Buzznet Exclusive: The Vaccines Tell Buzznet How It All Came About
British indie rock newcomers, The Vaccines, hit 2011 by storm when they released their debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? in March and made it to #4 on the UK album charts shortly after. They’ve been compared to legendary old-school punk and rock bands like The Ramones, and The Jesus Mary Chain, as well as to modern indie rock darlings like The Drums and Vampire Weekend. In March 2011 they were nominated for an MTV Music Award for Best New Band of 2011 and well, they deserve it. After all, this is the band that told us all about how break-up sex helps you forget about your ex with the catchy tune “Post Break-Up Sex.”
We got a chance to hear from band members Árni Hjörvar (bass) and Pete Robertson (drums) while they were in the US last and they’ve shared the video interview below with us! Here are highlights of what they had to share.
On how the band was formed while Pete was couch surfing:
Pete: “We were having dinner and just talking about what we were involved in. Arni played me a couple of demos from his new band he’s got with a couple of friends and I just kinda freaked out, really. I was playing session drums and had no creative input, no ownership over anything, I was getting really frustrated…and I heard this song, and I freaked. I think I said ‘I need to be in your band.'”
Onthe significance of the name ‘The Vaccines”:
Arni: “Justin came up with the name but, I don’t know, it sort of spoke to us right away as being like a bit of a blank canvas. Because it just sounds classic…I was just surprised that nobody, no big band had ever been called The Vaccines before. The only thing that it says to me, is that is says that it’s ours…
…it sounds timeless. And I think we strive to make music that doesn’t sound like you can pinpoint it into a specific time, or a place or whatever. So we strive to do that and I think The Vaccines is just the perfect name for that.”
On what they’re listening to now?
Arni: “A lot of rockabilly, a lot of punk music, a lot of DC hardcore. My favorite new band at the moment is probably Beach Fossils.”
On what they want to accomplish with their music:
Arni: “I think we’ve far surpassed any of our initial expectations from this band. I’d be happiest just being able to tour and play to people that want to listen to it.”
Pete: “I think connecting with people is the reason you play in a band. And I think if we can keep doing that, it will be a really good year.”
Check out the full interview below. Naturally the whole thing went down in a bar, because, well, didn’t we already set this up to be about British rockstars with a hit song about break-up sex?
You can get more of The Vaccines including news and photos on their website: www.thevaccines.co.uk
The Vaccines’s debut album “What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?” will be available everywhere in the US May 31st but you can pre-order your copy now and also get a limited edition autographed CD booklet. And, if you want to catch the band in the US this Spring here’s where they’ll be when:
The Vaccines’ U.S. Tour Dates:
- 5/17 9:30 Club Washington, D.C.
- 5/18 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
- 5/19 House of Blues Boston, MA
- 5/24 Rumsey Playfield New York City, NY
- 5/26 Clutch Cargos Pontiac, MI
- 5/27 The Rave Milwaukee, WI
- 5/28 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
- 5/30 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
- 5/31 In The Venue Salt Lake City, UT
- 6/02 Fox Theater Pomona, CA
- 6/03 Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, CA
Stay tuned for some exclusive The Vaccines treats from Buzznet coming soon!
