THE VACCINES // CONCERT HALL, MOTHERWELL
The Vaccines make a bizarre venue homely
THE VACCINES PERFORMING AT MOTHERWELL’S CONCERT HALL - 30.01.2019
PICTURE BY: STUART WESTWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
★★★★☆
The unlikely venue, Motherwell Concert Hall, comes to life as the London based band walk on to the stage accompanied by Queen’s I Want to Break Free – a sentiment that the hoards of fans leaving The Well after the gig seemed to share. Nonetheless, from the moment the chimes of opening track - Your Love Is My Favourite Band - begin, the location and venue of the show seem irrelevant.
Much has changed for the group between their third and fourth album: having lost their long-term drummer, replacing him with Yoann Intoni who allegedly joined for one show and never left, and in 2017 welcoming keyboardist Tim Lanham. The result has been a group that seem reenergised, proving this with their acclaimed album Combat Sports. After a summer of playing their fresh and smooth new tracks at the UK’s biggest venues and Europe’s busiest festivals, the next logical step was of course to sell out Motherwell’s prisonesque Concert Hall on a wintery Wednesday night.
After opening with the flirtatious pop from their new album, Justin Young and his band bask in the glory of many of the tracks that made their name in British music. Young’s eyes looks as if they are about to burst as he sings the words “Reserved and shy, your average guy” from hit Teenage Icon before the calmness of Wetsuit shudders around the arena.
Wrecking Bar and Norgaard cause eruptions in the front rows whilst 20/20 and Dream Lover are the closest thing to intermissions. Newest tracks Lets Jump Off the Top and All My Friends Are Falling In Love perhaps signify a new direction for their group with simple melodies and cheesier lyrics than fans are used to. The crowd, however, lap up the new songs regardless of my discontent.
The slow burning Put It on a T-Shirt opens the encore delicately before the booming riff from Nightclub insights more chaos within the crowd. The Vaccines finish with a staple in their set, All In White – a perfect summation of their eclectic and varied show.
The show ends as floods of fans leave the sweatiness of the venue and seek the fresh air of the streets. Confusion comes over the faces of many as they seemingly remember they are in Motherwell. Thousands walk up the high street, past the scenic Lidl, Aldi and KFC that sit on the side of the roundabout and head towards the solace of the train station.
SETLIST: | THE VACCINES : CONCERT HALL, MOTHERWELL - 30.01.2019
I Want to Break Free - (Partial Intro)
Your Love Is My Favourite Band
Teenage Icon
I Always Knew
Dream Lover
Wetsuit
Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)
Out on the Street
Post Break-Up Sex
Nørgaard
Let’s Jump Off the Top
All My Friends Are Falling In Love
Take It Easy
Handsome
20/20
No Hope
If You Wanna
I Can’t Quit
Rolling Stones
ENCORE:
Put It on a T-Shirt
Nightclub
All in White