Vamps - Do you want your blood sucked!

October 7th 2013

London, Islington o2 Academy, UK

*****

Japanese God brings his other band to the UK for the first time!

Vamps ***** performance is going live on Japanese TV tonight, and their is quite some anticipation for the show seeing the band had cancelled their performance they day before at the same venue due to illness. The band had originally announced the date after today's concert Sold Out!!! so quickly to make sure everyone got to see them, but after falling sick they had no choice than to cancel it at great expense to themselves.

Yes the band were actually playing all the costs of the two shows out of their own money, this is quite something for a band to do. This is the final night of the bands short run of European dates, so was going to have to set the bench for future tours by being the best. Hyde the singer of Japanese Rock giants L'arc en Ciel and of course Vamps is the equivalent to our biggest stars in the World say the American Rock giant Jon Bon Jovi (Bon Jovi) or even the Irish superstar Bono (U2).

He has great vocal ability and today comes on emulating classic and new wave Vampire's such as the Vampire Le Stat mixed with Edward Cullen from the Twilight movies. The last time Hyde played the UK was with his other band L'arc en Ciel who did a one off special concert at the London Indigo2 and was one of the hottest tickets in town and one of the best concerts, I have personally ever seen and that is quite saying something. I have seen a lot of concerts, they just had something special that other bands do not have, If I have to quote someone I don't like Eg. Simon Cowell they had the "X Factor'. Hyde is joined in Vamps by Oblivion Dust guitarist K.A.Z. and a band that is made of Japanese superstars of the live circuit.

Just on the eve of releasing their new album 'Blood, Sex, Rock 'N' Roll' in the UK which most people in the venue ran out in the morning to buy so they can get the special gift that Universal were providing that evening for everyone who had bought it of a signed poster. Their is no support tonight and the band burst straight into a set that makes up for the cancellation of the second date because of it's intensity and pure adrenaline. They open up proceedings with the brilliant and futuristic 'Vampire Depression' off the new record which has a steady guitar riff to it and reminds me of mixing up Singer / Songwriter Ben Moody with the Industrial sound of the 90's and Electronica but still keeping a Nu-Metal sound to it.

This song is so brilliant and singer Hyde really goes for it with the high lifting vocal parts. They go slightly more Rock orientated on the infamous 'Devil Side' and pick up the pace a lot with the steady moving 'RedRum' which has a feel of bands such as FIlter. They then take another track off their album 'Beast', 'The Past' which is really catchy and is a song that has a big commercial impact, it's a nice Rock / Pop song that is really easy to get into. The band have great stage presence and the lights are just right for them, setting an intimate scene for them. This must be so different for them because in Japan they play to such bigger venues. This song has a very good haunting melody to it and the high pitched parts are really nice and it blends in really nicely with 'Secret in my Heart' that brings the pace back up again.

Single 'Replay' really standouts and is one of my favourite songs tonight, it's really incendiary and has a riff to it that any band would kill to have and you can see why it's one of their most popular tracks. I find it strange how this band can make an Industrial sound so commercial and popular and mix it with great stylistic modern Rock, maybe this why they are so popular they really appeal to so many different markets.

Check Out! the Video for 'Replay' Below...

'Get Up' can't really follow this song, it's still good! I don't think Vamps have a bad song but it doesn't really go so many places like other songs do. It sounds a little bit like early Feeder songs mixed with a more Pop background. Single 'Memories' is a Indie Rock song that is like a Bon Jovi uplifting love song and reminds me a lot of the 90's, it's quite nice and quite different from some of the bands other material. The follow it up with another single the spiritual sounding 'My first Last' which is quiet and about feelings, the lights for this song really make it and lead it on to one of the major highlights of the bands set their incredible David Bowie cover of 'Life on Mars' which for me is even better than the original and that is quite saying something.

'Hunting' is almost a instrumental song and again sounds like it's lifted from Filter Industrial track with a Rock edge at the beginning before it goes crazy and back into a killer riff which I totally love. The riff at the beginning of 'Ahead' sounds like Iron Maiden made more Rock orientated and the song really kicks in and is a killer Rock track, I just can't stop playing this track it has so many appealing factors and sounds very British end of the 90's Indie / Rock but pushing more to the heavy let's thrash our guitars type of song. This was also the first single off the new album 'Sex, Blood, Rock 'n' Roll' and I can see why it's such a killer Rock track. In a way bands like Tracer are trying to get this sound and not quite getting their, well Vamps have got all the way and it sounds superb.

Single 'Angel Trip' off the same album also shows this sound and the more Indie / Rock edge to the bands sound, no wonder they called the album 'Sex, Blood, Rock 'n' Roll' because the Rock sound to it is amazing. This is a very commercial Pop friendly chart hit though and you could imagine this being played on Japanese commercial radio. The low point of the bands set is a truly awful version of the Shampoo hit 'Trouble' which was a massive hit in Japan for the English girl duo, but it at least brought some extra fun to their performance and everyone in the audience is jumping up and down singing every word so maybe I am wrong but I didn't think they needed to play it. They end the main set with the heavy Nu-Metal sounding 'Midnight Celebration' that continues to get people on their feet jumping around and going crazy so is a good set closer. Also on this track the riff really kicks in so you can just go mad for a few minutes of pure live chaos.

Now it's time for the bands encore and they come back on to their hit single 'Revolution' which is a American Rock, think Buckcherry type of a song. Stamp your feet to the beat and shout it out, because Vamps are in the UK rockin' the Islington Academy!. They carry on with the beautiful 'Sweet Dreams' which is a nice contrast and has such a nice melody to it and really get's some feelings into the air and makes hearts melt, before the frantic renditions of the insane 'Love Addict' and the title track of their new record 'Sex, Blood, Rock 'n' Roll' which ends the set in a ball of confusion. If you have not see Vamps then I advise you do they are one of the best Japanese bands I have seen live, they really know how to put on a show and the music is fantastic. I think this for me is going to be one of the best gigs of 2013.

Vamps - Setlist
-----------------------
Vampire Depression
Devil Side
RedRum
The Past
Secret in my Heart
Replay
Get Up
Memories
My first Last
Life on Mars
Hunting
Ahead
Angel Trip
Trouble
Midnight Celebration
----------------------------
Revolution
Sweet Dreams
Love Addict
Sex, Blood, Rock 'n' Roll