How did you guys meet?
Freddie: ‘It’s really exciting. It was just a friend of Justin’s that said we should get together and play music and mine. Then he left and Árni came in. That’s it!’
What’s changed since 2010 when you guys first burst onto the scene?
Freddie: ‘Everything’s changed.’
Árni: ‘We’re here in Singapore, to start with.’
Freddie: ‘What really made me think is how much we had and have to do. You have to do so much everyday, playing at festivals and all, to make an impact.’
What’s the most difficult part of your success?
Árni: ‘The only difficult part I find is the actual traveling. It’s the only thing that’s boring. You spend all your day waiting and traveling.’
Freddie: ‘I don’t really mind it that much.’
Do you guys get homesick?
Freddie: ‘Yeah, I miss my family, miss my dog too’.
Árni: ‘You only got him three months ago.’
What were you aiming for with What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Freddie: ‘We wanted a no nonsense straight to the point kind of thing. I think we did exactly what we wanted to.’
Your single, Post Break Up Sex is making its way round the charts right now. So what’s it all about?
Árni: ‘Haha, it’s pretty much self-explanatory!’
So there’s no hidden meaning?
Freddie: ‘No, not really. That’s the thing about Justin’s lyrics that I like, it’s straight to the point and direct.’
What’s the group’s dynamics like?
Freddie: ‘Justin is OCD. Justin’s the joker. Justin leaves a mess everywhere.’
Árni: ‘I’m just the one with the long hair.’
You guys have been compared to The Strokes and the Ramones. How do you distinguish yourself from these other bands?
Árni: ‘I don’t think anyone can really sound like The Strokes and the Ramones.’
Freddie: ‘Every ten years, a band comes along and changes everything. Ramones were one of them but there were loads of them in the 70s. The Strokes were definitely THE one from 2000 onwards. They sort of came along and pressed the reset button, just like Nirvana did in the 90s.’
Do you miss anything that you did before The Vaccines?
Freddie: ‘I don’t miss being a water, no.’
Árni: ‘No, not really anything to be missed, is there?’
What are some inside jokes you guys have?
Freddie: ‘We just bitch about each other a lot. There are a couple of pretty horrible ones but yeah, they’re really bad.’
Lastly, whom would you dedicate your album to?
Freddie: ‘I’d probably dedicate it to my dad. He was the only person who was there supporting my music all the way.’
Árni: ‘Yeah I’d dedicate it to Freddie’s dad too. Without Freddie’s dad, there wouldn’t be any Freddie.’
