The Vaccines are an English indie rock band from West London. They formed in 2010, and have achieved platinum sales status.
The Vaccines are one of those classic examples of pretty much instantaneous success; they formed in 2010, with their links to the UK indie scene already well-established – frontman Justin Young had previously recorded and toured under the name Jay Jay Pistolet, albeit with an altogether more folky sound, whilst guitarist Freddie Cowan is the younger brother of his counterpart in The Horrors, Tom.
By February of 2011, just a couple of early singles were enough to land The Vaccines the prestigious opening slot on the NME Awards Tour that year – previously occupied by the likes of Franz Ferdinand and Coldplay – and by the time they released their debut album, ‘What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?’, they had already built up a sizeable fanbase of the back of tracks like ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’ and ‘Post Break-Up Sex’. That first album charted at number four in their native UK, and would eventually go on to be the biggest-selling debut of the year on those shores. They wasted little time in following it up; album number two, ‘Come of Age’, was released in September of 2012, after a successful lap of European festivals, and topped the album charts in the UK.
With their fifth record, Back in Love City, The Vaccines have crafted their most euphoric, visceral and visionary work to date. It’s a record that sees the five-piece assert themselves as one of Britain’s most vital guitar bands, with 13 songs set against the fictional metropolis of the album’s title.