THE Vaccines are one of those bands that you can never quite tire of seeing, no matter how many times you witness their exhilarating live performances. Having first experienced the four-piece back in 2011 as support for Arctic Monkeys - the band have clearly kicked things up a notch with the release of their third album 'English Graffiti' and their latest show at The Brighton Centre provided the band with a chance to show off all that they've been working towards - and they didn't disappoint.
Despite the venue itself being a tad on the empty side the opening act, Lambeth's very own hell-raisers, Palma Violets managed to generate a vast amount of noise. The group smashed their way through an impressive set-list that featured fan favourites and hits from their recently released sophomore album 'Danger in the Club'.
The snappy guitar riff of 'Girl, You Couldn't Do Much Better On The Beach' was a highlight of their energetic set. Palma Violets are devilishly infectious as a whole, with a sense of menace and ambition shining through everything they do. The band were an ideal choice to warm up the Sussex crowd and soon they will be tackling larger crowds themselves.
Half an hour or so later and The Vaccines took to the stage, storming straight into 'Handsome' from their recent third album. "Good evening Brighton" shouted frontman Justin Young, as the band struck a balance between old and new and delved into the crowd-pleaser that is 'Teenage Icon'.
The Vaccines exert hedonistic indie that threads throughout many of their greatest tracks and their delivery of this on 'Dream Lover' was certainly no exception. With a thunderous intro that rocked the arena to its core, this track was one of the many highlights of the band's set.
Festival-friendly anthem 'Wetsuit' also receives an outing on this occasion and the vocal delivery is flawless. It was Justin Young who once said that they want to be considered one of the biggest and best acts in the world and this is a goal that they never lose sight of as they deliver tunes that are epic to their core.
Young announces it's "time for a groovy one" as the band rip through 'Minimal Affection' featuring a glam stomp here and razor sharp songwriting there. It's no difficult to see that The Vaccines have clearly matured as writers but it's still tracks from their debut album 'What Did You Expect From The Vaccines' that receive the most love on the night.
The encore is one that manages to squeeze the last remaining drops of noise and love out of the crowd as the band continue to push themselves and crank up the style factor with 'I Always Knew'. However, it's their debut single 'If You Wanna' that the arena erupts too and it is one that is most certainly greeted uproariously. Following on from this, the band pile into 'All In White' to close their epic set and what a track to finish on - it thrills from start to finish and leaves the crowd wanting more, something that you should definitely expect from The Vaccines.
Having shown time and time again that they can definitely hold their own, The Vaccines have sculpted a truly delectable sound and their current album 'English Graffiti' gets better with each listen. Their gigs are played with precision and power and the constant reinvention of their sound ensures that they truly will be one of the biggest and best acts in the world eventually. For now, they are still a work in progress.
Words Lauren Wade
0 comments: