THE VACCINES + TEEN JESUS & THE JEAN TEASERS + DIVORCE – BRIGHTON DOME 18.2.24
Much like my previously mentioned experiences with Bombay Bicycle Club, The Vaccines were a band that floated around my radar, but never made a full rotation across my listening sphere sans the occasional hit that cracked the UK Singles Chart at the time, namely their 2011 single ‘Post Break-Up Sex’. However, Sunday night at the Brighton Dome saw, not just an awakening of appreciation for the band, but a re-discovery of the bygone eras of indie rock music that swarmed the innocent snapshots of the early 2010s. It’s incredible to take into consideration that The Vaccines have only been active for 14 years, with frontman Justin Hayward-Young and bassist Árni Árnason, alongside original drummer Pete Robertson and guitarist Freddie Cowan acting as the band’s set line-up until 2016 where the departure of Robertson led to current drummer Yoann Intonti’s arrival. Before long, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Timothy Lanham joined ship before Cowan stepped back from the pressures of touring leaving the band to continue as a four-piece, backed by guitarist and keyboardist Matt Hitt for their current tours. The band have been celebrating their month-long tour across the UK and Europe, plugging their sixth studio album, ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’, named in inspiration from Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’.
Shortly after taking my seat in the circle balcony of the Brighton Dome, the first support act of the night made their way up onto the stage: Divorce. These guys are a relatively new indie act from Nottingham, hot off the release of their second EP ‘Heady Metal’. As well as The Vaccines, they’re enjoying a glamorous start to 2024 by supporting Bombay Bicycle Club and, one of my favourites, Everything Everything. Vocalist and bassist Tiger Cohen-Towell provides a meek introduction before the band heads into the opening ‘Sex & The Millennium Bridge’. An oddly melancholic song choice to open the set with, this track sits within a 6/8 groove, washing around a gorgeous arrangement of harmonies between Tiger and co-vocalist Felix Mackenzie-Barrow, while guitarist and synth player Adam Peter Smith provides an analog synth drone in the backdrop. Following the song’s stellar climax, Tiger remarks on Brighton’s substantial number of seagulls prior to playing the aptly-titled ‘Birds’. This song’s progression is very steady from start to finish, floating atop a static chord progression and a loose, yet concise vocal delivery, with some wonderfully erratic guitar lines to close out!
There’s something beautifully disjointed about Divorce’s music that resonates with me so well; I can hear elements of artists like Sparklehorse, Geese and Belle & Sebastian via the band’s arrangements, melody-writing and song structures. ‘Gears’ is a marvellous moment for drummer Kasper Sandstrøm to flex his rhythmic muscles; keeping time throughout, he seems to drastically change the groove of the song with each passing section effortlessly, all the while Adam and Felix exchange back and forth washes of guitars in the chorus. Entering the second half the set, ‘Scratch Your Metal’ sees the band at their most ethereal thanks to the distinct array of hazy guitars and loose drum rhythm, while the song ‘Lord’ (introduced as a song about being horny) is decorated with slide guitar and vibrato riffs, with strong dream pop vibes, lullaby-esque melodies and high falsetto passages to boot! The track ‘Eat My Words’ is a wonderfully nostalgic cut with a very Bon Iver-like sound thanks to Felix’s low-end vocal delivery as well as a continuation of Adam’s slide guitarwork; and finally, the closing ‘Checking Out’ is a beautiful finale, with Tiger opening the song solo against Adam’s analog synth drone until slams of guitars pull the song through (side note, this song would be absolutely perfect for a coming-of-age film…!).
Divorce:
Tiger Cohen-Towell – vocals, bass
Felix Mackenzie-Barrow – vocals, guitar
Adam Peter Smith – guitar, synth
Kasper Sandstrøm – drums
Divorce setlist:
‘Sex & The Millennium Bridge’
‘Birds’
‘Gears’
‘Scratch Your Metal’
‘Lord’
‘Eat My Words’
‘Checking Out’
The Divorce members and tour crew disassemble their equipment to make way for the next act, the Australia-born Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers. Currently entering their ninth year in operation, the tongue-twisting four-piece formed as fifteen-year-olds in Canberra, subsequently dropping singles like ‘We’re All Henry’ and ‘Desk Chair’, their EP ‘Pretty Good For A Girl Band’ before reaching their debut full-length album ‘I Love You’ in the autumn of 2023. The quartet draw influences from the riot grrrl movement spearheaded by groups like Bikini Kill and Team Dresch as well as fellow Aussie indie rockers WAAX all the while creating resonating songs for their generation of women to find solace in. Without warning, lead singer Anna Ryan leads the band into the opening ‘AHHHH!’, complete with a tight rock soundplay and their deadpan vocal delivery. On the flipside of the coin, ‘Desk Chair’ takes a softer approach (to begin with at least) with Anna and tour guitarist Meg Holland (filling in for Scarlett McKahey), working within a compact guitar arrangement that works wonders for a song with these post-grunge stylings. The song’s abrupt dynamic changes make way for drummer Neve van Boxsel’s breakbeat-style rhythmic break that kicks the song into full power. ‘Treat Me Better’ holds itself within a propulsive groove right from the get-go, with breathed vocalisations backing Anna’s lyrics. The track’s angsty guitar riffs hiding with a chorus section, thick in texture and soundscape, gives way to reverberations of the odd Teen Jesus fan belting out the lyrics in the Vaccines-oriented crowd.
