Courtesy of The Vaccines’ Russian website.

Rewind to Outside Lands 2011.

I was 16, just barely a young adult. My best friend and I braved the festival wholeheartedly, taking in every moment of our music-filled surroundings. That and some second-hand weed smoke. Walking down the dust-blown paths, eyeing old hippies dancing freely and young couples holding hands, I felt a sense of belongingness and comfort as I listened to the colliding sounds of indie, rock and alternative bands.

I made it to the Panhandle Stage, cleverly named after that particular section of Golden Gate Park, and waited for the next act to arrive. The sign next to the stage said, “The Vaccines,‰” though I wasn‰’t entirely sure if it referred to a band or a strange medical tent set up conveniently in the middle of a music festival. My questions were answered when four incredibly British-looking men, resembling the Clash in the 1970s, walked onto the stage.

They began their set with a short, fast paced song called “Wreckin‰’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)‰” and I was hooked instantly. They continued playing songs off their self-entitled debut album, sucking me in further and further until I downloaded their album right then and there in the middle of the crowd. This began my ongoing obsession with the Vaccines‰’ music, an obsession that has ultimately placed them in my top three favorite modern bands.

Nearly three and a half years later, I still find myself returning to their music as a nostalgic reminder of my teenage years and the beginning of my passion for live music. They‰’ve since released a second album entitled Come of Age as well as the Melody Calling EP, both of which contain beautifully written lyrics and obvious musical talent, though different stylistically from one another. 

However, instead of focusing on songs off of their own albums, I thought I would briefly describe three covers the Vaccines have recorded of some of my old favorites. These also include two other bands you‰’re probably aware of, Noah and the Whale and Mumford and Sons.

The Vaccines, clearly influenced by music from the ’60s and ’70s, covered Emitt Rhodes’s famous song “Promises I‰’ve Made‰” in a sweeter, softer rendition of the original. Vocalist Justin Hayward-Young and guitarist Freddie Cowan produce a beautifully melancholy sound in this acoustic cover, and together demonstrate their talents beyond heavy rock and roll arrangements and performances.

Fellow UK-based band Noah and the Whale joined the Vaccines in Australia in 2011 to cover the Pixies’ hit “Where Is My Mind.‰” The two bands complement one another, a surprise given their musical styles are so different. Noah and the Whale typically sit on the more poppy side of the vast alternative rock music spectrum, whereas the Vaccines lean more toward classic rock and roll. Acoustically, however, both bands produce an interesting electric-folk sound, if you will.

In this final cover, Justin Hayward-Young of the Vaccines and Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons do a rendition of Bob Dylan‰’s very famous song “Don‰’t Think Twice, It‰’s Alright.‰” As Dylan would do, both singers rely on the tones of their voices and their own strumming styles to cover the song. Although they stick stylistically to the original piece, each of their unique vocal tendencies gives the cover depth and individuality.

I love the Vaccines very dearly, for both their own pieces and their covers of others. I look forward to their work in the future and hope I have the opportunity to see them live again.