It seems the shadow of Phil Spector’s indescribable wig continues to hang over rockdom. A bunch of indie upstarts climbing branches in the same neck of the Wall Of Sound, with a coat of Strokesian varnish for good measure. So to The Academy, and hotly-tipped, newborn band The Vaccines. Hyped to the hilt thus far, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. There’s little evidence of artistic progression through the gig and frontman Justin Young rarely emerges from his shell.
Musical merit, perchance? Judging by tonight’s display, that seems fair. Put simply, this lot penned some instantly memorable numbers and are having a rare old time banging them out. It’s throwaway, but you suspect the four Londoners know it. They understand the difference between being endearing and being Glasvegas is self-awareness and a smirk. Not the next big thing, just a Summer fling, but what did you expect? They should have called their debut Don’t Blame The Vaccines.
In any case, this capacity crowd is rapt. With no real frills, they rely on some elemental songwriting chops and onstage intensity to carry the day. Launching into the Ramones-indebted B-side ‘We Are Happening’, they do so with a buoyant air of nonchalance. Brevity is on their side – no slack, and they leave the stage while the opener’s still echoing around Abbey Street. Saving standouts ‘If You Wanna’ and ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ for the tail-end is a shrewd move with the latter (a steroid-pumped ‘I Get Around’) being their mini-moment of genius. The glorious pay-off after a mere half-hour investment, for this alone we’ll forgive them their queasy shirts.
Complaints? Occasionally it seems as if The Vaccines are singing the same song all night. Stylistic contortionists they are not, but hey, they’ve really nailed that one song. Other than that, the obvious, join-the-dots ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ is the inexplicable ‘hit’. The fact their “F. Scott Fitzgerald” namedrop is the one audible lyric is a joyous thing, however. The Vaccines may never become one of the greats but they are a good band. A good-time band. Anyone looking for a good time?