Rock and Pop: Vaccines @ Electric Ballroom
Published: 14 April, 2011
by ALAN STAFFORD
THE Vaccines are not the first to find that being NME cover stars isn’t always a bed of roses. First praised to the heavens as the saviours of indie-rock, a few weeks later they find themselves caught in something of a backlash.
But all the excitement isn’t hurting ticket sales, with two back-to-back sold out shows at the Electric Ballroom, only weeks after playing Brixton with the NME Awards Show, as well as a recent gig at the Barfly.
In the packed Ballroom they deliver a set of short, sunny, post-punk songs, played tight and fast, with more than a few catchy choruses. You can imagine there will be festival crowds in a few months’ time lustily singing back lines like: “If you wanna come back it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright if you wanna come back.”
What it isn’t, is wildly original. They tap into a long tradition of guitar rock, from the Ramones to early Ash and The Strokes (noticeably in the ennui of the chorus to Post Break-Up Sex), but it’s not clear what exactly is really new here.
Overall, some good songs, especially Blow It Up and the gleeful rampage of Norgaard.
A decent show, but not really the dawning of a brave new world.