When The Vaccines named their debut record What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? they pretty much wrote their manifesto.
After two albums of breakneck three-chord guitar pop gems, you could be forgiven for thinking the band might push the boat out on something a little different for this intimate comeback gig after a quiet 2014.
But then, well, what did you expect from The Vaccines? They delivered a raucous ‘best of’ set that kicked off with Blow It Up, Teenage Icon, Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra) and Ghost Town, before they braved any new tunes.
Frontman Justin Young has nailed the art of the three-minute singalong, but they would be nothing without the lusty riffs wrung from Freddie Cowan’s white Stratocaster. The guitarist swaggered confidently around stage left, clearly happy with his mantle as an axe hero for today’s indie-rock fanbase.
There were smatterings of new material, with upcoming single Handsome the pick. It echoed the catchy glam stomp of bands like Mud and Sweet, but with a hint of rebellion possibly lifted straight from The Shangri-Las, before a swift rendition of Norgaard typically rounded things off.
One thing you can expect from 2015 is that it looks like being a massive year for The Vaccines.
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