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Mar 02, 2026 By Dom Gourlay Web Exclusive

The Vaccines’ debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? turns fifteen this month. To commemorate its anniversary, the band headed out on tour last weekend (Saturday 28th February) for a series of shows where they’ll be playing the record in full alongside some of their other biggest hits and fan favourites.

Released on 11th March 2011, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? went on to become the biggest selling debut album by any band that year, launching the career of a band who’ve since gone on to release six critically acclaimed albums culminating in 2024’s Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations.

The four-piece – Justin Young (vocals, guitar), Árni Árnason (bass, vocals), Tim Lanham (guitars, keys, vocals) and Yoann Intonti (drums) – have established themselves as one of the UK’s most consistent guitar bands, amassing a loyal fanbase around the globe over the sixteen years of their existence.

Last month (February 2026), Under the Radar sat down for a chat with the band’s amiable frontman Young to discuss their debut and how it shaped the band they are today.

Dom Gourlay (Under the Radar): It’s 15 years since your debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? album came out. Where does the time go? Did you expect to be sat here talking about it in 2026?

Justin Young: I know, it’s pretty funny. I think like all these things, it feels like, feels like no time has passed at all.

Reflecting on the album now, is there anything that you’d change or do differently? Because I remember at the time, one of the things you said to me years ago was that you didn’t think the production had captured the live sound or what you wanted, although personally, I think it’s perfect.

I think the more time that’s passed, the more at peace I am with everything, and the prouder I’ve become. I also think you have to remember that when it was released, it was sort released into this maelstrom of opinion, hype, and expectation and even resentment – especially in the UK. And as a 22-year-old, I was over the moon that we were finally getting our shot as musicians, but I was also just incredibly overwhelmed by it all and not in any way equipped to deal with everyone in music in the UK having an opinion on it or us. It isn’t always the most enjoyable thing when people appear from out of nowhere and turn their gaze onto you. I suppose as that’s died down slightly through the years, we’ve adjusted and become accustomed to it and time has passed, I’m able to look at it through my own lens really and look at it with pride and just be grateful for everything it’s given me. But one of the things about that record is it’s stood the test of time. I really think it has. I don’t necessarily think that about all our records and we’ve been lucky as we’re talking about now to do this for 15 years. Throughout any lifespan of a band, there are ups and downs, lefts, and rights and all those kinds of things. But I do think that first record has stood the test of time. And in some respects, I think it’s better than some people gave it credit for at the time. I think it has found its place as a genuinely good indie rock record.

It was a very weird time though, wasn’t it? I was writing for Drowned In Sound at that point and I’ll be honest, opinions of both writers and readers on the site very, very split. There were people like myself that were already big fans of the band. And then there were others that couldn’t get beyond the hype and expectation so were already dismissive from the outset.

The older I’ve become I’ve come to understand that it’s not always the best way when you feel like you’re being told that you should like something. Sometimes you want to find music yourself rather than be told about it by someone else. Looking back, I get all of that now. I was just incredibly overwhelmed by all, but it’s so much easier for me to focus on the positives now and just be proud of it. Like I’ve been saying, I do believe it’s stood the test of time and hopefully this tour will be a testament to that. The ticket sales suggest people are still interested.

Looking back, the reception from most music critics was quite positive regardless of any hype.

I think it was actually. As an artist, you tend to focus on the one or two that didn’t like it. You probably don’t realise this as a critic or a writer, but if you’re 22 and you get three stars instead of four stars, certain characters can lose a month’s sleep over that. If you’re a sensitive soul, it’s not something you’ve prepared yourself for.

In hindsight, do you think that because the album was so successful, in some ways it became an albatross in that the weight of expectation meant you had to follow and match it again and again for the rest of your career?

Yeah, absolutely. We were blessed to have so much so soon, but it also means that it’s much harder to build on and follow that up. Most artists build slowly through their career, whereas we pretty much blew up overnight. I was lying in bed last night and it was the first time I’d ever really thought about it and realised we’d gone from the Flowerpot in London playing to 110 people to headlining the O2 in about 18 months. That’s not normal. It had rarely happened before us. You could probably count on one hand how many times that’s happened since The Vaccines broke as well. It’s not a normal trajectory for a band. So, we did feel a lot of pressure. We felt a lot of pressure to deliver quickly and I suppose, keep riding the wave and not let it get away from us. It feels very much like we’ve settled into who we are and what we do. We take our time nowadays and I’d like to think that we’re as good if not better than we’ve ever been live and on record. (9:44) But certainly at that time, there was a lot of pressure to deliver and maybe deliver too quickly. I wish we’d taken a bit more time after that first record to just take a deep breath and take it all in.

