With 2 platinum albums and a array of top 40 hits under their belts, The Vamps gig at the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, was surely one not to be missed.
The gig had a very promising line up of support acts, a highlight being Californian based band The Tide. The quartet brought high energy, charisma and a number of powerful tunes to get the crowd going. Their debut ‘Put Your Cuffs Up’ delighted fans and had all singing along. A band to watch out for in the future.
Next up were a young new band called New Hope Club who had a familiar face amongst the band in the form of Reece Bibby (Stereo Kicks) from X Factor. Their catchy songs and boyish charm had the crowd on board from the minute they graced the stage. They entered the stage with a version of DNCE ‘Cake By The Ocean’ and had a 10,000 strong crowd singing back to them. Signed to The Vamps record label, along with The Tide, we are sure to be seeing much more from this promising trio in the future.
Rounding up the support acts was well known actress/singer Sabrina Carpenter. Best known for her role on Disney’s Girl Meets World before making her way into the music business, her catchy pop songs and amazing vocals made her an instant hit. A rather good cover of Bruno Mars ‘That’s what I like’ got everyone on their feet and her debut single Thumbs was an instant feel good pop song.
Brad, Connor, Tristan and James hit the stage to masses of pyrotechnics, screams, shooting flames and a stage layout that ensured the band got to see every fan in the arena up close and personal. A move that went down well with everyone.
Starting with their top 20 smash Wake Up, the band proved to have won over the whole teenage crowd and mums alike. They also threw in numerous welcome surprises throughout which kept both crowd and band entertained.
From a Conor Maynard Vs The Vamps medley which was also a smash on You Tube, to a drum solo off between Brad and Tristan, the band kept the crowd guessing as to what surprises were coming next and the fans certainly weren’t disappointed. During Paper Hearts the huge screen showed the arena fans which had won a competition of appear in the background video for the gig holding up their own paper hearts with lyrics to the song on it. A move which had fans hysterical if they spotted themselves.
Frontman Brad showed the crowd his numerous musical skills by playing guitar, piano and drums to a barrage of screams throughout the night.
The band ended the night with some from favourites including ‘Can We Dance’ and their latest single ‘All Night’. There was also a mention of their new single Middle Of The Night and news of a 3rd album in the pipeline.
There was an infectious amount of camaraderie amongst the cheeky 4 some throughout and proved a testament to them as a group that they put on a high energetic gig whilst drenched in sweat and overwhelmed in crowd hysteria.
A big finale of pyrotechnics, thousands of paper hearts and a raucous amount of applause proved that The Vamps are here to stay and ready for world domination.
Words by Helen Moorey
Photos Martin Dunning
