What do I expect from The Vaccines? Well, I usually expect some bouncy and singalong if a little derivative stadium indie-pop from this lot of Sarf London pop magpies, and I also usually expect my missus (who was on board with them from the off, mainly due to their occasional 50’s Buddy Holly inflections) to want to see them whenever they tour. Personally, I like them fine, but they’re definitely a “Rachel” band for us, so sometimes I go with her (my most recent time being Ally Pally in 2018, gig 1,081), and sometimes I don’t (pretty sure she’s seen them at least twice without me since then). However two things swayed me to join Rach this time around; firstly, the premise of this Spring 2026 tour being a 15th Anniversary run-through of their spunky debut album, “What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?”, still my favourite of their releases; and secondly, the inclusion of a very promising young American band on their undercard…
So we set off for Bristol after sorting the kids out with a takeaway, hitting the venue about 7.15 after parking up in a shonky-looking nearby industrial estate. A new venue for me, this recently opened Prospect Building, just around the corner from the now-closed and frankly unmourned Marble Factory, and like said dump is a repurposed large warehouse, with a forecourt featuring eateries and tented benches next to an outdoor bar, attempting to give it a Festy vibe. Cold inside too, although not as Arctic as the MF! We bumped into Andy and Jas by the merch stand and were joined by Matt, chatting before heading into the cavernous hall, grabbing a spot halfway back (the Vaccines massive already sardine-packed down the front) and trying to avoid the pillars! Support, Chicagoans Brigitte Calls Me Baby, joined us at 8; I’d enjoyed their 2024 debut album, “The Future Is Our Way Out” whilst acknowledging an obvious debt to The Smiths in their 80’s jangle pop sound and vocalist Wes Leavin’s yearning, crooner style vocals. Tonight however they focussed on material from their sophomore (yes Wes, I know what it means!) release “Irreversible”, due out this Friday, with newies “I Can Take The Sun Out Of The Sky”, “The Pit” and “Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction” all impressing with pacey, upbeat and undulating guitar-driven verses and big roof-raising choral hooks, despite a distinct and oft-annoying echo on the vocals and drums. A couple of more melancholy numbers highlighted the sharp-suited and razor-shouldered Leavin’s impressive vocal range (coming across all Elvis-like in oldie “I Wanna Die In The Suburbs”) before set highlight, the tremendous “Slumber Party” which opened all Interpol-esque with a doomy one-note opening, before ceding to a thrilling indie gallop. Their debt to Mozzer and Marr’s lot looms large, yes, but there were inflections of other intelligent 80’s songsmiths such as Prefab Sprout (a point acknowledged and appreciated by Leavins during our post-gig chat) and The Big Dish in their big chorused oeuvre. Overall, impressive stuff from a band on the way up – and quickly!
We
squeezed a little further forward before The Vaccines joined us dead on 9 to
the strains of The Ramones “Do You Remember Rock’n’Roll Radio” (a bold choice,
Matt and I both thought…), taking to a stage which was set up like a 50’s high
school dancehall, with red velvet curtain backdrop, drum and keyboard riser and
a big “Vaccines” lightbulb sign. Into openers “Blow Up” and the breathless,
punkish “Wrecking Ball” to a rapturous reception, vocalist Justin Young already
prowling the stage authoritatively, all sunglasses and expansive gestures.
“We’re The Vaccines; this is an “F” chord, and this is “Post Break Up Sex”,”
introduced the man for an early knockabout singalong highlight, and a
rollicking “Norgaard” was also an early highlight for me, although it was later
topped by the predictable “If You Wanna”, a certified rambunctious indie
dancefloor-packing banger, and more surprisingly “Family Friend”, a Velvet
Underground-like slow build accentuated by Young’s passable Lou Reed drawl,
culminating in a speeded-up outro gallop.
That pretty much concluded the “What Do You Expect?” run-through, the band dispensing with all 12 numbers in barely half an hour with a comment of, “that album changed our lives and hopefully soundtracked some of yours”; however the concrete flooring was taking its’ toll on my knees, so I repaired to the large merch/bar back room, grabbing a seat but still hearing the likes of the chugalong “Heartbreak Kid” and impressive late double of the soaring “I Can’t Quit” and the pounding drumbeat of “Teenage Icon” perfectly well. The BCMB boys set up a table next to the merch, so I grabbed a quick chat and pic before the Vaccines set ended, meeting a buoyant Rach (who loved it and invested heavily in a Vaccines hoody to underline it!) before a short-cut out and swift drive home. So, what did I expect? What I got really; some fun knockabout indie pop energetically delivered by The Vaccines in a somewhat unimpressive venue, a promising support already fulfilling considerable potential, but most importantly a happy wife. And that’ll do nicely!
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