The Vamps will be around for a 'long time'

MUMBAI: The Vamps, the popular UK pop rock band, went on a break last year, but they say they will be hopefully around to make music together for a long time.

Lead vocalist Brad Simpson, bass guitarist Connor Ball, drummer Tristan Evans and lead guitarist James McVey have been churning out albums and touring together since 2012.

Asked if they decided to take a break to pursue solo careers, Tristan told IANS: "It wasn't like that. It was no solo career thing. It was just 'Ow, my body hurts, I need a couple of months rest'. That was it. We had been touring for so long. It's been one hour and 45 minute shows every night for six years which is amazing, but you do need to just relax. And I feel you will be so much more creative if you relax for some time. So it was all about resting for us. You need to ensure you are physically and mentally healthy."

"We were speaking everyday. It wasn't like we went off and hate each other. We just went on separate holidays and had some chill time. And then got back into it," he added.

Connor said it wasn't "definitive like this was the break time".

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"It just happened naturally. It was nice to have some time off from touring and stuff, because we had toured for like six years. It was nice to take a break and reflect on that time. But as soon as we got back to the studios, that was a good time," he said.

As a band, they like to encourage each other to do different things. For instance, James had participated in the show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" and Brad has a gin bar.

"We encourage each person to do their own thing. The Vamps is our primary focus and we would want to do it as long as we can. It's the most fun thing ever. We feel so lucky to be able to do it. The Vamps will be around for a long time, hopefully," said Tristan.

Connor agreed.

"I think we all feel the same about it. It's not like one of us is going to dip out at one point, we are in it for a long run. A lot of bands don't last for eight years, so I think eight years and no arguments is pretty good," he said.

Tristan thinks it is pointless to argue with each other.

"We speak about what's good or bad for us, we never really argue. What's the point of arguing? We argue with other people," he said.

Connor shared that they "just fight instead. We don't verbally do it. We do it physically".

In fact, there is a rule.

Tristan revealed: "We wrestle with each other. We can't say anything."

So who decides the winner?

Connor said with laughter: "We wrestle until one person taps out."

But the fights are not over music.

"Years ago, me and Brad had a little fight in New York over bacon. We were like 'should we get two packs of bacon or one?' I was in team two because I like bacon. Brad was like 'No, we shouldn't waste it, we should get one'. That was one argument we had and that was it," said Tristan.

Now, they are back with a new album titled "Cherry Blossom".

"It is 100 per cent a new chapter, new music, new sound and new visuals. We wanted to do something different, take time out from touring, and create an album that we were fully invested in. It came out of inspiration from travelling, touring. Those ideas escalated to an album," said Tristan.

Connor shared that the whole idea behind "Cherry Blossom" is rebirth. "That's kind of the idea we wanted to capture. It's been two years since we released an album. In some way, we wanted to come back with a different sound," he said.

The band performed for films such as "The DUFF" and "Kung Fu Panda 3", and are now looking forward to their tour in 2021.

"We got a tour in April in the UK. Hopefully, we will go ahead, we will see. Fingers crossed," said Tristan.

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SOURCE: IANS