More about: The Vaccines

The Vaccines (Justin Hayward-Young, Árni Árnason, Timothy Lanham and Yoann Intonti) took the stage at Community Festival under the baking sun, with 25,000 eager eyes looking their way. For The Vaccines a show like this is standard fare - they know how to play to a crowd like this. Giving us a set of hits spanning their thirteen-year career.

Straight after the show, we sat down with Justin Hayward-Young, lead vocals, guitarist, founding member and main songwriter for the band. We get straight into recapping what just unfolded in a (very hot) Crystal Palace Park. ‘It was really fun. I think it's been a while since we played in London and a while since we played to that many people in London. We haven't been playing that much at the moment.’ Young says, with a huge amount of gratitude for the crowd. ‘Every time I looked in the crowd, there were smiling faces staring back at us, which made me feel very warm and happy and loved.’

‘Loved’ is right, coming in at five for five albums charting in the UK top 5. Let’s see what the next record brings. When chatting on LP6, which shall remain nameless for a little while longer, Young is clearly excited, though can’t reveal too much. We were given a tease of what to expect with ‘Heartbreak Kid’ played during their set, only the fourth time it's been played to an audience.

‘It's one of 10 new songs that we recorded in LA at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.’ Young says on the track. ‘Heartbreak Kid’ harkens back to their debut, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? in its tone and wit, with a sprinkle of Combats Sports springy, beachy guitars and a dash of the Americana felt in the closing tracks of their latest record, Back in Love City.

‘It’s always scary playing new ones, particularly at a festival. But I think [Heartbreak Kid]’s quite an easy one to digest.’ Young continues. Though from my perspective in the crowd, it couldn’t have gone better. By the end, the chorus had found its footing and was being called back to the band. An extreme outlier in the ‘debuting a new song at a festival’ experience. Young reveals that we can expect ‘Heartbreak Kid’ as a single within the next three months.

He recently teased fans with what to expect from the next record on Instagram and recounts a bit for us, the standout descriptor being ‘a mixture [of] the first [What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?] and the fourth record [Combat Sports] and hopefully better songs than ever before.’

We dive a bit further into LP6 and how it fits into the extensive and impressive back catalogue beginning towards the end of the indie sleaze era and continuing now into a time where the changing methods of consuming music have had deep effects on the foundations of commercially successful records.

"I think throughout The Vaccines’ history we've tried to evolve and kind of maintain our DNA."

‘I think throughout The Vaccines’ history we've tried to evolve and kind of maintain our DNA. I think it's just sort of constant struggle and an existential crisis about what exactly a band’s or an artist’s DNA is.’ Unbeknownst to him or not, Young clearly has a strong grasp on the band’s identity and that of others.

He continues, ‘I'm fascinated by acts that are able to completely reinvent themselves and, and still sound like themselves. That keeps me awake at night. What makes The Vaccines sound like The Vaccines. There were moments when Andrew [LP6’s producer] was listening on his phone to some desk mixes at the end of the day. I couldn't hear what he was listening to, but I knew he was listening to The Vaccines. Maybe that's mission accomplished.’

While Young is reluctant to accept the title of ‘UK festival staple’, I prod just why they’re so brilliant when playing in a setting like this. He concedes their own skill: ‘I think when we're on form, we're great. We are a great live band and hopefully, we have enough songs that have seeped their way into the hearts and minds of enough people that, whether they’re a new fan or an old fan, it feels even warmer than mid-summer sun’. 

His assumption is spot on, as I left their set to meet Young backstage, I overheard someone exclaim how little they thought they knew of The Vaccines and realised they could sing along to the majority of the set.

The Vaccines are busy, not just with LP6. The band seemingly always has multiple side projects on the go, Halloweens (Young and Lanham), T Truman (Lanham), and Room Service Forever (Young) are just to start.

‘We finished another Halloween record, which I'm very excited about.’ Young confirms the record can be expected early next year, accompanied by a video and a few live shows. The duo have only performed one 25-minute set at Glastonbury 2022 on the now-retired William’s Green stage, since forming in 2019.

"We're very lucky to do what we do."

Young feels at ease setting these worlds apart from each other, even with collaborators coming from inside the band. It makes sense, as The Vaccines lyrics often come with an air of self-assurance, a certain level of non-plussed bravado and a dash of optimism. Whereas, Halloweens lyrics remove the plaster and expose the scorned skin to the cold air as you face the reality of whatever got you to this point. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions to the rule, however, it’s clear Young is a multi-faceted writer. He has another 20-30 or so under his belt for a yet-to-be-announced project.

Dedicated to the craft might be an understatement in this case, with Young spending his downtime continually writing.

The sun is beaming down, and The Wombats are getting into their set a couple hundred feet away. Before we part ways, we talk about what a different position they are from when their debut record dropped. The band, once all based in London, find themselves scattered from Iceland to LA, though with some time together in Paris. ‘Everyone's all over the place. And you have Freddie leaving.’ Founding member of the band, Freddie Cowan announced his departure earlier this year.

‘It's been nice because he didn't really want to be doing it anymore. And I think that you don't really want someone that doesn't want to be there. You know? I think that sometimes you can take these things for granted. Sometimes when you bring in someone new and suddenly you remember it's exciting. We're very lucky to do what we do.’

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More about: The Vaccines