The Vaccines @ Royale 1/18

Photography by Holly Gustavsen

Review by Ashley Duong

The Boston community received a special treat—a tour stop from The Vaccines on January 18, 2025. Fans packed the Royale, an intimate venue of up to 1,500 people. It was the British band’s first time in Boston—not Cambridge, as they noted in their introduction—and their third stop on their North American tour. 

The night started with support from Thus Love, a four-piece punk-rock band from Brattleboro, Vermont. Their roughly 10-song set set the high-energy tone for The Vaccines, which featured their recent release, “All Pleasure.”

With their English roots, the band brought fans from across the pond to the Royale, adding another layer to the already wide-ranging audience, which included local college students and dad-rock concert enthusiasts. The concert began with “Live and Let Die” by Wings playing over the speakers, eliciting an erupting roar from the crowd. After the four original members, with an added touring member on keys, walked on stage, the dynamics for the night were clear: The Vaccines were in control. With a familiar guitar chord progression, The Vaccines immediately had the crowd in their hands, opening with “Love to Walk Away.” 

One thing was evident within the first three songs: the soloist wasn’t playing games, and neither were the instrumentalists. The lead vocalist, Justin Hayward-Young, shines during the songs, showcasing impressive vocal control and range during “I Can’t Quit”—a song with a cathartic chorus to scream in the crowd. And the instrumentalists matched his vitality. The Vaccines brought their studio songs to life through sound production, crescendoing, and vigorous instrumentation from the guitarists and drummer.

After the opening songs, Hayward-Young, emulating a sophisticated rockstar energy since walking on stage in his sunglasses, says to the crowd, “You should like you’re ready for a Vaccines show!” The crowd proved him right, cheering louder when the next song, “Post Break-Up Sex,” was introduced (“This is an F chord, and this is ‘Post Break-Up Sex!”). Before The Vaccines played the next song, the crowd was already cheering to hear “Wetsuit,” a fan-favorite song. Illuminated by a disco ball reflection, the room was quiet except for the hum of the guitar chord. The guitar could be felt through the floor, accompanied by passionate vocals during the chorus (“Put a wetsuit on, come on, come on / Grow your hair out long, come on, come on”). 

During “No Hope,” it was clear that not only were the songs meant to be played on stage, but the lead singer was also born for the stage. Hayward-Young had a commanding presence that felt innate, like second nature. Or one that came after 14 years of practice. Regardless, his captivating confidence made it a delight to be in the crowd of a Vaccines show. He told the song’s story through his interactions with the crowd, swaying from one side of the stage to the other with nothing but his sunglasses and microphone. 

At the end of “Headphones Baby,” where the lead singer admits to the crowd, “Apparently, I fucked that up… should we do it again?” Concertgoers turn their heads in shock, getting ready to dance and scream to one of the highest-energy songs all over again. It was a sentence without pretentiousness, seeking only to break the energy ceiling with their second run. Their discography, meant to be played live, proved true,l hearing “Headphones Baby” twice and “Jump Off The Top,” an energetic song that even had the lead singer take his sunglasses off. The song was brought to life, with the synth-production sound crystal clear and allowing the audience to interact with the call-and-response lyric in the last chorus.

The night reached a high during two fan-favorites back-to-back, “I Always Knew” and “If You Wanna.” This was undeniably the loudest the crowd had been all night, needing no introduction as the crowd buzzed with anticipation. I wasn’t sure if “I Always Knew” could get even better until I heard the live drums during the lyric, “Oblivious to all that I’ll owe / I’m hanging on, to what I don’t know.” The instrumentals highlighted specific lyrics, forcing the audience to reevaluate their favorite songs to find new reasons to love them. 

After a short break, the band returned to the stage, saying that while they were miles away from home, they loved their time in Boston (“We’ll be back in Boston next time, not Cambridge.”). They played three songs and concluded with “All My Friends Are Falling In Love,” breaking the aforementioned energy ceiling that left the audience wondering how far they’d travel to see The Vaccines live in concert.