One of the things that’s always stood out with The Vaccines is how much you’ve progressed as a band over time. No two records have ever been the same. Every record’s different and feels like it’s a progression from the last one. I guess that’s one of the reasons why you’re still here?

I hope so. I like to think that we’re making records because we still believe the best one is yet to come and that we still have something to say of value and music to make that. We’re proud of and fulfilled by the way our music connects with people. I’ve probably heard myself say this a billion times, but often a record is a reaction to the last one. I think when you start writing a new record, it’s impossible for it not to be just even ever so slightly a reaction to the last one. Everything’s reframed by what comes before, isn’t it? I think it’s funny as well you saying maybe that’s why we’re still here, because we’ve made something slightly different every time. Because there’s another part of me that wonders if we had just churned out seven LPs worth of approximations of the first one, we might also be three times bigger than we are, because we haven’t always been rewarded for trying something different every time. I don’t think the more casual fans have always wanted exploration. Then funnily enough, when we come back to a sound that maybe is slightly more what people expect from The Vaccines or whatever, suddenly people go, “Oh, you know, they’re good again, they’re back again!” or whatever. It’s funny because I do believe the real hardcore fans of the band love it when we try something different whereas the more casual fans roll their eyes and it does seem like we’re still looking for that consensus, basically.

I guess one of the main reasons as well is when or during what eras people got into the band. That can often shape someone’s perception as to what their favourite periods are. Obviously a lot of people will have got into the band around the time of the early singles and first album, but also, quite a lot of people will have got into The Vaccines when Come Of Age came out, or when English Graffiti came out.

Absolutely. And actually, that’s one of my favourite things about going on tour. Every time we put out a new record out and go on tour, there’s a new front row of teenagers who are discovering us for the first time or whatever. If we go to places like the US or mainland Europe, we’re often playing to slightly more people than we’ve ever played before because they’ve discovered us on a record that came out two years or four years or six years ago rather than the first record. So, I think that’s always a very rewarding experience. For a lot of people, these anniversary shows for the first record will be like a trip down memory lane. But for lots of other people, it will be their first time seeing that record in full because a lot of them would have been too young to see it when it first came out.

Will you be playing the debut album in chronological order or are you going to mix it up a bit?

That is a question I should know the answer to, given that the first show is in about two weeks, but not one we’ve answered yet. We are playing the full record. We will play a couple of B-sides and all that sort of stuff. Then there’ll be a second half of the show where we play, as one of my friends called it, “the greatest bits.” But whether we play the album in chronological order or build a set around the album, that is a question we still need to answer. So, I’m not sure. Someone asked me the other day whether we are going to go off and take a breather for a couple of minutes between sets? That’s something else we need to figure out once we’ve decided on what format the shows will run.

Do you still get the same thrill, the same buzz from playing those songs as you did when you first started out?

Yeah, as big as ever because that’s the whole thing about performing music. A really good example of this is when we rehearse those songs in a rehearsal room, it is like watching paint dry. It’s so boring and unenthralling. But the second you play them to an audience who are sort singing back every word and throwing their beers up in the air and sitting on their friends’ shoulders, it just feels like you’re playing them for the first time. It paradoxically feels like everybody there has these core memories associated with each song so you’re experiencing all these memories together, if that makes sense. Other people being there just breathes so much life into them. I’ve never understood why some artists don’t like playing their biggest songs, because I just think it’s such a powerful moment of community and congregation. I find it quite baffling sometimes when some artists just deliberately won’t play some of their most popular songs, because at the end of the day that’s why people have paid to see them. I understand that if you’re touring either a brand-new record or anniversary of an older album, those songs will make up the bulk of the set. But if there’s something that people really want to hear, and it’s a song that still resonates with you, why would you not play it? It doesn’t make any sense to me.

Will there be any new songs played on this tour? Anything that’s not been released yet?

Yeah, that is the plan. At least one. We’ve basically just finished writing the next record. One of the reasons we wanted to do this tour really was not just to celebrate the past, but also ready people for the future. The next record is written, so the plan is to play music from that every night.

Is there a scheduled release date for the new record?

Not one that’s set in stone. But the plan is to release new music at some point this year. The whole point of this tour is to lead into the next chapter rather than just celebrate the past.

In terms of sound or style, does it represent another progression from you what’s gone before?

I really hope so. I think there’s a bit more musicality and it’s probably slightly more rounded or eclectic in some ways. But it’s definitely an indie rock record. And it’s going to be very live sounding and human sounding.

