THE VACCINES PLAY WAKEFIELD FOR THE FIRST TIME

LIVE REVIEW | THE VACCINES w/ Spector and Ellur | TILEYARD NORTH, WAKEFIELD | 30th August 2026 by Morgan Hermiston

After threats of thunderstorms and electrical storms all day, fans flocked to Wakefield‘s Live at Tileyard North for a night of indie-rock excitement. I didn’t manage to see Little Grandad, but I did catch most of Ellur‘s delightful set as well as my dream concert lineup, Spector and The Vaccines. It was my first time visiting Wakefield, and Spector and The Vaccines both mentioned it was their first time playing in the city too. However, I’d definitely return for something like Live at Tileyard North, it felt like a really intimate performance even with the open air atmosphere.

Ellur

Ellur is an artist I’ve been so eager to see for a couple years now. Her presence on stage was immediately immersive. When she wasn’t playing guitar and singing tracks from her debut studio album At Home In My Mind, she was floating around the stage, her vocals soaring effortlessly into the open air. Despite the gloomy weather and rain threatening to fall, her performance was elevating and her ethereal energy lifted the crowd’s spirits as they nodded, danced and even sang along with her tracks. Ellur is an absolute dream to watch, and I hope it’s not too long before I’m able to catch her live again.

Spector

Up next were Spector, and I could write a dissertation on why I think they are one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. I first caught them in The Caves in Edinburgh, and that intimate atmosphere fully brought to life their catchy hooks, memorable melodies and lyrics that you’d find yourself singing along with in no time at all. Spector shared the celebratory mood of the night, celebrating 16 years of their debut album, Enjoy It While It Lasts, but also the one-night-only return of their former drummer, who is none other than The Vaccines’ Yoann Intonti.

Their frontman Fred Macpherson possesses one of the most charismatic characters I’ve witnessed live. His ability to think on his feet and build a solid rapport with the audience created a warm and invigorating environment instead of what could’ve been a grim and gloomy forty-five minutes. He joked about checking “my dad’s Fitbit” for the time, and how there was a “warning for thunder“, then looked knowingly at the crowd to see who would catch on. This directly led into one of their many recognisable tunes, ‘Chevy Thunder‘.

Ending their set on ‘All the Sad Young Men‘, Spector elongated the choruses, really drawing out the dynamic sing-a-long segment they’d created. If you haven’t seen Spector live, look out for shows near you. They were the perfect support for The Vaccines and with Justin Young [The Vaccines] joking later on that this has been “fifteen years of Spector begging to support us“, I think it’s a very well-deserved slot, and they definitely had a great crowd for it.

The Vaccines

Needing no introduction whatsoever, The Vaccines began their set with ‘Blow It Up‘ and ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)‘, both songs that ignited the energy immediately. Playing their debut album What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? in full, they continued their celebratory efforts throughout. Frontman Justin Young is always a formidable force, and even with several festival slots this summer like Tramlines and YNOT, the band’s energy never depleted.

Including tracks like ‘Headphones Baby‘ from 2021’s Back In Love City, as well as ‘Heartbreak Kid‘ and ‘Lunar Eclipse‘ from 2024’s Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations, they had something for every fan new and old. Their upcoming single ‘Ten Years Too Far‘ also went down well, proving an exciting insight into what’s to come, connecting an ability to reflect yet also renew anticipation for new music.

By the time the encore came around, I think much of the audience was perhaps too far gone to realise what was happening, so it was quite comical when Young returned on stage and joked, “this part is a pantomime…you didn’t play your part“. But this didn’t stop the momentum in the slightest. After an acoustic portion with songs like ‘No Hope‘, their emphatic energy returned once more with ‘All My Friends Are Falling In Love‘. I adore The Vaccines and think this performance was the perfect fusion of intimacy within the open air surroundings.

Live at Tileyard North is an exceptional event, and has seen some of indie and rock’s biggest names come to Wakefield this summer, and for a lot of them this is the first time they’ve played here. For every ticket sold to these events, £1 went straight to the volunteer-run Wakefield Music Collective, so it’s definitely a concert series that should be supported in upcoming years. Sign up here to find out more about future events.