Having jumped to the top of indie pop stardom, The Vaccines are clearly enjoying their rapid rise. The large white lights that backed the stage gazed out like sets of predatory eyes, emphasising the band’s taste for crowd-pleasing theatrics. You have to remember, here is a band that formed just two years ago.

With a new album due out later this year, The Vaccines were eager to present new material. The mix of old and new made for a finely balanced night, after all everybody needed a breather after singing their hearts out to the likes of ‘Wetsuit’, ‘If You Wanna’ and ‘Post Break-Up Sex’. Besides, the crowd enjoyed just swaying to the sound of new material, absorbing the lyrics and driven guitars. You simply cannot play your most intense indie anthems back to back.

While many singers like to chat and sweet-talk the sea of heads in between tracks, Justin Young seemed happy to let his band fill the gaps with instrumental links. Pete Robertson just could not resist a bash of the drums when things got a little quiet.

They’re clearly not lacking in confidence after what must have been quite a dizzying year. This was reflected when they decided to open their encore with a new tune – a cover of R. Stevie Moore’s ‘Why Should I Love You?’ It looks set to become another catchy anthem as the chorus began to reverberate around the arena.

So with fans’ favourite ‘Wetsuit’ already done and dusted, what did The Vaccines decide to sign off with? I think it’s fair to say that everyone bellowed out one last blast for the supermodel love-letter, ‘Norgaard’.

Brighton Centre, Monday 7th May 2012