Megan Skelly
Staff Writer
Bastille and the Vaccines are to be among the headline acts at the 2013 Trinity Ball, Trinity News can reveal. The two London acts, who have enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success in the past year, will play in College on Friday 5th April.
The release of the two acts comes in advance of MCD’s planned announcement of the full lineup on Sunday 17th February. Tickets for what Trinity Ents bills as Europe’s biggest private party will go on sale on the following Wednesday, 20th February.
The Vaccines are set to perform at the event just weeks before starting their headline UK arena tour, which includes the top slot at London’s O2 Arena on 2nd May. Formed in 2010, The Vaccines are an indie revivalist band with a heavy focus on a traditional guitar-based sound. The band has a four-man lineup, with Justin Young on vocals, Arni Arnason on bass, Freddie Cowan on guitar and Pete Robertson on drums. They cite a broad range of influences – from The Jesus and Mary Chain and the Strokes, to 1950s rock’n’roll.
Since the debut of their first album in 2011 – the platinum-selling What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? – the band have received critical acclaim, including nominations for three Brit awards (including the Critics’ Choice Award 2011 and British Live Act 2013) and an NME award.
Their second and most recent studio album, Come of Age, was released in September 2012 and reached the number one spot in the UK album charts. Rolling Stone listed the album’s second single, Teenage Icon, as one of the best tracks of 2012. Their singles Teenage Icon, Wreckin’ Bar Ra-Ra-Ra and Post Break-Up Sex have all amassed large amounts of radio airtime both on Irish stations and in the UK where they achieved six BBC Radio 1 A-list singles in a row.
The music journalism industry has also got behind the Vaccines; the Guardian declared them a band “ascending to the status of icons”, while NME noted in a review of their 17th November performance in London that the Vaccines “exude a supreme confidence … of a band at the top of their game” when playing live.
Bastille are an indie four-piece hailing from south London with a lighter and more pop-friendly approach than the Vaccines. Their singles, such as Flaws and Overjoyed, are notable for their use of layered instrumentals and a vocal richness. The creative axis and frontman of the group is Dan Smith, who both writes and records the music. Smith is joined on stage by drummer Chris Wood, bassist Will Farquarson, and Kyle Simmons on keyboard.
Having sold out two UK tours so far, as well as making numerous festival appearances such as last year’s Reading and Leeds festival, Glastonbury and the Camden Crawl Dublin, Bastille have received positive reviews for their live performances.
Gigwise commented on the energy between band members during performances, saying that “members and melodies … swoop and soar interchangeably on stage”, and asserting that Bastille are “perhaps the most exciting prospect in indie for a long time”. Irish blog Goldenplec reviewed their most recent Dublin show in the Academy 2 on 11th October 2012 and deemed it “a fantastic performance and a fantastic audience reaction.”
The Trinity Ball itself has attracted several big names over the years. Previous lineups have included the likes of Friendly Fires, Simian Mobile Disco, Babyshambles and Dizzee Rascal. The Students’ Union ents officer, Dave Whelan, welcomed the announcement of the first two acts:
“This year’s ball lineup has the perfect mix of quality acts, covering a wide range of genres to please everyone. You can expect massive internationally recognizable names that have provided this generation with its favourite anthems, current chart toppers and the best in up-and-coming Irish acts.
“The names released to TN are the tip of the iceberg. I was blown away when I saw the list of acts set to play the ball and I’ve no doubt that 2013 will be the ball to remember. All we need now is the weather!”
