The Vaccines – Have made it big but will they last?

One of the biggest names to have arrived on the scene in 2011 is, undoubtedly, London based band The Vaccines. Their Edgy Indie-Rock with big choruses, ethereal guitar riffs and clean, sharp lyrics took to the radio easily, also helped by their aversion to long songs -Wreckin Bar Ra Ra Ra is just under a minute and a half (the shortest song to ever feature on Jools Holland’s show). They had a success with their first album What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? which hit number 4 in the UK and have planned a number of tours across Europe, Japan and America as well as playing at Reading festival this year.

You may ask what could stop them; I hope not a lot. They sound, even for a band that has been together for just over a year, very full and complete. They have often been compared, and with good reason, to The Jesus and Mary Chain but sound a little more pop orientated

than that band, a little more cutesy and a little less edgy but with all their density. There are some examples of excellent song writing in their first album. Wreckin Bar is fast and upbeat, a typical gig starter, while If You Wanna is just as big sounding but with a catchier chorus. It got my Mum singing around the kitchen which is always a good sign…  The guitarist already has a staple sound- mystical and full with the help of a DigiTech loop and the bassist and drummer form a solid backing for the raw vocals of frontman Justin.

However, and there is, unfortunately, a however here, there are a few problems looming in the back of my mind. Their songs are good but they are all remarkably the same. It obviously worked for the first album, they needed a cohesive sound and got one, but I believe it will need to go somewhere for future songs. Yet, ACDC, as one critic said, made the same album 14 times and that seemed to work for them? The effects of heavy gigging and ferocity has also had its effect on the lead singer’s voice, he just had surgery for which he needs 8 weeks to recover, and if this is what happens in one year I dread what will happen in two. In addition, they made it big quick, never a good sign as I keep telling the members of my band as we struggle to sign a contract.

Yet, what we have in The Vaccines is a very good starting point. They dealt with their hype, and their definitely was hype for a fledgling band labelled as having the ‘hottest record in the world’ by Zane Lowe, and are still here. They already have hordes of committed fans, just like at the comments on their website, and, most importantly, the music is great. Let’s not hope they will quit in 4 months due to ‘‘musical differences,’’ or some other stupid excuse. Let’s enjoy them while we can, and hopefully that will be a while.