The Vaccines at SXSW 2011 - review

Wow, pop-up gigs have come a long way since the first band decided to, er, pop up and play a gig. Not that I'm implying that this Vaccines show was anything but spontaneous, you understand. Oh no. That a massive AOL Music banner had been erected, live-streaming was in effect and a T-Mobile promotional campaign was underway (more gigs should involve queuing punters being invited to test out the new Galaxy handset - it embodies the very spirit of rock'n'roll) was simply testament to how on-the-ball these company's can be. Ahem. Anyhow, let's talk about the Vaccines, a band who I've been slightly sniffy about in the past. Sniffy because when they try to rock out it all looks a bit contrived. Why watch mild-mannered lads go gonzo through Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra) when we've already got the Ramones and a million of their far more reckless descendants? Thankfully, though, this was a gig that overcame my cynicism through sheer force of melodies - there were more hooks here than with the former bassist of New Order on a fishing trip (I'm available to hire for weddings, bar mitzvahs etc). The Vaccines are at their best when they slow things down a tad to deal with messy relationship problems – see the chugging Post Break-Up Sex and If You Wanna . Half the songs sound identical but, when the song in question is this good, I've got no problem with that. You see, unlike this whole pop-up gig set-up, the Vaccines' shtick is gloriously throwaway. • Read all our latest coverage of SXSW music at theguardian.com/sxsw/music . You can also follow us on Twitter at @GuardianSXSW or @GuardianMusic . And sign up now for our weekly Sleeve Notes email newsletter to get all the week's music news straight to your inbox.