On Wednesday evening we headed to Amsterdam’s Paradiso for an evening with guitar pop heroes The Vaccines. The night got opened by Teen Jesus & the Jean Teasers who performed a set list filled with fast paced punk rock songs, a slow song, and a sexy song. Eclectic and energetic soundscapes were slightly disturbed by high pitched screaming vocals that are passionate yet a tad distracting. The energy and soundscapes were there, but we weren’t sold just yet…
By the time the clock turned half past eight, Paradiso’s main hall had filled to the brim with eagerly waiting indie rock fans longing to sing and mosh along to their favourite guitar hits. From the moment the band entered the stage the energy they sent out into the crowd radiated through the space bouncing off the walls like there was no tomorrow. Charming and charismatic frontman Justin Young is clearly excited, if that’s thanks to a true passion for his craft or because it’s the first night of their European tour we’ll never know, but either way he put on a show very fun to watch. Together with Árni Árnason on bass and vocals, Timothy Lanham on guitar, vocals and keys and Yoann Intonti on drums they created a captivating show hard to look away from!
Their latest album is brand spanking new and with a massive amount of hits up their sleeve they smartly played their audience by focusing on their hits and the tracks their fans wanted to hear without overwhelming them with a bunch of new tracks no one had heard yet. For someone who’s excited to hear the new material that is a bit of a disappointment, but hearing banging indie pop tunes such as ‘Wetsuit’, ‘Post Breakup Sex’, ‘I Can’t Quit’, ‘Norgaard’, and ‘Your Love Is My Favourite Band’ live can never be beat. The enthusiasm, the guitar riffs and incredible hooks, and the smiles that lit up the venue made the evening and the event a highlight most certainly making our top 20 gigs of 2024 even though we have only just experienced our first few.
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