The long-awaited Vacations tour had finally reached Nottingham in the quaint and cultured Bodega, in the heart of the city. The cosy venue was packed to the brim with eager fans flooding the room. The atmosphere was full of anticipation as the music began, with the supporting FAT BAMBOO setting the tone for the night ahead.
The set epitomised what an audience wants from a venue like the Bodega, with the classic indie band setting the stage perfectly for the Vacations to take the stage to a crowd thoroughly in the mood for the showing.
They walked out to a roaring crowd and the anticipation that filled the venue before had turned into pure joy as they opened with a couple songs to truly ‘set the vibe’ for their set. The relatable ambience shifted its way across the crowd with both the melodies and the charm of frontman Campbell Burns, who won the hearts of the crowd both with his vocals and his Aussie charm, cementing their status as indie sweethearts.
They played a fairly shorter set list, of around an hour, which perhaps was the only surprising part of the night. However, they made that hour feel like a lifetime with the expansive nature of their set list, ranging from the feel-good classics of ‘Dave Brubeck’ to get the crowd dancing; the summer sounds of ‘Next Exit’ (their newly released single); and finally their famous duo of ‘Telephones’ and ‘Young’ to get the crowd in their feels.
Their music, both through their vocals and the smooth musical undertones, truly resonated with the crowd and can justifiably be described as music for the soul. These last two tracks particularly, make you relive emotions that tracks like these walked you through. Their melodies are the kind that hold your hand when you’re sat on the park bench thinking about life; they’re the melodies that remind you you’re human when “another day goes by” and it was clear the whole room felt that in this performance.
If I haven’t made it clear above then this performance, in my personal opinion was amazing. It made me relive memories that made people like me fall in love with the band and the whole room was in a trance from the second they stepped on the stage. A lot of music takes you through the artists story and their personal trials, but the Vacations have managed to create music that allows you to live your own memories through another artists and for that I say well played and thank you.
