THE VAMPS: BIRMINGHAM, UK
In support of their album, Cherry Blossom, The Vamps hit O2 Academy venues around the UK, making a stop in Birmingham on Wednesday the 8th of September.
Winding its way around to the back entrance of the venue, there was no denying that the queue of dedicated fans were in for a night to remember when The Vamps hit the stage. They even brought the sunshine, so what more could you ask for?
Before all that, giving the Birmingham crowd a warm welcome was JC Stewart. Armed with an acoustic guitar, a keyboard and being blessed by his vocals, the room filled with an ominous glow of purple and the crowd were here for it. Sporting the look of a white oversized blazer with Jordan’s, it wasn’t just his look that allowed him to stand up on Birmingham’s O2 Academy stage and get that sort of reception. Songs including ‘I Need You To Hate Me’, ‘Pick Up Your Phone’ and ‘Break My Heart’ were favourites amongst the Birmingham crowd.
With his acoustic guitar, JC hypes up the audience even more with a cover of Cindy Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. Every single person sang their heart out during the chorus which made it even more special. Crowd interaction in between songs made the JC’s set a lot more intimate. Considering live shows were not able to go ahead for some time, this was a special welcome back for JC Stewart. Birmingham will more than happily welcome him back anytime with open arms.
JC STEWART
It was time to hear songs from their latest album, Cherry Blossom alongside a blend of classics such as ‘Cecelia’ and ‘Last Night’. The crowd sang the words to every single song, which left a smile on singer Brad's face as he pointed the mic to the crowd to participate. Hearing songs like ‘Chemicals’, ‘Married In Vegas’ and ‘Another You’ live after so long was what everyone was looking forward to.
The interaction between the band members and the audience made this show another reason as to why The Vamps always put on a great show. Always acknowledging how Birmingham is the hometown for Brad and Connor, it’s always a nice reminder that Birmingham will always hold a special place in their hearts.
‘Can We Dance’ took it back to the very start of The Vamps’ career. It felt like a trip down memory lane. They never fail to mix things up a little, making for such a fun set once again.
On came the encore where the band sang songs including ‘Wake Up’, ‘Missing You’ and closed the set with ‘Somebody To You’. Emotional.
Before the show ended, Brad, James, Tristan and Conor took to the front of the stage, bowed to the audience while giving thanks one by one, as well as throwing out guitar picks and drum sticks. The feeling was mutual throughout the set, genuine happiness shone from the front to the back of the room and where memories were made. It was a fun night which captured the essence of what The Vamps were about.
THE VAMPS
