young is the ideal frontman for any indie rock band. His interaction with the audience is how any fan wants it to be as he balances on the edge of the stage pushing his mic to the crowd. Young brought to life every lyric so that each person in that room hung onto every word. He completely made the night what it was.

All the classics were played, including ‘Teenage Icon’ and ‘Post Break Up Sex’ but what really got the crowd going was their hit ‘Wetsuit’. As soon as Young sung the first word, the crowd went insane. A fan was thrown onto someones shoulders and was showing off his outfit choice of a wetsuit to all. Young pointed and sung parts of the song to the committed fan whilst smiling and laughing, making the night that little bit more personal.

The encore was an unforgettable moment. As the ‘Nogaard’ chorus kicked in, red confetti fell from the ceiling covering everyone. It had such a feel good vibe that it forced you to smile and dance around. The Vaccines have come a long way and from tonight it can only seem like they are going to go much further.