The Triffid is going all out over the next couple of weeks in celebration of their first birthday. It’s hard to believe the venue has only been around 12-months, as it’s already a staple location of the Brisbane live scene. Tonight though, punters are here for something particularly special, British rockers The Vaccines have taken time out from their tour supporting Mumford and Sons to play a one-off sideshow. It’s an early start (this is a Sunday night after all) but right from the beginning there’s a sense of ‘anything goes’ on this bleary and slightly rainy evening.

There’s immediately a crowd assembling at the front of the stage – die-hard fans of The Vaccines making the most of this opportunity to see the band play their debut headline show in Brisbane. First up though are local boys The Jensens, quite an appropriate support act choice given they manage to rival The Vaccines in the ‘most number of guitars on stage’ stakes. Despite admissions from the band that they’re “very hung over,” they still manage to pull off a tight set. ‘Bad Day’ and ‘Bones’ are standouts, and the crowd are highly appreciative of the band’s wicked guitar riffs and vocal melodies. The Belligerents are up next, bringing a set filled with hazy, reverbed psych-rock guitars, heavily effected vocals and some uber-cool dance moves curtesy of front-man Lewis Stephenson. Fan favourites like ‘Voices’ and ‘In My Way’ emerged triumphantly from the blur of reverb and fuzzy vocals. Although we’re all here for a British band, as The Belligerents leave the stage it really feels like tonight was as much about celebrating some truly rad Brisbane music, particularly as the crowd appeared to consist of every local known to frequent a stage, cheering on their buddies and generally adding to the fun and excitement in the room.

The Vaccines were in the country earlier this year to play at Splendour in The Grass, but this is the first taste Australian audiences have had to experience the band’s third record English Graffiti in a headline setting. The band get through a substantial chunk of their discography in the ninety-minute set, it probably helps that most of their tracks are of the short and sharp/fast burning variety. The Vaccines may appear to be a rough and ready, anything goes rock band, but in reality, theirs is a tightly run ship. That’s not to say the band don’t completely go at it; they thrash around the stage filled with raw energy and a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun, but these guys are stadium rock alumni and they now how to rev up a crowd without missing a note. As front-man Justin Hayward-Young himself recently told 4ZZZ, “every time we come off the stage we have any blood, sweat or tears left to give then I feel like perhaps we probably cheated a little bit.”

The four Brits saunter on stage, joined by touring fifth band-member and former Gold Coast Coast local, Timothy Lanham. Hayward-Young fronts up to the mic, holding his hand in the air, poised waiting for the opening bass line of ‘Handsome’ before he launches into the first verse, “Oh god, oh god, oh god” screams the audience in unison. It’s the first of many tracks taken from English Graffiti, a slightly more refined iteration of The Vaccines, but there’s still plenty of grit and attitude combined with the band’s talent for writing sharp, snappy tunes. ‘Wrecking Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ sends the crowd wild, and the Strokes-era guitars in ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ are one of the best moments of the night. Guitarist Freddie Cowan frequently meets Hayward-Young in the middle of the stage, where the two battle it out on their respective guitars, judging from the sweat evidently giving it their all, much to the delight of their crowd.

‘(In The Afternoon) In Love’ and ‘Melody Calling’ allow for a moment of down time, but these slower ballads only offer a brief reprieve before the band launch into the pop/rock glam epic that is ‘Give Me A Sign.’ It’s pretty clear the audience is filled with fans, because they don’t miss a word even in these newer tracks. ‘Teenage Icon’ has everyone madly dancing, “I’m no teenage icon, I’m no Frankie Avalon,” sings Hayward-Young, but it’s a bit of a mute point at this stage in The Vaccines’ career – they are fast becoming the very rock icons they were once so determined to eschew. Australians may not have caught on as quickly as the Brits’ home crowds, but we’re certainly getting there, and if the band’s reception in Brisbane is much to go by, I’ve no doubt their next visit Down Under will involve even bigger venues. Rounding out the main portion of the set with ‘If You Wanna’ and ‘All In White’ – both prompting mass sing-a-longs from the now sweaty and exhausted crowd.

Young returns to the stage with only an acoustic guitar to perform No Hope solo before the rest of the band join him for a raucous rendition of the track’s Iggy/Lou Reed inspired B-Side ‘Blow Your Mind.’ Sung by bassist Árni Ánarson, it’s both a treat for hard-core fans, and a fun aside for the rest of the crowd who probably had no idea what was going on. The set ends with the deliciously hectic, ‘Nørgaard,’ but as with so many of The Vaccine’s songs, it’s all over in a matter of minutes and it’s not long before the guys leave the stage, with the crowd cheering over the final ring of those reverbed guitars. At this point it’s only just past 9pm, undoubtedly practical for those who trudged home to ready themselves for an early Monday start, but more importantly allowed for plenty of partying time for fans at the after-party at The Foundry. 

- Clare Armstrong

SET LIST – The Triffid 8/11/15:

Handsome

Wrecking Bar (Ra Ra Ra)

Ghost Town

Dream Lover

Wetsuit

Minimal Affection

Tiger Blood

Bad Mood

Blow It Up

Post Break-Up Sex

(In The Afternoon) In Love

Melody Calling

Give Me A Sign

Teenage Icon

20/20

I Always Knew

If You Wanna

All In White

-------------------

No Hope

Blow Your Mind

Nørgaard