If I had a nickel for every time I’d bought tickets to see Newcastle indie rock band, Vacations, I’d have several nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it is weird that I still haven’t seen them. Well, that was before the 17th of July 2026.
Vacations, self- described as Australia’s greatest boyband, rose to fame in 2022 when several of their songs originally released between 2016 and 2018 found viral success as vent audios on TikTok. Luckily for me, I have adored Vacations since I stumbled upon them sometime prior to 2021. The band was formed by high school friends Campbell Burns, Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzott and Joseph Van Lier in 2015; the following year they released their second EP ‘Vibes’, featuring the TikTok classic ‘Young’. Since then the band have dropped three full length albums, with their fourth – ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ – dropping this October. Vacations’ sound is instantly recognisable with their buttery guitar tone, bright keys and crushing lyricism setting them apart from their peers. With another album in the works it wasn’t long before the subsequent tour announcement. I already knew I was making up for the shows I’d missed, copping tickets to their Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle dates.
Melbourne and Sydney had the likes of Galmusette and Annie Hamilton opening for them, while Newcastle saw Trophy wyfe replacing Galmusette. I enjoyed all the openers immensely, each one offering something different. American singer/ songwriter Galmusette’s soft acoustic set and gentle presence and how she talked to the crowd like they were her long time friends, showing them pictures of her cat Sally and having them choose what cover she should play. Every night the Smiths won by a landslide. Annie Hamilton and her backing band were a stark contrast, Hamilton clad in her handmade witchy getup, stomping around the stage with her guitar and head banging with her band. In Vacations’ hometown they showed some love to upcoming local post-punk band Trophy wyfe, who had just a month prior won Triple J’s unearthed High competition with their single ‘Spiders”.
Despite seeing the same show several times, each one was vastly different. For starters Vacations’ show in Newcastle was extremely intimate, something I hadn’t even realised until I was leaving my hotel to get to the venue. The show was held at the Earp Distilling Co. as part of the ongoing series called The Act Newcastle, showcasing acts in a recorded, phone free setting on a 360° stage. The show capped out at around 300 capacity and as far as hometown shows go, one record live in such a tiny room is pretty special. The other two headlining shows, held in Sydney and Melbourne, were like chalk and cheese. The Melbournian crowd, a city known for its vibrant arts scene and love of live music fell completely flat. There was little movement to be found and even when Vacations debuted new music or played their hits the crowd hardly reacted or sang along. It was not what I had expected. Sydney on the other hand was everything and more that I had been looking for, a sentiment reflected by the band as they shared an Instagram story hailing their shows in New York City and Sydney as the best of the entire tour. This was not only easily the loudest show I attended of the tour, but one of the loudest shows I have ever been to. Full stop.
This tour, titled ‘The Holy Grail Tour’ after the lead single of their upcoming album, is not actually the official tour for ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’, the band also revealed on instagram that the album tour would take place in 2027 after its release. As a result the setlist was a combination of the band’s decade long history, blending tracks they wrote in high school with those written in the fast paced environment of New York and touring. It showcased their growth and maturity as artists and served as a perfect setlist for anyone to understand what makes Vacations so special and unique.
Vacations walked out to George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’, which immediately set the tone for the show that was about to follow. Despite the heavy nature of the subjects discussed in their music, the band themselves take a very lighthearted approach to their shows, joking with each other and the crowd. The show in Melbourne was a makeshift birthday party for lead guitarist Nate Delizzotti and the Sydney show featured a dedication to Pepsi Max. The stage setup created an intimate setting, electric candles dotted around the stage and a central stand with the ‘holy grail’, reminiscent of a studio or lounge. It made these tiny rooms feel even smaller, which lends well to the revealing and soul-bearing nature of their lyrics.
The band kicked off their show with ‘Over You’ and then my favourite track from their third album ‘Midwest’, a song written in America about the distance between them and their home and their loved ones back in Australia. Following on was ‘Young’, the isolated drums of the intro instantaneously recognisable and as one of the songs that propelled them into the spotlight, the crowd was expeditiously loud, rising in a cacophony of screams. At times they almost drowned out Burns, echoing back every word. It’s a moment where you realise how much this music means to the people in the room.
‘Holy Grail’ came next, the band still in awe that people had learnt the words. The volume did noticeably once again rise immediately after as they delved back into their older catalogue, playing songs from their first album, ‘Changes’. ‘Soft’ continued the melancholic vibes while ‘Honey’ brought the energy back up, encouraging the crowd to move and setting up the transition into their more recent releases. The crowd was then treated to two unreleased songs from the upcoming album, as the band debated which one should be the next single from the crowds’ reaction. In Melbourne they joked about leaving a comment down below and to like and subscribe for more. Both songs were championed by the crowds but in the end the band chose ‘Last Call’ as the final single for the album. You’ll just have to wait for the album to drop to hear ‘Ready or Not’.
Vacations saved the best for last, closing out their set with the emphatic ‘Actors’. This was a song I previously hadn’t given much attention to, but seeing a song live can completely change your opinion of it. As the bridge built up and the words ‘to be anything at all’ echoed around rooms crammed with fans, it just hit me. To be anything at all. Jumping with the outro and laughing as the band took a tumble and finished the song on the floor in Sydney, just a group of mates and their music.
When the band reappeared for the encore, there was no lights, just the soft glow of the candles that dotted the stage. Burns asked the audience to put on their phone torches, and then strummed the first chords of ‘Telephones’. This moment was when the crowd was loudest, chorusing lyrics that had been written as teenager and had now amassed over 850 million streams across multiple platforms. In Sydney this was the moment where it was decided that the crowd had blown Melbourne out of the park. The lights came back up and they played ‘Lazy’ before taking a bow and walking off the stage to Gorillaz’ ‘Dare’.
After missing out on the chance to see them live so many times, these three shows were more than worth it. The band and their openers were fun and energetic, while still offering up that vulnerability and intimacy that people look for in these smaller gigs. It melded well with Vacations’ signature sound and the Sydney show will always stand out as one of my favourite shows ever. The songs already released for the upcoming album have me thoroughly excited, representing an exciting new chapter for the Australian Indie band. ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ is out everywhere this Friday.
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