Last friday (27th September), The Vamps brough their Meet The Vamps Anniversary Tour to Manchester for the third and final night in the city and the sold out show was one to remember! With the support acts of SOAP and Talia Mar, it’s no wonder the 2,600 capacity venue was buzzing with eagerness by the time The Vamps graced the stage. Celebrating a decade since the release of their debut album, they played it in full along with some of their other fan favourites.
Opening the show with their electrifying rock sound, SOAP took to the stage and immediately stole everyone’s hearts. Performing many of their own hits, SOAP also played their cover of ABBA’s SOS, Getting the whole crowd jumping and singing along. Frontman Ryan Lofthouse’s energy was unmatched and as the first act of the night he created such excitement around what was to come. With her pop star stage presence, Talia Mar performed next. Her songs resonated with the crowd, and the covers of Cruel Summer and No Scrubs almost raised the roof!
As the Academy got busier and the music blared out of the speakers, the lights went down and soon enough The Vamps themselves sauntered on the stage, and after a quick hello, burst straight into Wild Heart. Even 10 years later, the crowd screamed along to every word of every song, clearly The Vamps‘ impact on the pop world hadn’t disappeared. The carefree and joyous atmosphere of the whole place was infectious and after over a decade in the industry, the band’s ability to hold a crowd was stronger than ever, and all 2,600 people in attendance were wrapped around their finger. Frontman Bradley Simpson hadn’t lost his schoolboy charm and even got many fans to ‘take off their left shoe and hold it up in the air’ (one girl did this for the whole 2 hour set)!
Slowing it down with a change of pace, The Vamps performed the acoustic section of the set, with the boys sat together on stage. Phone torches lit up the academy as comfort and love filled the room, the crowd swaying as one. It was such a beautiful moment and definitely a highlight of the night.
Bringing back the energy, the band played the title track off their second album Wake Up and guitarist James McVey, frontman Bradley Simpson and bassist Connor Ball left the stage as Tristan Evans performed Chemicals just with the drums. By the end of the show, the frenzied atmosphere (created by the conga line during Cecilia) was still felt as the boys played their last song of the night. Somebody To You, possibly the band’s biggest hit, brought back everyone’s memories of the Meet The Vamps era and the pure nostalgia was felt even as the academy emptied out onto the streets of Manchester. Hearing your favourite songs from years ago, live, really is a special feeling and as the concert ended, it was clear that every fan in the room had had such an unforgettable night.
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