Aussie band Vacations take over one of Chicago’s most iconic venues
chicago, october 7th 2023
Over 1000 fans showed up to watch Vacations' long awaited return to Chicago, as they performed at a sold out show at House of Blues.
Singer and guitarist Campbell Burns spoke about his beginnings with music and the support he has received from his parents. The band formed in 2015 and have grown ever since.
“I started making music when I was as young as 13 or 14, but I only really started writing songs and posting them on the internet and trying to get myself out there more as a form of self expression rather than any kind of monetary gain or wanting to make a career out of it.”
“When I was about 18, shortly after high school, and then from there because I was posting songs on Tumblr, my friend Jake, he saw the songs and he was like, 'they sound really great'. He hit me up and he was like, ‘Well, do you want to play together sometime?’ ‘We could try and get a band together’.”
After a few lineup changes, the band has had its official members Jake Johnson (bass guitar), Nate Delizzotti (guitar) and Joseph Van Lier (drums) since the release of “Vibes”. The band has since worked hard through the DIY scene around Newcastle, Australia, up to going on tour in the USA.
“There was always and always will be a thriving underground scene of young eclectic artists always looking to try and push the boundary, and I was very grateful as well that I was caught up in a wave in 2015 when, again, I left high school, I started Vacations, and myself and some of my best friends formed an art and music collective called ‘No-Fi Collective’, so through that we sort of combined all our powers and just focused on putting on the best shows we possibly could.”
Campbell explained that one of the moments that really stuck out to him so far in his career was when Vacations did their first show on their first US tour at The Roxy in Los Angeles, CA: “Just because it was a long time coming and you could sense that excitement in the room, and we were all incredibly nervous. To finally be on the other side of the world in a country like the US, where we have most of our audience and most support and love, which again, we're incredibly grateful for, it's just nice to play.”
Last time the band performed in Chicago, they played for only a few hundred people, now they are on a co-headlining tour with Last Dinosaurs and performing at some of the most iconic venues in America, such as St. Andrew’s Hall, Cat’s Cradle and Emo’s.
Their dedicated fans showed up loud and proud as they gave as much of a high energy performance in the pit and stands as the group did on stage. The night was filled with excitement and support, something Campbell thanks fans for because it enables him and the band to do what they love.
You can check out Vacations' tour dates in the US with Last Dinosaurs on their website.
