Episode 119: Justin Young – The Vaccines

At the start of the 2010s, it felt like it was almost impossible to avoid The Vaccines if you were a fan of indie rock music.

Hailing from the streets of West London, The Vaccines first came together at the end of the '00s, but it was in 2010 that Vaccines fever took hold. Tracks like 'If You Wanna' showed a band whose approach to guitar rock was a refreshing one, and attention from radio and television broadcasters helped to legitimise the group's hype.

In 2011, their debut album – 'What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?' – was released to widespread acclaim across the board, and to this day stands tall as a perfect document of that early '10s indie rock sound.

The band have been far from lazy since, with five new records arriving in the ensuing 15 years, including their most recent album, 2024's 'Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations'.

Next month, however, The Vaccines return to Australia for the first time in two-and-a-half years to celebrate 15 years of 'What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?', performing shows around the country with Two Door Cinema Club as they look back on the album that kicked it all off for them.

In anticipation of this tour, I was lucky enough to have a chat with The Vaccines' co-founder Justin Young about the band, how the record launched their careers, and their return to Australia.

Anyway, have a listen to 'What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?', buy a ticket to their upcoming tour, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.