June 11, 2011 16:30

The Vaccines at Isle Of Wight: 'One Big Weekend isn't a festival'

Justin Young says their festival cherry is now truly popped

Video: The Vaccines Walk On Stage at Isle Of Wight 2011

The Vaccines popped their festival cherry today (June 11) at the Isle Of Wight Festival, playing a show on the Big Top Stage.

The band has appeared at the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend event in Carlisle last month, but singer Justin Young said that he didn't consider that bash a festival. "One Big Weekend's not a festival," he declared. "For a start, it's only a day. This is the first festival." He was mistaken on one of his facts though, as One Big Weekend was a two-day event.

The four-piece attracted a huge crowd to their tent show, with Young telling NME that he was happy to have kicked off a summer which will see them play over 40 festivals worldwide.

"You've got to give it more [than at a gig] because there's more people, people are further away," he said. "I've always maintained we're a pop band and we want to entertain people. This is where hopefully we'll shine. You've got to give it more, it's more of a performance.

"It's quite daunting realising how many people we're going to be playing to, but we want to be a big band. That's what being in a band's about."

He also concurred that the band's festival cherry had been "suitably popped", adding: "It was popped with help from a lot of people. I remember someone saying it's a good thing if people can't get in the tent…"

The Vaccines played:

'Blow It Up'
'Post Break-Up Sex'
'Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)'
'A Lack Of Understanding'
'Wetsuit'
'Under Your Thumb'
'All In White'
'If You Wanna'
'Wolfpack'
'Nørgaard’

NME.COM is coming live from the Isle Of Wight Festival and Download this weekend. Stay tuned to NME.COM/festivals/isle-of-wight and NME.COM/festivals/download for news, blogs, photo galleries and video interviews from both sites.

The world's greatest music magazine is now available as a digital edition! For exclusive content you won't find on NME.COM, download here on your iPad/iPhone and here on your Kindle Fire or Nook.

Share on Facebook