THE VACCINES with UNCLE BAD TOUCH at The Horseshoe on Tue, Jan 18. Rating: NNN
Another day, another band hyped to high heavens by the British music press. This time around it’s The Vaccines, making their first appearance on Canadian soil after exhausting the NME’s supply of superlatives touring around the UK.
It’s not hard to wonder if the London “guitar band” (what ever happened to “rock and roll?”) is feeling the pressure. A quick glance around the room reveals a number of industry types watching with eagle eyes, but at only a little over 20 minutes start-to-finish their set still feels like a work-in-progress.
The quartet showed its best side on short, energetic tunes like the Spektor-fied Ramones stomp of Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra) or the oldies-radio surf of Norgaard, but lost the plot when aiming for distended Killers-style arena ballads. They’d be wise to stick with their strengths, but with rock stardom calling it wouldn’t be surprising to see them head in that direction.
Though not nearly as hotly tipped, Uncle Bad Touch made their own mark in the next slot. Guitarist Mikey Heppner earns his living in the heavy-riffing stoner-metal band Priestess, but the lo-fi 60’s vibe of this side-project is much more in line with Montreal’s garage rock scene, albeit without the typical sloppiness.