The song ‘I Love You’ from their album of the same name is, by far, the most melodic moment in the set, with heartland rock riffs and a bubblegum punk attitude that distinguishes the four-piece’s sound in a stunning way. Speaking of punk, ‘Cayenne Pepper’ clocks in at no longer than 40 seconds, stretching into all manner of thrash and punk territory that works as a loud and monolithic interval in the set. ‘I Don’t Want It’ is one of the band’s slickest points in the set, with a sturdy and momentous drum groove provided by Neve with Anna and Jaida sharing a cute little headbutt moment in the song’s mighty closing chorus. The final leg of songs for the band are nothing short of spectacular with ‘Salt’ being a well-needed breather in the set, as the slowest song thus far, carrying a musical atmosphere that reminds one of ‘Where Is My Mind?’ by Pixies, distinguished by sludgy guitars between sections as well as Anna belting their voice to high heights in the chorus. The band take a moment to cover Billie Eilish’s ‘Happier Than Ever’, with the opening lyrics cueing the Eilish stans obligatorily raising their phones to capture the moment. Overall, Teen Jesus pays a strong homage to the original, while still maintaining their distinctive post-grunge sound underneath it. The yelpy and dynamically-balanced ‘Girl Sports’ (so named after a remark from one of the members’ dentists telling them to stick to “girl sports”), is followed by the gut-punching ‘Lights Out’ in a staggering closing run of auditory exercise that leaves the crowd warmed up for The Vaccines.
Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers:
Anna Ryan – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Neve van Boxsel – drums, backing & lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Jaida Stephenson – bass guitar, backing vocals
Meg Holland – guitar, backing vocals (filling in for Scarlett McKahey)
Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers setlist:
‘AHHHH!’
‘Desk Chair’
‘Treat Me Better’
‘I Love You’
‘Cayenne Pepper’
‘I Don’t Want It’
‘Salt’
‘Happier Than Ever’ (Billie Eilish cover)
‘Girl Sports’
‘Lights Out’
Following Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers’ stage departure, the audience are left to keep themselves entertained by singing along to the speakers’ meal of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’, ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ and Paul Simon’s ‘You Can Call Me Al’, all classics! The lights dim sharply to the sounds of the Wings classic ‘Live And Let Die’ which acts as walk-on music for the Nottingham-based five-piece, The Vaccines, for tonight and head straight into action on the first track ‘Love To Walk Away’. Already, Justin Hayward-Young (not to be confused with the Moody Blues singer of a similar name…!), is stretching his way into the crowd, donning dark shades, while the band behind him are packed within a loud and vibrant arrangement. The song quickly transitions to the classic ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ from the band’s debut where the audience are now at full pace, chanting the lyrics back at Justin who staggers around the stage like a helpless romantic. In a steadier pace to the previous cuts, ‘I Can’t Quit’ is the first song of the set with Justin taking on electric guitar duties while still powering out his Paul Banks of Interpol-style vocal performance. Justin takes a brief moment to say high to the crowd before heading into what is possibly the band’s most infamous song, ‘Post Break-Up Sex’. The song’s infectious melodies and pop progression is enough to draw any non-Vaccines fan into conversion, with waves of audience members singing the chorus back towards the stage.
