ARTICLE BY BRYAN MACK
PHOTOS BY FRANK PALMER
JAN. 25 | SILVER LAKE—When I went to 1717 Silverlake Blvd. tonight to see The Vaccines, I was a bit uncertain if the venue was still Spaceland or now the Satellite. Regardless of the name change, the venue has provided Los Angeles with years of intimate, fantastic performances, and the self-consciously hip vibe remains, as does the impeccable ear of the booking agent. Performing tonight was The Vaccines, the latest band to be touted by NME as the saviors of guitar rock, and the hype was palpable. Surrounded by big hats, shear dresses, and relentless indie cred, I realized that this band, whom I’d not heard until this night, had hit a nerve.
Not so, however, for first opener Bixby Knolls. Despite sticking to a fairly generic pop-punk formula, the band received a decent reception from the audience. As I entered the venue, they were cranking out a Husker Du-ish noisy pop gem, complete with gruff vocals, sweet harmonies, and walls of noise. But every other song was a paean to late-’90s pop-punk guitar riffs and nasal vocals. Bixby Knolls has potential, but only one song really stayed with me.
Sweaters, on the other hand, was a very welcome and refreshing surprise. The band revolves around Jordan Benik, who writes the songs, sings, and plays keyboards. They kicked off with a grooving, bluesy track that would have fit right in on Exile in Main Street, and then proceeded to boogie like it was 1974. Much like Big Star, whom they resemble in sound as well as attitude, Sweaters packs so many hooks and lyrical quirks into their songs that it’s amazing the songs retain their catchiness. Although the crowd was a bit staid considering the energetic performance, Benik’s hilarious banter really showed that they’re a band worth watching.
Headliner The Vaccines are in a tough place. Despite having only released a single, the band has been touted by NME and was performing to a sold-out club. Although I can’t quite say that the band proved their worth with their performance, they nevertheless were an interesting and damn catchy group. Their songs adhere to a style that the Kinks perfected and that many British bands have followed since: short, rocking pop songs, heavy on distortion, harmonies and melody. While the rest of the band seemed a bit nervous, Justin Young, the singer/songwriter/guitarist who daylights as Jay Jay Pistolet, glared, sang, and focused his energy toward the audience. They understood how to work the energy of the crowd, building toward their most frantic two songs—a cover of Minor Threat’s cover of The Standell’s “Good Guys Don’t Wear White” and a fast and catchy original that might be about banging 17 year olds. They walked offstage, bumming cigarettes from the fans outside rather than playing an encore, joining the crowd rather than separating themselves. A cool band, a good set, and maybe the hype wasn’t so wrong this time around.
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