Freddie Cowan leaves The Vaccines

The Vaccines’ lead guitarist Freddie Cowan who has most recently been putting out music as Freddie & The Scenarios and releases his debut album next week has just announced his departure from The Vaccines.

The Vaccines announced on their social media this evening a statement from Freddie as follows: “It hasn’t been easy to come to this decision, but in my heart I know it’s time to step down from my position in The Vaccines for the foreseeable future. We loved and fought and cried and cared deeply for each other. I would say like brothers but actually I feel like it’s often the chosen family that really matter to us in our lives. The band will always be my family. We are bonded forever through the experiences we shared. I also hope we have another chapter together when the time is right. Love and gratitude to everyone in and out of the camp that made my dream a reality. I never thought it was possible to stand on the Reading main stage or have a number one album. It was a wild and fulfilling ride and my life is richer and forever different for having been part of a truly great band. I hope The Vaccines continue to new heights for years and years to come.”

Freddie’s recent releases as Freddie & The Scenarios have been gathering acclaim as he has put together a sensational cross Atlantic band from his time spent during the pandemic in Mexico City with giants of the region like saxophonist Diego Herrera, a member of the legendary Mexican rock band Caifanes. After meeting on a plane while touring with The Vaccines, Herrera became something of a mentor to Cowan, looking after him in Mexico and introducing him to other key players in the album’s journey. The project also sees him reuniting with Vaccines’ original drummer Pete Robertson, recently more known for his production work with Beabadoobee, Nasty Cherry, Crawlers; The Vaccines’ keyboardist Tim Lanham, Laura Marling’s bassist Nick Pini, iconic Japanese guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei (Kill Bill), and producer Ethan Johns (Paul McCartney, Kings Of Leon, Ryan Adams) on percussion.

The album was recorded in both Mexico City and Somerset and somehow capture both perfectly.

‘Answer Machine’ has just been released digitally Bandcamp and will be fully released on Spotify and iTunes etc on March 23.