Mondays can often bring about a sense of dread and woe to the majority of us, but this week one band transported us to a place filled with joy through a night of marvellous music.
Arriving at the Octagon Centre for the first time, there is a clear sense of excitement in the air as the crowd eagerly wait for The Vaccines to grace the stage.
As the tension rises, so does the atmosphere as the lights lower and we finally catch a glimpse of one of indie’s most renowned frontmen, Justin Hayward-Young.
The Vaccines kick off one of their final sets of this tour with ‘Love to Walk Away’ followed by launching into one of their oldest and dearest songs ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)’.
Working through the setlist the band treated us to old favourites and more recent classics including ‘I Can’t Quit’, ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ and ‘Your Love Is My Favourite Band’.
Hayward-Young has a sense of authority and an ingrained air of confidence, strutting up and down the stage wearing a white shirt and eyes covered by dark shades.
Likewise, the band are showcasing their range tonight switching up between gruelling riffs and a clashing beat of the drums to chords which are much more stripped back, creating a slightly more melancholic sound while connecting the entire band.
The crowd lap up each song coming thick and fast, singing along with the band while swigging back their pints, arm in arm with their nearest and dearest.
Launching into ‘Headphones Baby’, arguably one of my favourite songs ever, the fans continue to charge on with the electric ambience as they belt out: “Headphones baby / Headphones baby / And I wanna die together like we’re movie stars” along with Justin.
More iconic tracks hurtle our way through ‘Handsome’, ‘Teenage Icon’ and ‘If You Wanna’, finishing off a flawless Steel City set with ‘All My Friends Are Falling In Love’ with Justin exiting before finally closing the set on ‘Nørgaard’.
