Kevin Bronson on April 15th, 2012

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Who: The Vaccines in the Gobi Tent
In 3 or Fewer Words: Inoculated against angst.
Memorable Because: A big, hairy, bearded mosh pit opened-up over my right ankle during “Norgaard.” No pain, no gain. Coming to Coachella from across the pond, the much-buzzed Vaccines have nothing left to prove after sending the Gobi Tent into a tizzy with irresistible rock ’n’ rollers like “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)” and “If You Wanna.” Don’t be fooled by the clean-cut ’50s rock revivalism though. When singer Justin Young wasn’t delighting the crowd with pop hooks, he was lurching about stage like a drunken wedding singer whilst his backing band sniffed on the edges of post-punk (“Lack of Understanding”) and psychobilly. (“Bad Mood,” a new one) Consider The Vaccines’ rock-n’-roll passport validated by the Ministry of Buzz, good to travel in all signatory nations and genres. It was a blast, man.
What I’d Tell My Friends Who Were at We Were Promised Jetpacks: We Wish You Could Have Been There.
– Ben “Mouse” McShane (Concert photography by Scott Dudelson)