Performing alongside your best friends in a chart-topping band is a dream many have aspired to, but have not been able to turn into a reality. Even fewer have weathered the storms of the industry together for more than a decade.
After finding each other on the internet back in the early noughties, The Vamps have survived trends, the introduction of streaming and the pressures of growing up in the spotlight.
The foursome – consisting of Bradley Simpson, Connor Ball, Tristan Evans and James Brittain-McVey – are now celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their 2014 debut album Meet The Vamps.
“I think it’s just jumped out of nowhere that it’s been 10 years since the first album, it probably feels about five years to me,” bassist Ball, 28, tells me over a group video call while sitting alongside his fellow band members.
“You never think when you’re like 16/17 trying to get started in a band about this period of your life, which is probably a bit of a problem,” adds guitarist Brittain-McVey, 30.
“I definitely should have thought about one day I’ll be 30.
“It’s all the mini victories at the start, so you try and get the record deal, try and put on your first show.
“So, at the beginning, you don’t really think about the longevity as it was and then you get to this weird point around album three and you’re like ‘we really built something’.
“And then you realise that the Vamps isn’t just four of us, it’s the fan base as well.”
While many other boy bands who came up around the same time as them, like One Direction and The Wanted, have now called it a day, the group have stuck together as they still love what they do.
They broke through in 2012 after recording a number of cover tracks on YouTube, scoring their first hit with their debut single Can We Dance in 2013, which soared to number two in the UK charts.
Their 2015 follow-up album Wake Up also enjoyed success, but they finally topped the charts with their third offering, Night And Day, in 2017 and their 2020 release, Cherry Blossom.
After learning the art of touring when they warmed up for several pop superstars, including supporting the current queen of concerts Taylor Swift in 2014, they set off on the road for their own headline shows and have never looked back.
However, it has not been all plain sailing as they admit they have felt homesick when they are thousands of miles away, and that at times they have struggled with their mental health. But having each other to navigate these obstacles has made all the difference.
We've just dealt with them by having fun throughout all of it. So even in the hard moments, we just try to laugh through it and just enjoy it— Bradley Simpson of The Vamps
“Genuinely, we’ve felt so lucky to have each other,” says singer Simpson.
“You might be in the middle of nowhere playing to however many people (but) you’re in it together… it just makes it a bit easier.
“We’ve just dealt with them by having fun throughout all of it. So, even in the hard moments, we just try to laugh through it and just enjoy it.”
To celebrate reaching their latest milestone, they are getting back on the road for a Meet The Vamps Anniversary Tour. Kicking off in September in York, they will play shows in Newcastle, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, London and Manchester.
The group will be playing their debut album in its entirety, as well as a few fan favourites from across their back catalogue.
“Performance has always been a really important part of the band,” says drummer Evans, 29. “We’ve always done it before we released any music, so it’s always going to be a big part of the band.”
The group are keeping tight-lipped on how they plan to add some theatrics this time, but reveal they have always wanted Brittain-McVey to descend from the ceiling in a full harness during his guitar solo, but he has also been too reluctant.
In the lead-up to the shows, they have been revisiting their back catalogue and have recently released a “ReVamped” version of their hit Somebody To You, which originally featured US star Demi Lovato and peaked at number four in the charts in 2014.
“I’ve grown in some ways, not in height,” says Simpson with a chuckle as they consider how they have all changed over the last 10 years.
“I think we’ve become better musicians, better songwriters.
“That’s 10 years experiencing a lot of tours and working with a lot of different people, so you soak up as much information along the way.”
Brittain-McVey recalls that a particular highlight for them was performing at the Royal Albert Hall, where they say they generated the loudest audience in the venue’s more than 150-year history.
Over the years, they have also navigated streaming services and TikTok surpassing platforms like YouTube to become the more dominant spaces for artists to be seen.
Which world do they feel is better to navigate? “I don’t think it’s better or worse, per se,” says Simpson.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunities. You’ve seen a lot of artists, even on an independent standpoint, having some real success.
“A lot of the powers that be that were there for a long time, I think, are beholden or subservient to TikTok, which is completely in the hands of the artists and the user.
“So, I think from that side of things, it’s really, really cool. It’s just there’s a lot more noise out there.”
The next hurdle coming their way is the rise of artificial intelligence into the music world, which they find a fascinating, but slightly terrifying, new frontier.
However, they joke they could be tempted by the idea of having their youth captured into Abba Voyage-style avatars so The Vamps can continue playing together when they are old and grey.
The Meet The Vamps Anniversary Tour kicks off in September, with extra dates recently added.
