2010: Formation Composed of
Justin Hayward-Young (known professionally as Justin Young), Árni Árnason (bass), Pete Robertson (drums) and Freddie Cowan (guitar and younger brother of Tom Cowan from
the Horrors), the band was initially formed by Young and Cowan in summer 2009. After months of attempting to perfect their sound, the band uploaded the demo "
If You Wanna" to YouTube in August 2010. The song immediately received praise from people such as
Zane Lowe, who named it the 'Hottest Record in the World' on 18 August 2010. After the band's first-ever London show, a
Clash magazine article predicted that the band could help usher in a new era for guitar music. During the Vaccines' debut UK tour between September and November 2010, interest in the band led to a debut London performance at a friend's pub, The Flowerpot, Kentish Town. The show sold out and audience members included
Alex Kapranos and
Marcus Mumford—200 people were turned away. The performance was awarded a "4/5" rating by
The Guardian and was described by
Clash magazine as "fantastic, exhilarating and exciting". During this time, the band performed live on
Later with Jools Holland—the occasion marked the first time that a band has ever appeared on the programme prior to releasing a single. On 29 November 2010, the band released its debut double A-side single "
Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)"/"Blow It Up" in the UK; the single was limited to 1000 copies and was released on the Marshall Teller Records label. Both of the
music videos for each of the double A-side songs were directed by
Doug Hart, former bass player with
the Jesus and Mary Chain. "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)", one minute and 24 seconds in duration, was named "Track of the Day" by
Q magazine and was critically well received. The band recorded its first ever radio session for
Marc Riley's
BBC 6 Music show in December 2010. Following the release of its debut double A-side single, the band continued to tour the UK in the latter part of 2010, while concurrently recording its debut album. The band was followed by documentary makers from
Vice Magazine during this tour.
2011: What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? On 5 January 2011, the band was placed third in the
BBC's
Sound of 2011 poll and, in the same week, appeared on the cover of
NME for the first time. It was during this period that the band was nominated for an
MTV Award—'Best New Band of 2011'—and a Critics' Choice
Brit Award. Following the band's inaugural
NME cover, the Vaccines then participated in the 2011
NME Awards Tour, supporting
Crystal Castles. Following a trip to the
SXSW arts conference, the band then released its debut album
What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? on 14 March 2011 through
Columbia Records, to generally positive reviews. Reflecting on the album's ten-year anniversary, Justin Young told
Atwood Magazine he and the band were "petrified of not being able to capture the energy" they were looking for: "I remember at the time being like, '''This doesn't sound particularly aggressive
or It doesn't sound lo-fi enough for my tastes''.' Now I listen back and I'm like "
Whoa!" I think it probably was, and I'm like "Wow. That's crazy that these songs got played on the radio." The band was named by
NME Magazine as the best band of the weekend. The Vaccines have frequently collaborated on stage, including guest spots with
Lyle Preslar of
Minor Threat,
Ryan Jarman of
the Cribs, members of
Savages and
Paul Thomson of
Franz Ferdinand. In August 2013 they performed in Florida as
John Fogerty's backing band. In August 2011, the Vaccines debuted a new song "Tiger Blood" that was produced by
Albert Hammond Jr. of
the Strokes in his New York studio. On Christmas Day 2011, the Vaccines appeared on
Top of the Pops for the first time, before welcoming in the New Year on ''Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny''.
2012: Come of Age The Vaccines recorded their second LP in March 2012 with producer
Ethan Johns. Young provided the public with an update: "It's mostly written and we're going into the studio in Belgium in March to start recording so it'll definitely be out this year, without a doubt. We've definitely got six songs written that we all want to be on the record, but there's tonnes of other new songs and we're actually going into the studio out in
Australia to work on ideas. I think we're in a good place with it and it's quite exciting." On 1 April 2012,
The Quietus reported that the Vaccines would be releasing a split 7-inch single with
R. Stevie Moore through O Genesis Records in aid of Record Store Day, with the Vaccines covering Moore's "
Why Should I Love You?" and Moore tackling "
Post Break-Up Sex". In July 2012, during another summer of playing festivals, the band released two free
EPs—one is a live EP recorded in
Brighton, UK, while the other is a collection of acoustic
cover versions, entitled
Please, Please Do Not Disturb. The cover version EP features renditions of
ABBA,
Wire,
Nick Lowe and
Jonathan Richman songs. Later that month, Cowan spoke about the band's plans to release a series of four singles with each band member writing and recording a B-side song. Cowan will collaborate with his brother, Furse, for his contribution to the project. The Vaccines' second album, called
Come of Age was released on 3 September 2012 in the UK. It reached No. 1 in the album chart, and was certified gold in the UK. The album was released in the US on 4 October 2012 The release was marked by the band's biggest tour to date, including a sold-out show at London's 10,000 capacity
Alexandra Palace with support from
Fucked Up and
Diiv. Young has since been critical of the record, calling it a "creative misstep." supported by Australian band
San Cisco. This was followed by a support show with
Muse at a
War Child charity gig at O2
Shepherd's Bush Empire on 18 February 2013. Other shows in 2013 included London's
O2 Arena on 2 May (where the band were supported by
the Walkmen), Hyde Park on 6 July (supporting the Rolling Stones), and Glastonbury Festival on 28 June 2013. The Vaccines featured on the cover of the 30 April 2013 issue of
NME magazine, in which they revealed that they were working on some new material which may either be part of an EP or part of a third album. On 24 June 2013, the Vaccines revealed a brand new track titled "Melody Calling" that premiered on Radio 1. As a result, Zane Lowe named the song 'the Hottest Record in the World'. The song also featured on the NME website and on
SoundCloud.
