The Vaccines, with Jesse Jo Stark, at Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis (10 Oct 2018)

 

Tour Dates

UK’s The Vaccines (singer/guitarist Justin Hayward-Young, lead guitarist Freddie Cowan, bassist Árni Árnason, keyboardist Timothy Lanham, and drummer Yoann Intonti), returned to Minneapolis at the Fine Line Music Café on Wednesday, October 10th, in support of their fourth album Combat Sports (Columbia Records).

This is the first time the band came back since their headlining Triple Rock Social Club show in August 2015.

Los Angeles’ Jesse Jo Stark actually started their set ten minutes earlier than advertised. It’s literally unheard of with rock ‘n roll shows, but that meant a little more music from Stark. I’m glad they squeezed in a few extra songs on their set, because I couldn’t get enough of their music!

Their music sounds a bit like Angelfish (pre-Garbage), early Curve (pre-techno), and a little Mazzy Star (but not as sleepy). It’s driven by catchy muscular guitar hooks and Jesse Jo Stark’s seductive vocals.

They started with a partial cover of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”, originally by Cher, but their version is definitely based on the popular Nancy Sinatra song. The same can be said for “Bettie Davis Eyes”, based on the popular Kim Carnes version (not the original country-esque Jackie DeShannon version).

Most of their songs were (beautifully) dark, love, loss, breakup, death… and maybe something about the devil, but they do have their lighter side, like wearing her light-up Ninja Turtles watch and their fun simple ditty “Breakfast With Lou”. The song style and theme of “Lou” really didn’t fit in with their other black songs, but it works as a nice breather.

They ended their set with a double-whammy of “Fire of Love” and “Rot Away”, the latter is on her latest single Wish I Was Dead.

This was Jesse Jo Stark’s first time in Minneapolis, but based on how great their performance was, we just cannot wait for them to come back.

After a short break, the lights dimmed and a weird medley of “Phantom of the Opera” and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”, The Vaccines have finally arrived to the clean stage of the Fine Line Music Café. Singer Justin Hayward-Young mentioned after a few songs, “Weird, not being at Triple Rock for sure.”

As Hayward-Young mentioned, this was The Vaccines’ fourth time in Minneapolis, and “Minneapolis have been very good to us.” Although we’ve covered the band a few times, I personally haven’t seen them since their Minneapolis debut with the Arctic Monkeys at First Avenue in May 2011. Based on these two performances, the Vaccines have great improved on both their music and stage presence.

Hayward-Young is more fun and active, often doing his best Elvis Presley or Morrissey impression on stage… reaching his hands in to the diehard crowd or emoting the goofiest faces to the point of almost self-parody. It was a joy to watch, and he is looking like he’s having a whole lot of fun.

If you were wondering why the long gap between their English Graffiti (in 2015) and their recent Combat Sports (2018), it’s because the band nearly broke up in 2016. You see, near the end of their promotional tour and campaign for English Graffiti, the band members had suffered lifestyle and health issues. They thought it had reach a point where it simply wasn’t fun as it once was, and began questioning their commitment to the band.

After original drummer Pete Robertson left the group, the band took a much-needed break. Hayward-Young explained the reason why they re-grouped, “We lost sight of who we were and why we were there. When you’re as insecure and self-aware as me, there’s a constant process of second-guessing everything you do. I’ve brought The Vaccines into my heart again now. Being in a band is about compromise and collaboration and I think it’s coming to terms with what we are as a collective and falling back in love with that and making the best record we can for us as a band, rather than as individuals… We decided we needed to make it fun again.”

Obviously, the band’s early successful singles (“Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”, “Post Break-Up Sex” and “Nørgaard”) had the loudest and responsive singalong from the crowd… but their recent songs like “Your Love Is My Favourite Band” and “Take It Easy” were also well-received.

Based on hearing those new rock ‘n roll songs live from Combat Sports, we can tell that the Vaccines will keep playing … so long as it’s still fun.