Rockstars The Vaccines and their Southampton-born frontman are currently locked in a battle with D Block Europe for the number one album this week.
They play the O2 Guildhall next month - but first, the rock band and their lead singer Justin Young are hoping to beat the London hip-hop duo in the race to top the official album chart later today.
The four-piece have their latest album Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations, named with a nod to Don McLean’s famous America Pie lyrics, in a two-way fight with Rolling Stone by D Block Europe.
On Tuesday, the mid-week charts had The Vaccines in second place.
But with more than 48 hours between that and the chart being revealed on Radio One, nothing was decided.
Whatever happens, the band look set to land their sixth consecutive top five album.
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No strangers to performing in Southampton and the south, the frontman and band mates Arni Arnason, Yoann Intonti and Timothy Lanham, last played The Guildhall in 2019 and were one of the big names at Victorious Festival in Southsea last year.
And thousands of music fans will remember them supporting The Rolling Stones at St Mary’s Stadium in 2018, after the legendary rockers personally asked for The Vaccines to appear.
Talking about their new record’s title, Young said: “I was living in LA while writing this record, and American Pie is a song about disillusionment with America and the American dream, and his feeling that something had died.
"I guess I was coming to terms with similar things. That was all coming to a head as various relationships were ending. That was the seed of it. It’s about the loss of dreams.”
The Vaccines memorably spearheaded a fundraiser at The Joiners on St Mary Street in 2013, only a few months after their first number one record, Coming of Age.
Lead singer Justin Young grew up in the New Forest and went to school at King Edward VI School in Upper Shirley before attending Brockenhurst College.
The band returned to their roots when they wrote their third album, English Graffiti, while holed-up in a barn in the Forest.
The Vaccines play 02 Guildhall Southampton on Valentine's Day with support from Divorce and Teen Jesus and The Jean Teasers.
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