A boisterous band du jour, there were many who doubted the lasting capabilities of West Londoners The Vaccines, featuring members of Jay Jay Pistolet, and the little bro of Tom Cowan (The Horrors). With early plaudits from Clash, Zane Lowe and NME for YouTube demo “If You Wanna...”, the foursome blew up, trebucheted into the mainstream for all to see. Their debut record What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? toyed with their hype, yet remained a brash anthology of youthful guitar-pop. Those that had doubts were being dissuaded; when the band released Come Of Age, which went straight to the number one spot, almost all naysayers had been converted. The band famously debuted their live prowess in a high profile, sold-out show at The Flowerpot, with members of Franz Ferdinand, The Maccabees, White Lies and Mumford & Sons in attendance. Not bad, eh?
The Vaccines have gone strength to strength with their shows, unleashing torrents of scuzzy rock onto crowds via pleasers such as “Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”, “Nørgaard” and “Post Break-Up Sex”. These days, they're bolstered by a beefy back catalogue (“No Hope” and “Teenage Icon” shining particularly bright), legions of diehard fans and a raw, energising live show that'll scorch your eyebrows clean off. Recently(ish), they also played to a sell-out audience at the 10,000 capacity Alexandria Palace – not too shabby for a pack of unlikely pals after only a couple of years together.
Tinie Tempah
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