Gefragt: The Vaccines

Die Indiemusikhörer unter euch kennen selbstverständlich The Vaccines, oder? Vor Jahren habe ich sie auf meinem alten Blog vorgestellt, damals hatten sie gerade erst ihr Debütalbum „What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?“ rausgebracht und jetzt ist Album Numero drei schon draußen. Wie die Zeit vergeht … Umso mehr freute ich mich, als sich spontan die Möglichkeit ergab, ihnen eine Handvoll Fragen zu stellen.

What can we expect from your upcoming album „English Graffiti“?
Freddie Cowan: I think the first two records were made kind of consequent to what we were doing at the time. There was really much kind of plug-in-and-play records whilst we were touring. And I think this is the first time that we really consciously set out with a real plan of what kind of record we wanted to make and gave ourselves the time and resources to do it. And I think we are very conscious that we didn’t want to make a timeless record which was always our kind of priority. We wanted to make a record that belonged in 2015. And as we developed a love of modern music and music on mainstream radio, I think our desire isn’t to have music on the radio. It’s just you know like any other artistic pursue you’re trying to create in your own way the things you are drawn to and that’s just what we were drawn to at this time.

What’s your favourite festival to play?
Freddie Cowan: I like to play Reading Festival, because Reading Festival was the festival I went to as a child… not as a child… as a teenager and I have really fond memories of kind of seeing live music for the first time. And it was a really… kind of… it was a great period for Rock’n’Roll music you know. I was 13 or whatever and The Strokes would come out and The White Stripes and all these bands and seeing all these bands all together in one place as I did in Reading. Yeah, so it’s very special to go back.
Pete Robertson: I think mine… I don’t know it’s weird… possibly Glastonbury. I think being at Glastonbury is the best festival to be at. It’s the Godfather of all festivals and all festivals in a way that are trying to do a Glastonbury. It’s kind of hard work to play at it to be honest, because there is such a way of expectation on you and you know it’s the one everyone watches, and you know I used to watch it. You know I’ve been watching it on the TV ever since I was really small and you know going up and playing the pyramid stage two years ago was like… it was a pretty terrifying experience, but yeah I love it. I think it’s my favourite festival.
Freddie Cowan: It’s like being a boxer and you can image, like, Madison Square Garden or something. Pyramid Stage is really like… although we actually did see it and we went down there to play Michael Eavis’ party on the fallow year. So there was nothing there, there was just grass and the Pyramid Stage was only the structure and it’s actually really small. It’s pretty amazing, you see it on television, you see it in person, and you think this thing must be kind of a thousand feet high but it’s actually tiny. It’s really funny.

Will you be touring across Germany?
Freddie Cowan: I imagine we will be touring across Germany probably in the autumn – I would guess. But I have nothing to base that on. But I would say that considering what we have, we could do it already. I think we’ll be doing it after the summer.
Pete Robertson: We have… we definitely have festivals booked here and looking forward to do them. And we are trying to put in some shows in around then. We’re hatching a plan, so we are definitely hoping to be back before long.

What’s your favourite song you would never tell anyone because it’s too embarrassing?
Freddie Cowan: We don’t really believe in kind of guilty pleasures, so I guess that’s: ‘What is your favourite song?’ I don’t know. I always feel embarrassed for claiming a love of like jazz or like… I don’t know… I think we are getting out of it now, but there was a long period where I think musicianship was a dirty word. I love listening to, you know, ‘Band of Gipsys’ or Jimi Hendrix or John Coltrane and stuff like. At the moment that’s what’s giving me the most pleasure, but that’s not necessarily information you would share as freely as other things – I don’t know – what do you…
Pete Robertson: I always get… Again I don’t think… I think it’s really bad to be embarrassed about liking certain music, so I would encourage everyone to not be embarrassed about like certain types of music. But I always get funny looks and I’ve been blatant and obvious about it and very public about it for years. But I still get funny looks when I say I love ABBA. But yeah I don’t really… I guess I do understand it. At the time that it came out, it was maybe – you know – cool people didn’t listen to ABBA or something, but I mean I don’t really give a shit so I think they are write some of the best songs that have ever been written.
Freddie Cowan: It’s kind of amazing how these things come around like no one would ever say they like Fleetwood Mac in the 90s. It was like filthy, filthy, ‘get out’! But now they are like they are kind of… they are the hipster kings like: ‘I love Fleetwood Mac’, you know.

Auch wenn ich ihre Musik damals wieder aus den Augen verloren habe, so haben sie sich mit ihrer EP „Melody Calling“ wieder in mein Herz gespielt. Schaffen sie es auch mit ihrem aktuellen Album „English Graffiti“? JA!

„English Graffiti“ klingt so herrlich britisch, so wie ich es lange nicht mehr gehört habe – schön rau. Mit ihrem peppigen Indie-Rock schaffen sie es, dass ich ihr Album schön in voller Laustärke hören will und dazu ruhig sitzen bleiben, geht wie bei „Melody Calling“ nicht.

The Vaccines – ich finde euch klasse! Schon alleine, dass ihr ABBA hört und sie feiert, finde ich ja spitze! Und ich gebe euch recht: Stehe zu dem was du hörst, egal was andere denken!