Growing up in public: boy band The Vamps on their decade in pop
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.
But after finding each other on the internet back in the early noughties, The Vamps have survived the pressures of growing up in the spotlight.
The foursome – Bradley Simpson, Connor Ball, Tristan Evans and James Brittain-mcvey – are now celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their 2014 debut 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 says.
“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.
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 - Vamps frontman Bradley Simpson
“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... you don’t really think about the longevity... 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 of their boy bands contemporaries like One Direction and The Wanted have now called it a day, the group have stuck together as they still love what they do.
After recording a number of covers on Youtube, the breakthrough came with 2013 debut single Can We Dance, hitting #2 and the band 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.
“Genuinely, we’ve felt so lucky to have each other,” says 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.
To celebrate their latest milestone, an autumn UK tour where they play their debut album in its entirety will spark memories of highs and lows of the past decade.
“We’ve just dealt with them by having fun throughout all of it,” Simpson says. “So, even in the hard moments, we just try to laugh through it and just enjoy it.”