Gig Review: The Vaccines At Scarborough Spa Hall

The Vaccines bring their singalong anthems to Scarborough. 

When The Vaccines’s singer Justin Hayward-Young approaches the front of Scarborough Spa Hall’s illuminated stage and addresses a comment received from a fan earlier that day “I was asked what The Vaccines are doing playing Scarborough. The real question is: What took The Vaccines so long to play Scarborough?”, he sounds genuinely enthusiastic to be able to bring his band to a new place thirteen years into their career.

The Vaccines’s 2011 debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? earned them front covers of a still influential NME magazine, predictable comparisons to The Strokes and slots supporting the likes of Arctic Monkeys. Though they have never really veered too far from the upbeat, sing-along indie that packs their setlist tonight, the crowd in Scarborough do not seem to mind. 

There are people at the front who Hayward-Young thanks for coming to all of The Vaccines’s shows, people who are overheard saying how long they have been waiting to see the band live, and people who are surely too young to remember the media hype that greeted their launch. Every song The Vaccines play is received warmly. ‘Headphones Baby’ garners cheers almost as emphatic as those that meet the songs from their debut, which get the loudest reception. The anthemic ‘Wetsuit’ and ‘All in White’ are belted back by a crowd whose arms are permanently in the air. 

The Vaccines play with all of the tight confidence of a band that has spent most of the year since releasing their latest album, Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations, on the road. The guitars come in short, taut bursts. The rhythm is delivered with a garage thump and Hayward-Young sings with gusto, prowling the stage and beckoning an obliging audience to sing back to him. 

A pocket of fans who spend much of the night shouting for ‘Norgaard’ may leave disappointed as the early favourite is dropped from an encore in favour of recent singles, but the rest of the crowd spill out onto Scarborough’s waterfront happy having got exactly what they expected from The Vaccines.