The Vaccines reveal advice from Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea

9 October 2023, 19:30

The Vaccines and Red Hot Chili Peppers's bassist Flea. Picture: 1. Press 2. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Frontman Justin Young told Radio X's Dan O'Connell about the advice they received from the iconic Chili Peppers bassist.

Loading audio...

The Vaccines have revealed the advice passed onto them by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

The four-piece recently announced their new album Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, and UK & European tour and frontman Justin Young spoke to Radio X's Dan O'Connell about everything from their new material to the sage wisdom they'd gathered while on the road.

Quizzed if they are as happy and content as they look on stage, Young replied: "Definitely. You know I also think that not being able to do it for two and a half years reminded us all and brought back into focus just how lucky we are to [perform] and how central it is to our lives. I really don’t know what I’d do without it to be honest with you."

The rocker added: "And actually I think that we’ve been lucky enough to open up for some of the biggest acts on the planet and I think whenever you do there are things that you learn from them all and you see how they all interact and act around each other and some have more healthy dynamics than others.

“Funnily enough I remember - not that we became fast friends or spent much time with them - but the one bit of advice that Flea gave to us during a five minute conversation was, the way that you guys are going to have a career is by making sure when things aren’t great that you are still getting in a room together every day and writing and rehearsing. Whether it means fighting every day, going through all that stuff, because ultimately that’s what leads to the great times again and you have to be strong enough and have thick enough skin to go through all that bad stuff together because ultimately it leads to good stuff and that’s something that’s always stuck with me as well."

Heartbreak Kid

The band recently revealed the details of their sixth studio album Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, set for release on 13th January 2024, as well as its lead single Heartbreak Kid and revealed its sound is inspired by living on the West Coast of the United States.

Asked if he feels it's got the hallmarks of their 2013 track Melody Calling, the frontman agreed: "Well I'm glad you say that, because I think you are right and I feel that too. And you may or may not know this, but we made Melody Calling out here on the West Coast, so I think it was kind of inevitable that some of that sound would seep into the recording as we made Heartbreak Kid and the new album".

"You go and record in these places in the hope that some of your surroundings are gonna seep into whatever ends up coming out of the studio," he shared.

Though Young is enjoying life on the other side of the pond, there are a few things he misses about being in the UK including his "friends," "family" and the "people", explaining: "I think there's no substitute for the Brits, no matter how mad we might be."

He added: "The Mexican food, Korean food and Thai food is all pretty good, but I do sometimes miss a Tesco meal deal".

The Vaccines are set to embark on live UK dates early next year, which will be their first headline tour since things first began opening up post-covid, and Young can't wait for them to “throw the shackles” off on tour.

The If You Wanna rocker said: "I think last time we went on tour in the UK, we were still kind of in the throws of COVID and those weird rules around gigs and stuff, so it's going to be nice to throw the shackles off properly.

"We'll go crazy together. I'm very excited."

Asked what keeps him hungry and wanting to go on stage, he replied: "Well, it's the best thing in my life. The adrenaline hit is unparalleled as I think anyone will tell you and just the catharsis it brings.

"To be able to sing Heartbreak Kid to 2000 people on Valentine's Day in the town you grew up in with them all singing it back to you, that's a pretty mad thing to be able to do.