The Vaccines Showcase 'Combat Sports' At Raucous House Of Vans Gig

Last night indie boyband veterans The Vaccines took to the stage at House of Vans to celebrate their new album Combat Sports. After six years in the biz and (soon-to-be) four albums, these guys have honed their sound and perfected their performance to become one of the most exciting rock bands around. Used to playing on huge stages at the biggest festivals across the world, The Vaccines had slightly less room to manoeuvre last night, as they hit the intimate venue of House of Vans which was packed front to back with excited fans eager for their comeback.

WATCH THE VACCINES' LATEST VIDEO 'I CAN'T QUIT' HERE:

House of Vans was transformed in to a The Vaccines paradise last night. As we entered the venue the walls were pasted with hundreds of posters of the boys’ faces, projections of their artwork shone on the floor, interviews with the band played on screens and even the photo booth pictures had ‘THE VACCINES’ on them. We swung by The Vaccines’ very own T Shirt station (casual, right?) to pick up an ‘I Can’t Quit’ top that they made right in front of us. Excuse us while we never take it off.

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Slinking on to the stage in a tangle of sunglasses and floppy hair, Justin Young et al. wasted no time kicking off the gig with a raucous rendition of ‘Nightclub’, the second release from Combat Sports. This gritty rock track (which samples Blondie’s 'One Way or Another') shows that The Vaccines have still got their edge, lamenting their head feeling ‘like a nightclub’ while simultaneously making ours feel like a one with the heavy beat and throbbing bass. It was the perfect way to kick off the evening with its unmistakeable Brit-Rock riffs that The Vaccines do so well. 

Throughout the gig last night, the band treated us to some exclusive performances of their new material which sounds amazing. From the frantic ‘Nightclub’ to the smooth ‘Your Love Is My Favourite Band’ and ‘Surfing In The Sky’, the boys hinted that Combat Sports is another album full of the variety we know and love. We were reminded of how versatile The Vaccines’ sound is with some of our old favourites like the hurried dash of ‘Wrecking Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ and the deliberate march of ‘Dream Lover’.

The Vaccines are, by now, known for their swaggering stage presence as much as their music, and they brought every ounce of it to their gig last night. From the sharp suit of guitarist Freddie to the way Justin oh-so-smoothly fell to his knees during intense guitar solos, these guys ooze rock star status. The audience lapped this up throughout the night, going wild for the raucous tracks like ‘If You Wanna’ and swaying along to ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ and ‘All In White’. We felt all the feels during ‘Wetsuit’, when everyone had their hands up yelling the lyrics back to the band.

After finishing their set with ‘If You Wanna’, the boys returned to give us a few bonus tracks including the brilliant ‘I Can’t Quit’, before finishing the gig with their classic ‘Noorgard’. We had so much fun dancing along to the best of The Vaccines, and can’t wait to hear Combat Sports in full!

By Katie Giff