Sometimes, a gig will reawaken the very reason you loved those songs fifteen years ago and The Vaccines headline show at Live At Tileyard North in Wakefield did just that. A shared electric energy between crowd and band; their very first Wakefield show went off with a bang.
Supported by Little Grandad, Ellur and Spector, the evening was set to be very wet but full of loud celebration. As their immediate support, Spector’s lead singer Fred Macpherson brought some Southern swagger, commanding the stage. Joking with the crowd that his Mum thought he was playing Leeds fest, close enough, as he riled up the crowd with attitude and stage presence somewhat reminiscent of Jarvis Cocker.
Spector
Ellur
By the time The Vaccines hit the stage, the crowd are readily anticipating letting go with full force. Within the first opening notes, any thoughts of nostalgia disappear and you are very much catapulted into the present. This is The Vaccines as they should be experienced: loud, energetic and gloriously intimate.
With fifteen years of hits to pull from, the opening run of songs show how early Vaccines material was like a hit of adrenaline. The likes of If you Wanna, Post Break-Up Sex and Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra) have lost no ability to get the crowd moving and the crowd never stops. At one point, Justin Young, remaining an effortlessly engaging frontman, declares “this is what it’s all about” before the beat kicks in and the crowd jumps up once again. You can’t disagree with him.
Because that is exactly how the night felt, very simply. A great band, a great crowd, and a stack of great songs. And there is something particularly enjoyable about seeing older songs collide with a newer audience, as well as an older audience reliving the last decade and a half.
By the time the band reach the final stretch of the set, there is no divide between stage and crowd. It’s one mass movement of voices and raised arms, all conducted perfectly by the band. Judging by the reaction, that’s exactly what Wakefield wanted.