Melody Calling EP, recorded in Los Angeles by Rich Costey and John Hill, was released on 12 August 2013 with work on the new album scheduled to start in spring 2014. On 29 October 2013, the short film ''I Don't Even Know You'', detailing the band's tour through 2012 to 2013 was premiered on
The Guardian website. The film was produced by PulseFilms. After taking time off from touring at the end of Summer 2013, members of the band were involved in various different projects, with Cowan travelling to Senegal to play alongside
Baaba Maal and
the Very Best and Young performing in the US with members of
JEFF the Brotherhood and
Mumford & Sons.
2015: English Graffiti In August 2014, the Vaccines confirmed that they would complete their third album by the end of the year. The producer
Dave Fridmann, who has worked on records for artists including
Flaming Lips,
MGMT and
Tame Impala told NME that the Vaccines want to create a similar sound to
Sleater-Kinney's
The Woods, though Árni and Young later attributed that statement to Fridmann's habit of lying to the press and not something the band had ever discussed. In November 2014, after a long break the Vaccines played their first few gigs in India, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The band played new songs from their upcoming third album entitled "Handsome", "Want You So Bad" and "Dream Lover". For this tour, the band expanded to a five-piece, with Cathy Lucas of
Fanfarlo and
Vanishing Twin accompanying them on keyboards. The band stated in an interview that they would like to put out a single in January 2015 with touring starting in March and an album coming in May. On 19 January 2015, "Handsome", the first song to be revealed from the new album, was played on
BBC Radio 1 by
Zane Lowe. When speaking to Lowe about the track, Young announced the forthcoming album would be titled
English Graffiti. On 18 May 2015, English Graffiti was made BBC Radio 6's 'Album of the Day +' where previously unheard tracks were premiered throughout the show, with a live performance of "Dream Lover" and "(All Afternoon) In Love." The Vaccines have claimed
English Graffiti to be "genre defining". In summer 2015, the band toured across America with
Mumford and Sons, as they had done on their previous album. They repeated this in Australia later in the year. For the
English Graffiti live shows, the Vaccines recruited a new touring keyboardist, Timothy Lanham. Formerly of Hunting, a band of childhood friends from Australia that had relocated to London, Lanham was a bowling alley employee when he was brought together with Cowan and Young to be the wedding band at the nuptials of
Alan Pownall and
Gabriella Wilde in Tuscany, Italy in September 2014, and they eventually invited him to join them. On 17 June 2016, the Vaccines announced Pete Robertson's amicable departure "to focus on other things", with their recent U.S. tour which had ended a month prior to the announcement being the drummer's last shows with the band. To fulfill their upcoming live commitments, the band recruited Yoann Intonti of
Spector on drums. On 26 and 28 August 2016, the Vaccines played at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals, some of their first British concerts with Intonti playing drums, before headliners
Fall Out Boy and
Biffy Clyro. On the same day as their Reading performance,
Justin Young revealed details of their upcoming fourth studio album to
DIY, saying that "we've got most of the record written, actually. We've got like twenty songs – I don't know how many of them are gonna end up being Vaccines songs. I think we'll just record in the new year and see what happens!"
