The Vaccines, O2 Academy Birmingham - review and pictures
Shades and shirts were on show as The Vaccines bought their boisterous indie sound to Birmingham on Saturday night.
Firstly, a big tip of the hat must be given to support act Dream Wife, an all-female punk band that have recently had a lot of exposure with their new record and single Heartbreaker.
Then on to the main event.
Frontman Justin Hayward-Young thrashed onto the stage with his arms in the air, leading the band out as they smashed straight into opener, Nightclub.
It's an absolute riot of a song and you'd never have known it was off their new record, Combat Sports, as the crowd bounced along.
Sometimes when artists play new songs they fall a bit flat - not because they aren't any good, but because people haven't grown to know and love them yet - and opening with one is a particular risk.
But the album has been out for a couple of weeks now, and there was nothing but a great reception for all the new stuff played throughout the night.
This was a rowdy weekend gig.
"Birmingham on a Saturday night, we knew it'd be mental," said Justin.
The set flowed well, with a mixture of the old classics - like punk short Wrekin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra), Teenage Icon and Nørgaard - and a mix of stuff from albums across the last seven years including Dream Lover, 20/20, fan favourite Wetsuit and I Always Knew.
The great thing about The Vaccines is their songs are short indie snackable pop tunes, which are catchy and get you dancing.
When I've seen them in the past the gigs have always seemed quite short - but now they have a new fifth album out their back catalogue is pretty substantial.
This was a great party with plenty of dancing, singing and head banging which came to a close with the slower All In White.
These guys are just getting better with age, and will be a favourite with indie fans of all ages for years to come.
