The Vaccines and The Kooks
The Fox Theater
Oakland
March 22, 2024
It was the unofficial early aughts battle of the lanky British frontmen this past Friday night at The Fox Theater in Oakland. In the realm of lithe indie singers, the UK indie music scene seems to have its pick of the litter — maybe the pallid skies and submerged emotions promote a Romantic sense of deprivation, from Jarvis Cocker to PJ Harvey and beyond. The Kooks and the Vaccines made plenty of headlines in UK music papers, but it was a trickier task to conquer the States. Though their sound epitomized the period, they couldn’t quite dethrone American rock bands like the Strokes, whose glittery, post-punk rock vibes brought an indie rock revival that had kids running to the dancefloors and concert halls and dingy dive bars in equal measure.
The Kooks headlined the night, though their set felt a little less dynamic than opening band The Vaccines. Their current tour is in support of their 2006 debut album, Inside In/Inside Out, which they re-released on its 15th anniversary in 2021 and faithfully recreated track by track.
Singer Luke Pritchard came onto the darkly lit stage alone for the opening acoustic track, “Seaside,” a twangy, wistful pop ode. The band joined him right after, launching into nostalgia with straightforward tunes that were very of their time, pop-inflected bangers that hid in the shadow of bands like the Arctic Monkeys, whose own debut album greatly overshadowed the Kooks that year
Listening to the Kooks live, you might guess why. Their sound, though catchy and packed with melodies and hummable hits, also sounds a bit by the book, somewhat de-fanged.
With his blighty British twang backed by shimmering, stuttering guitars, Pritchard can croon and wail at an impressive velocity, the chords packing a rock wallop behind him. The songs are rollicking, full of youthful exuberance and catchy hooks. Though not as layered or moody or as interesting as the Strokes or Interpol, the band found a niche, and their fans loved them for it. Bopping around, Pritchard exhorted the crowd beneath a dark mop of curls, as the band played faithful renditions of some pretty fun tunes. Less trenchant and preening than a Jarvis Cocker or a Julian Casablancas, say, and more feel-good and fleeting.
Some of my friends disputed the idea that The Vaccines would open for The Kooks. “It should’ve been the other way around,” they argued.
Lead singer Justin Young strode confidently onto the stage to Wings’ “Live and Let Die,” armed with a more commanding back catalog to work with, full of songs with more bite and bark. The band proceeded to deliver a charismatically rocking set.
Formed in 2010, The Vaccines rode their own wave of accolades in the UK and somewhat in the U.S., with fans like Debbie Harry attending their shows. Songs like the moody, tongue-in-cheek “Post Break-Up Sex” and the boppier “Teenage Icon” have both singalong and caustic qualities, creating a cultural bridge from ‘90s Britpop to the post‑9/11 indie rock chaos that swept the musical landscape.
Young’s deep, bass‑y vocals anchored guitar hooks and pop licks; he carried just enough swagger to exhort and inspire. “All My Friends Are Falling in Love,” a single from 2018 (the band just released their most recent album last year), still slapped like an early aughts rock ode written by a long-lived, once-hopeful teenager in love. Oh, the spangly, spiky bloom of the jaded indie rockstar.
