Vamps - Drain everyones life force with their amazing show!

March 28th 2014

London, Koko, UK

*****

Back in the capital again for one show!

Vamps ***** are a household name in Japan and you can understand why they contain Hyde (L'arc-en-ciel) and Kaz (Oblivion Dust) in their ranks and they produce great well polished Metal / Rock mixed with music from so many genres I cannot decide what they are. This is a band that really mixes things up. Tonight they are again recording footage of the concert to be played on Japanese TV. The London, Koko show is almost a warm up for the bands upcoming performance at the
Download Festival later in the year, I think they want to show the people of the UK what they have in store for them later in the year. I also think this is a good chance for the band to shine and show they are not only a band that can have success in the States.

They blast the set open with 'Devil Side' which starts off with a killer bass line provided by Ju-ken and a soaring guitar riff of Kaz who has a laid back approach to stage performances at times, but then suddenly coming out of his shell. Hyde looks menacing as he blasts out the lyrics on the crowd that have been waiting since last year to see the band again. The chorus lifts big and is impressively large sounding in the legendary venue of the London, Koko. This is a band that always start off proceedings with style and they always do it by looking a little creepy in an almost 'Twilight' way (But I do not think any member of Vamps sparkles).

The set goes even heavier with the track 'RedRum' which has a real power behind the riffs and is one of the songs I can't stop listening to at the moment. And this is a band with so many different dimensions and put different dynamics into the track showing the mixing up of the genres I mentioned before including Metal, Rock, Indie and maybe even Funk or Industrial. 'Secret in my Heart' is another track that is really interesting, it's melodically haunting and keeps a steady grabbing beat that drags you in and makes you feel welcomed

'Replay' is something else and one of the most impressive tracks in the bands set, this song verges on Industrial Metal tinted with a touch of material from the American Nu-Metal scene of the mid 90's but at the same time giving you a futuristic vibe which I could only cool Orgy meets Ministry. This track has so many interesting twists and turns in it and moves back and forth from one thing to the next without sounding messy or out of place. Also some of the riffs by Kaz are really heavy and stand out in the live mix and show off what the band can really do.

These Industrial temperaments bring a force of aggression to the bands performance that has been taken over by the Rock vibe of the bands last album 'Sex, Blood, Rock 'n' Roll'. For me I like it when Vamps go slightly heavier in sound, but Hyde's distinctive vocals mean the band will never be as heavy as let's say Dir en Grey or even Merry, I think Vamps have hints of both bands. I like that Vamps are so very different from Hyde's other band L'arc-en-ciel, it is so pointless when bands do the same thing with another band they are in and these is something this is not. This is something totally new, it's a lot darker and not so complicated as his other band and has more of a formula to it which makes it really work on the Rock / Metal circuit.

Strangely one of the stand out moment as always is their cover of the David Bowie hit single 'Life on Mars' which first saw the light of day when he was in his Ziggy Stardust period when everything was glam and sparkled (Not in a Twilight way!). The band really make this song their own and in my opinion is even better than the original, but then again I was never was a big fan of this period in Bowie's carrier. I go more for the darker songs so this song being played in a more moody dark way is something I want to hear and Vamps couldn't have done a better job. If you want a darker Bowie album I would recommend 'White Tie, Black Noise' which has some many great and different aspects to it. On this album there is a track called 'Jump they Say' which I would love to hear Vamps doing a cover of in the future.

In shockingly good contrast is their strange happy clappy up tempo version of the Shampoo hit 'Trouble' which is fun but is no comparison to the brilliant Bowie number. The Shampoo song seems over the place, the rapping lyrics isn't very good and you wonder why on Earth they needed to do it, maybe it's because the fans seem to love it but for me it's a low point of their set for me. I don't know why this was such a big hit in Japan, but it made Shampoo Gods over there.

One of the highlights of the set for me is them doing the English version of 'Ahead' which is entitled 'World's End'. This song was a real success when released as a single and the English version is and a little strange to hear it done differently, but it seems to work unlike other songs that have been translated before. The band seem to want to embrace the British culture and you can see their skull logo on British flag behind them and on the merchandise at the booth in the foyer.

They close the main set with 'Midnight Celebration' which is a delight and really wraps things up nicely but we all know their is more to come and when they come back on to do the song they just did a video for 'Revolution (Part 2)' which you can see at that bottom of this page. The new album 'Blood, Sex, Rock 'n' Roll' has some really great Classic Rock songs on it, with some even sound like Cock Rock titans Buckcherry... and they sell a lot of records in America.

They continue on with 'Memories' which sounds great live, but it is 'Love Addict' really hits you hard and you can understand why it's one of their best songs. Vamps put some new attitude into this song every time I see them live and it has grown as a track since the first time I have heard it. During the set as well Hyde is chucked a little stuff lamb which he bites deep and shows off his Vampire teeth which is quite something to be seen and is really great to behold, even though it's a little ridiculous.

They end their set with the furious Rock single 'Sex, Blood, Rock 'n' Roll' one of the bands most popular song, which seems chaotic and ends the set in a spectacular way. If you have not seen Vamps, I advise you do because they are one of the best J-Rock bands that are around today and they get better and better each time. The set seems to go by really quickly this time with it all gone in the wink of an eye and you we are all sad that they didn't have more time, but we all know they will be back soon for the Download Festal so a lot of people can see them there.

Vamps - Setlist
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Devil Side
RedRum
The Past
Secret in my Heart
Replay
Dolly
Sweet Dreams
Life On Mars?
Hunting
World's End (English version of Ahead)
Angel Trip
Trouble
Midnight Celebration
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Revolution (Part 2)
Memories
Love Addict
Sex, Blood, Rock 'n' Roll