A completely new one on me, ‘Wetsuit’ sees Justin stanced like David Byrne à la ‘Stop Making Sense’ singular lamp lighting providing a softer atmosphere with one of the most deceptively gorgeous choruses I’ve heard live in recent memory! It doesn’t take long for the energy to return however as the song ‘Your Love Is My Favourite Band’ sees the band engage in indie disco propulsions, with touring musician Matt Hitt detailing the song with shimmering synths against Timothy Lanham’s guitar motifs. The Springsteen-esque ‘Discount de Kooning (Last One Standing)’ keeps the pace up as Justin serenades the crowd with every single lyric against Yoann Intonti’s forward-driven drum grooves (incidentally, am I the only one that thinks Yoann looks a bit like Tom Scott from up here, or is it just me?). ‘The Dreamer’ holds a similar progression to ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ while reminding me in places of Nash the Slash’s rendition of surf classic ‘Dead Man’s Curve’. This track (‘The Dreamer’, that is), plays around with hazy shoegazing guitar textures and glitchy synth passages that close the song out. One of my new favourites of the band following this show, ‘Headphones Baby’ features a fantastically infectious chorus with repeated refrains of the title lyric acting as creative musical builds before Justin embarks on a spoken word chorus.
The next leg of the set sees The Vaccines embark on a more high-octane indie rock route, with ‘Jump Off The Top’ standing as one of the fastest songs of the set, at an electrifying pace, fuelled by Timothy’s solid guitar solo in the latter half. Following this, ‘No Hope’ even sees the crowd absorbed in a mini moshpit, just in the centre of the room… which admittedly ends up looking more like a soft group hug come the subsequent ‘Handsome’, a song that makes use of proper post-punk drum grooves, flailing electric guitar hazes and fuzzed out acoustics that reminds one of Neutral Milk Hotel. Diving further into the heavy dynamic realms, ‘Heartbreak Kid’ and ‘Teenage Icon’ incorporate the usage of guitar feedback and chugging riffs, with tom-led patterns and anxious drum grooves adorning the songs respectively. The biggest singalong of the night is present on ‘I Always Knew’, which sees The Vaccines take on a more surf rock vibe thanks to Yoann’s rhythmic arrangement of floor-toms and marching snares. A seamless transition into the oddly-heavy ‘If You Wanna’ starts to draw the main set to a close with the stunningly melodic ‘All In White’ following not long after. Once the band leave the stage, the crowd fills the room with stomping and cheers for an encore, drawing them back once more for three songs to see the night out.
The first of these songs is ‘Sometimes, I Swear’, which, again, sees Justin against a single flashlight manned from the photographer’s pit. The song’s chorus is weighty and full to the brim with classic pop melodies as Justin parades across the stage, armed with nothing except his microphone. Now, it’s fair to say that out of the entire set, the song ‘Lunar Eclipse’, hot off their newest album, feels like the best gateway to The Vaccines’ original era of the 2010s, with all the classic indie pop trademarks associated with the time. Justin bids us a fond farewell with the standalone single ‘All My Friends Are Falling In Love’, a stellar indie disco track with Árni providing some sliding bass riffs underneath Yoann’s four on the floor beat. Following some call and response banter between Justin and the audience, the song comes to an end and the band leave the Brighton Dome stage for the last time. All in all, The Vaccines delivered everything I hoped they would and then some; I felt like I’d been thrown back to the early 2010s again, where indie music was starting to bloom into the mainstream and no one bat an eyelid. Big respect to Divorce and Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers too, for warming up the Brighton crowd for a wonderful spectacle of a Vaccines evening!
The Vaccines:
Justin Hayward-Young – lead vocals, guitar
Árni Árnason – bass guitar, backing vocals
Timothy Lanham – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals, guitar
Yoann Intonti – drums, percussion
Matt Hitt – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
The Vaccines setlist:
‘Love to Walk Away’ (from 2024 ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’ album)
‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ (from 2011 ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’ album)
‘I Can’t Quit’ (from 2018 ‘Combat Sports’ album)
‘Post Break-Up Sex’ (from 2011 ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’ album)
‘Wetsuit’ (from 2011 ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’ album)
‘Your Love Is My Favourite Band’ (from 2018 ‘Combat Sports’ album)
‘Discount de Kooning (Last One Standing)’ (from 2024 ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’ album)
‘The Dreamer’ (from 2024 ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’ album)
‘Headphones Baby’ (from 2021 ‘Back In Love City’ album)
‘Jump Off The Top’ (from 2021 ‘Back In Love City’ album)
‘No Hope’ (from 2012 ‘Come Of Age’ album)
‘Handsome’ (from 2015 ‘English Graffiti’ album)
‘Heartbreak Kid’ (from 2024 ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’ album)
‘Teenage Icon’ (from 2012 ‘Come Of Age’ album)
‘I Always Knew’ (from 2012 ‘Come Of Age’ album)
‘If You Wanna’ (from 2011 ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’ album)
‘All In White’ (from 2011 ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’ album)
(enore)
‘Sometimes, I Swear’ (from 2024 ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’ album)
‘Lunar Eclipse’ (from 2024 ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’ album)
‘All My Friends Are Falling In Love’ (2018 standalone single)
