Like a lot of people who had their teenage years during the 2010s, I was a big fan of the Vaccines.
So I jumped at the chance to see them live for the first time at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Saturday, April 16 - and it was a great decision filled with both nostalgic and new hits.
In preparation, I had a listen to some of their newer stuff as I'm more up to date on their classics. Their current tour is for their 2021 album Back In Love City.
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The Vaccines attract a wide audience - from older fans to younger students and teens, and the venue slowly packed out while the support acts were on.
The first support, London musician Aziya and her band, had an energetic stage presence and got the crowd excited and interacting. She even managed to get a mosh pit started at 7pm. Aziya was followed by a decent set from indie rock band Black Honey.
And then the Vaccines came on and immediately had the crowd jumping up and down with a setlist that seamlessly combined the nostalgic hits with their new tracks set to a backdrop of neon lights.
Energy was high with everyone going suitably crazy for the faster hits. On what I believe has been the warmest day so far this year, it got pretty sweaty in the O2 very quickly.
The response to every song was strong, from the earlier hits like Teenage Icon, If You Wanna, I Always Knew and Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra), as well as to bangers off the new album like Disaster Girl.
The tempo slowed down a bit for Wetsuit, a loved Vaccines classic that had everyone with their hands in the air and on each other's shoulders.
I love all the hits, but Wetsuit, I Always Knew, and All My Friends Are Falling In Love have always had a special place in my heart, so it was great to see them all make it onto the setlist and receive a very enthusiastic response.
Many mosh pits were created (and participated in) and many beers (hopefully it was beer) were thrown, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I went with my brother, who was surprised by how many Vaccines hits came flooding back to him.
The band went off stage after about an hour on - somewhat confusingly, the crowd chanted 'Yorkshire' repeatedly to get them to come back on. It worked though, and they arrived back on stage to cheers to do three more songs.
All in all, it was great fun and both my 16-year-old self and I left very satisfied, if very very warm. The Vaccines were great live, and here's to hoping they keep producing bangers as they have been for the last 10 years - I'll definitely be there to watch them.
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