Live Review: The Vaccines - O2 City Hall, Newcastle 03/03/2026
It seems to be the year of anniversaries, with this week's being the most joyous of albums and one I grew up with. The Vaccines played their debut album 'What To Expect From The Vaccines' in full at Newcastle's O2 City Hall in front of a room filled with dedicated fans.
Charming indie dream Brigitte Calls Me Baby opened another unforgettable night sound tracked by indie greats and soon to be indie greats. The band are gearing up for the release of their second album and served their vibrant wandering anthems to an eager audience that had turned up especially early and got what they came for. I'd been told about Brigitte Calls Me Baby by a friend who's music taste I value highly and she's once again showed me why. The sweet and thick as honey voice of their frontman is still sticking to my skin and ringing in my ears like the taste of a cigarette in the mouth of an addict. Vibrant guitar-driven soundscapes, and sultry, hook-laden soon-to-be anthems got us well and truly into the American group with the drummer that had clearly just recharged his batteries before their set.
Same was the case for effortlessly cool and completely timeless anthemic indie group The Vaccines, who don't seem to age nor tire. I often think I've seen them at their strongest yet as singer Justin said "I believe our best is yet to come", they keep getting better. The Vaccines are like a fine wine. As they played through their debut collection of absolute bangers, their audience lapped up every single one of its punching hits. Although "If You Wanna', 'Wetsuit', 'Norgaard', and '... Post Break-Up Sex' are hard to beat, my personal favourite might have still ended up being the album's closing track 'Somebody Else's Child'. Despite the fact that I'm sure I've not listened to it before the show, this was a most certain highlight of the evening for me. The track was played stripped back and gave us all a moment to sit and breathe before the band launched into another chapter of hits.
The Vaccines came back for ‘Your Love Is My Favourite Band’, ‘Headphones Baby’, ‘I Can’t Quit’, and it showed not only that they’re incapable of writing anything that isn’t a hit, but also that the O2 City Hall was filled with true fans who gave it their all and made for the most joyous atmosphere. Although I did at first feel like a teenager whose mobile phone had just been taken away from them as we got pointed to our seats on the balcony, barely anyone stayed seated throughout, so really it just meant I had space to put my bag and glass of water. One simply doesn’t need alcohol when The Vaccines are playing, because the band that’s currently working on their seventh studio album are like a drug! They treated their audience to a song that had only just been finished, giving us a taster of what’s to come and already selling us on their next headline tour, fingers crossed it will be soon!
Words by Laura Rosierse
Photos by Celia Medina