2018: Combat Sports In January 2017, it was reported that the Vaccines' fourth album would contain songs "like polished '70s and '80s rock:
Big Star,
Todd Rundgren,
Guided by Voices – that kind of stuff. Very smooth, like a super FM radio sound," stated Young. "Someone to Lose", "Out on the Street", and "Young American" were among the songs considered for the album, with the band looking for "a polished pop producer" to handle the recording sessions that were scheduled to take place in February. After published photos taken of the remaining members in the wake of Robertson's departure gave the impression that the Vaccines would continue as a three-piece, Cowan stated that Intonti and
English Graffiti touring keyboardist Timothy Lanham had officially joined the band. "After Pete left, we took some photos with just the three of us and it felt weird. And equally we had these guys that were really involved in making the record, so it felt like the right thing to do. You want to embrace the new chapter, not hold on to what was," said Cowan. In April 2017, the Vaccines played in Shanghai, China where they premiered three new songs: "Your Love Is My Favourite Band", "Surfing in the Sky" and "Rolling Stones". They wrote and performed the theme tune for
Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!, which began on the BBC in November 2017. In October 2017, the band announced
Combat Sports would be the name of their fourth studio album. On 3 January 2018 "I Can't Quit", the first single to be taken from the new album, was released. It was BBC Radio 1's 'Hottest Record in the World'.
Combat Sports charted at No. 4 in the UK upon release. In April 2018 the band embarked on a UK tour to promote the album, culminating with a sold-out show at London's 10,200 capacity venue Alexandra Palace. This was followed by an extensive world tour that took in Europe, Central & North America and Asia. On 29 May 2018, during a summer of festivals, the band again opened for the Rolling Stones' - this time at their concert in Southampton. In July 2018, the band played two new songs entitled "All My Friends" and "Let's Jump Off the Top". From August, they embarked on a European stadium tour with
Imagine Dragons. With Árni absent for personal reasons, the band were joined throughout the summer by Ru Jarvis of
the Maccabees on bass. In November 2018, they released the stand-alone single "
All My Friends Are Falling in Love". In January 2019, the band embarked on a tour of Australia performing at the Falls Festival. This was followed by more extensive touring in 2019. In July 2019, it was announced that the band had recorded a duet with
Kylie Minogue to accompany the trailer for the
Aardman Animations Oscar nominated
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. In late 2019, Young and Lanham unveiled their new band '
Halloweens'. Their debut album
Morning Kiss at the Acropolis was released in 2020 and included the singles "My Baby Looks Good With Another", "Hannah, You're Amazing" and "Rock Bottom Rock".
2021: Back in Love City In April 2020, the band released a new YouTube-only song, "I Never Go Out on Fridays". This was followed by another new song, "Internet Disco" featuring Agent Emotion, which was featured on the NHS fundraiser
Songs for the National Health Service alongside unreleased songs by other British acts such as
Foals and
Wolf Alice. In February 2021, the Vaccines released a covers EP entitled
Cosy Karaoke Vol. 1. The EP consisted of cover versions of songs by
Waxahatchee,
Kacey Musgraves,
Queens of the Stone Age,
Buffalo Springfield,
Wanda Jackson and
the Tornadoes. This preceded the release of a limited edition 10 year anniversary version of
What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? on pink vinyl. The band stated that the EP should act as a palate cleanser for what was to come next. On 13 May 2021, the band released the first single from their, as yet, untitled fifth record called "
Headphones Baby". This was followed by singles "
Back in Love City" and "
Alone Star". With touring still restricted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the band made just one festival appearance in 2021 as secret guests at
Latitude Festival. On 10 September 2021, the Vaccines released their fifth studio album,
Back in Love City. Recorded at
Sonic Ranch just outside of El Paso, Texas in December 2019, the album was produced by Daniel Ledinsky with additional production by
Fryars.
Back in Love City charted at No.5 in UK upon release, marking the band's fifth consecutive top 5 album, with
NME citing a band "still at their very best and still brimming with ideas and invention". Following a tour of small venues around the UK for
Music Venue Trust, the Vaccines announced an album tour for April 2022. On 15 March 2023, Cowan announced that he was leaving the Vaccines "for the foreseeable future" and had already informed the other members of his decision during the previous summer. Having just become a father, Cowan was reluctant to be away on tour all the time. He also hoped to "have another chapter together when the time is right." In the wake of Cowan's departure, Timothy Lanham took up lead guitar duties with former
Drowners frontman and longtime friend of the band
Matt Hitt becoming their live keyboardist and guitarist. Meanwhile, Young stated on behalf of the band that they had just finished their sixth album and were "incredibly excited for all the fun and creativity that lies ahead."
2023: Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations In September 2023, the Vaccines announced their sixth studio album,
Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, alongside the release of its lead single "Heartbreak Kid", recorded in Los Angeles with producer Andrew Wells. To coincide with the release of the album, the band announced a UK and European tour as well as a US tour with
the Kooks. The album was released on 12 January 2024.
2026: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? anniversary tour To celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the band's first album, in August 2025 the band announced a tour, where they would play the album in full, around the UK and Europe. The tour features 20 dates, from February to April. British dates will be supported by American
alternative rock band
Brigitte Calls Me Baby. In March 2026, the band expanded their tour to Australia and New Zealand in November, where they will support
Two Door Cinema Club on their
Tourist History anniversary tour. ==Band members==