There’s been a couple of line-up changes along the way. One of the original members Freddie (Cowan) left the band a couple of years ago. Is the door still open for him to come back should he ever want to?

Probably not at this point, just because Tim (Lanham) is a big part of the band, and he primarily plays keys and rhythm guitars. He’s stepped into Freddie’s very big shoes and I think filled them magnificently. I suppose everybody has different opinions on this, but I do feel a bit like taking back a bandmate that’s left you is a bit like taking back a partner that’s left you. If that makes sense. We all love each other deeply and still see a lot of each other as well. But I think that from my perspective, it should always be the current line-up playing. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

Do you think that a band like The Vaccines would be able to operate in the same way as you could in 2010 if they were just starting out now? The music industry and political landscape have changed dramatically, which has significantly impacted the costs of touring and recording while also making it far more difficult to pursue a full-time career in music.

Absolutely not. I suppose it’s always been expensive to start a band. You’ve always needed a mate who can afford a three, four or five hundred quid drum kit and someone with a big enough garage or front room to rehearse in or whatever. But I think if you compare when we were starting out to now, it’s incomparable. The opportunities that were there for newer, younger artists on a grassroots level. If I think back to when I moved to London in 2006/2007, I was able to often play, two gigs a night, seven nights a week. And there were scenes and communities that within them had promoters, managers, other artists, lawyers, A&Rs and writers as well. It was quite easy to grow very quickly. Groundswell because there were these spaces which allowed for that to happen. Nowadays, there are less and less of those spaces and it’s become more and more expensive and as a result, more and more kind untenable since everything has moved online. So, now I suppose TikTok has become the open mic night, hasn’t it?

I’ve got an eight-year-old son and I look at how he discovers music. Most of it is through TikTok, YouTube or even video games which is so different to our era where we had specialist music shows and dedicated channels on TV, and an influential music press both in print and online.

I think artists are now at least expected to be content creators. If you think back, artists have always loved using music videos and album sleeves as an extension of their art. But now there’s this obligation for people to be thinking up mini music videos two or three times a day. It’s what they’re being told to do because there’s a generation of fans that expects it. I don’t know, it just seems like as time goes by, more and more is expected of budding artists for less and less in return.

It must be quite a challenge for someone that’s been making music for as long as you have, and been able to achieve quite a lot, to then be expected to do things in a very, very different way. I can imagine it being destroying to some extent.

It’s a confusing space. Sometimes I feel like when you’re showing your mum something on your phone and she doesn’t know. She doesn’t know what buttons to press or whatever. The speed at which change comes about, I do sometimes feel like we’re no longer operating in the world which we arrived into. I suppose we miss the time when you could just focus on writing songs and making music. When we signed to Columbia in 2010, we’d written and essentially demoed the entire LP to a standard that was pretty similar to the final album. We weren’t sent off for five years to release an endless string of EPs and work with an endless string of co-writers then put out an endless string of social media posts. We were signed as a finished product and were essentially allowed to just write music and put it out. So, a big part of us still wishes that was all that was required of us.

I remember when the when the demo of “If You Wanna” first came out. It sounded finished and as good as anything officially released around that time, to the point we were playing it in DJ sets which was also where a lot of people discovered new music back then. Through various DJs and club nights. It still sounds great today and as were saying earlier, stands the test of time.

I also think there was much more of a monoculture. Nothing compared to what occurred in the 60s and 70s, but there was still comparatively more than there is today. Everything is so fragmented now and we live in a society where everyone’s vying for people’s attention. But there’s just so much more to pull your attention in a million different directions as well. So, people’s attention is much more fragmented and their tastes are more fragmented as well. Ultimately, I’m also a product of these times as well now, so my tastes and listening habits have become much more fragmented and I suppose less committed. I feel like you’re probably someone that still listens to records in their entirety? Whereas, I tend to hear a song by an artist I really like and then add that to my playlist of songs but don’t often bother going any deeper, which is pretty depressing.

Are there any new bands or artists that have caught your attention in recent months?

There’s lots of stuff I like. The last thing I heard that I really liked was an Irish singer songwriter called Dove Ellis. He supported Geese recently and reminded me of Thom Yorke a little. I listened to his record and it’s great. I really like Divorce too. They’re incredible. Westside Cowboy are another band I really like. They’re excellent. There’s lots of bits and bobs I really like. There’s an Irish band called Kingfishr I really like as well.

The Vaccines are currently on tour throughout the UK then mainland Europe, calling in at the following below…

For more information on The Vaccines, visit their Official Website