Tennent’s Vital 2013: Day One

Forget the noise complaints. Tennent’s Vital returns to Boucher Road Playing Fields for three days of festivities, with day number one promising to provide Belfast with its yearly dose of essential riffage, all the while fulfilling the quota of Belfast’s sound police for the quarter.

Returning from last year are Dublin garage rockers the Minutes who set the tone for the whole afternoon. Oozing with 1950’s rockabilly smoothness, the band treats their punchy support slot with the same enthusiasm as a headline show. They’re not letting the crowd off the hook until they’re appropriately fired up and thankfully, the electrifying bass line buzz from tracks such as 'Black Keys' and 'Fleetwood' jolt the crowd into getting their dancing shoes on this early in the day.

Riding high on good vibrations, the Undertones seem appropriately modest during their hour long set. Not afraid to approach this festival support slot with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humour. Unashamed to admit that their set will consist of twenty-one songs, they still retain the do-it-yourself mentality. They often shout key changes to one another across the stage, whilst lead singer Paul McLoone looks less like Morrissey and more like an embarrassing uncle as he struts across the stage. Yet by keeping an air of humility about them, they totally get away with it.

Surprisingly, they don’t save that tune until the end, plonking it firmly in the middle of their set. They use the opportunity to plug Good Vibrations the film, and the record store, as well as showing their disdain for the removal of a much loved Belfast mural that proudly sported their lyrics. However, it is obvious that nothing gives the band greater pleasure than performing 'Teenage Kicks' live to actual teenagers. The feeling is obviously mutual, as the opening beats of the song work as a rallying cry, and hundreds of youngsters flock towards the stage.

It’s actually admirable that English garage rock band the Vaccines have quite as many recognisable songs in the bank, given that they’re just two albums into a career that seems to be picking up more speed with each passing year. 'Post Break-Up Sex' and 'Norgaard' seem to musically recall their long list of influences, ranging from the Ramones to the Strokes, whilst lyrically invoking images of youthful spit that the audience evidently relates to.

On-stage theatrics and crowd interaction take a backseat for this no-nonsense set. It’s only during their most prominent single 'Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)' that frontman Justin Hayward-Young leaves his post at centre stage to ditch his guitar and work the crowd from all angles.

The band let their surprising amount of catchy garage rock hits do the hard work for them, with the fast paced guitar riffs of songs such as If You Wanna and Teenage Icon. It doesn’t stop the crowd from becoming the very embodiment of what the band represents, by waving their sloshy pint glasses and half-smoked cigarettes in the air. But then again, what did you expect from the Vaccines?

As the sun begins to descend, the headline act emerge to the choppy guitar opening of the Bucket. It’s been a decade since Tennessee’s Kings of Leon first won over fans globally with Youth and Young Manhood, an album that many still look back on favourably as one of modern rock’s best. In the years that have followed, they’ve broken out of the shackles of that early noughties garage sound and reintroduced rock and blues into the mainstream.

Effortlessly flitting between grungy rock club anthems such as 'Molly’s Chambers' to the humid Mississippi blues of the likes of 'Back Down South' shows the diversity that the family Followill have accomplished over the course of their six album career, all looking incredibly cool while they do it.

Keeping their upcoming new album firmly under wraps, the audience are only treated to two new songs. Surprisingly their most recent single 'Supersoaker', having only been released last month, feels just as familiar, nestled in neatly amongst the rest of this greatest hits set.

There’s no need for encouragement in order to get the audience singing along to 'Use Somebody', which is easily the highlight of the night. The song lyrics are embedded in even the most passive KoL fan; it would have been a romantically beautiful way to end the evening. But the noise police haven’t struck yet, giving Kings of Leon just enough time to squeeze in a three song encore. If 'Use Somebody' commanded the biggest sing-along, then 'Sex on Fire' creates the biggest dancing frenzy, as the audience throw their hands in the air in time with that infamous chorus.

For anyone who thinks the Kings of Leon have never been quite the same since getting haircuts and edging away from that garage sound of the first album, then this headline slot would surely change their mind.

Leigh Forgie