The Vamps SG Concert Review: A night of surprises and celebrations

Back after three years, British pop-rock band The Vamps set base at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore once again. Held on 15 August 2019 as part of their Four Corners Tour 2019, The Vamps enthralled fans with their high-energy performance and electrifying setlist filled with songs both new and old.

The night also saw the quartet – consisting of vocalist Bradley Simpson, James McVey on guitars, Connor Ball on bass and drummer Tristan Evans – join the vamily for a night of celebrations, such as Tristan’s birthday and even a wedding proposal!

At slightly after 8pm, The Vamps took to the stage decked in monochromatic colours. The quartet kicked off their set with Just My Type, followed by more hits from the Day Edition of their Night & Day album – Personal and For You.

The Vamps also added in some songs from the Night Edition such as Middle of The Night, which seemed to be one of the crowd favourites. Older fans were not disappointed either as the quartet brought fans to a trip down memory lane with older tracks like Wild Heart, Somebody To You, Last Night and Wake Up.

Bradley was clearly the most spirited out of the four. On top of giving his all in belting out the lyrics to every track, Bradley was also seen running across the stage during almost every song. That’s not to say that the other members were unenthusiastic.

I actually enjoyed watching James and Connor even though they were so absorbed by their own guitar for the most part – it was as if they were entranced by their own music. Meanwhile, Tristan seemed to be having a rockfest of his own at the back, going at it on the drums mercilessly while headbanging to almost every song.

Seeing as it was The Vamps’ second time in Singapore, I was actually expecting a larger turnout but, despite the smaller crowd, the fans’ energy levels were enough to make up for the reduced headcount. There was also a distinct mix of new and old fans, as it was discernable that some of them didn’t know the lyrics to the band’s older songs. Nonetheless, everyone did their part in ~~shouting~~ singing along with Bradley when they knew the lyrics to the songs that were popular, notably during hit singles like “Somebody to You” and “Can We Dance”.

As it was also Tristan’s birthday, the vamily united in singing Happy Birthday to Tristan twice – once right after Bradley announced that it was Tristan’s 25th birthday, and another when the band sneakily brought out a birthday cake during Tristan’s drum solo. The rest of the band then gave him a group hug and contemplated smashing the cake onto Tristan’s face, but thought better of it because “the candles are still on the cake”. Maybe they would have gone ahead with the sneak attack if the candles were swiftly removed.

Bradley then took over the drums and handed Tristan a guitar for their next song Waves, giving Tristan a chance to get closer to the audience while James took over on vocals – though Tristan’s novice skills on the strings may have cracked up a few fans instead. Then again, Bradley did not fare as well on the drums either; but it was a jovial number that saw the members goof about a little.

There was more cause for celebrations that night, which Singaporean fans only got to find out during the encore. Ironically, after performing Cheater, Bradley teased about how “there’s a lot of love in music” before bringing a couple up onto the stage.

The boyfriend then began talking to his visibly puzzled girlfriend about how they had first met at The Vamps’ concert in Singapore three years ago. What ensued next was expectedly, a proposal. The boyfriend then got down on one knee, with a ring in hand to propose to his girlfriend. This incited squeals from fans as the event unfolded before them, followed by resounding cheers from the crowd – and The Vamps themselves – when his girlfriend finally said “yes”.

As a dedication to the newly-engaged couple, the band then performed Risk It All, before ending off their set at a high with All Night, which saw Bradley get up-close-and-personal with fans at the front! The Vamps certainly left fans wishing that the concert had indeed lasted all night.