The Vamps: Wake Up Tour 2016

1st April 2016
at The O2 Arena, London.

You know I've always been a little bit grounded
Always thinking 'bout how to get by,
But ever since I met you
Yeah, I've been dreaming and I don't know why,
Cause when I think of you, I get a little feeling
And it starts to bubble up inside
And then I'm all messed up
Cause all I see is windmills in the sky...


After travelling the London Underground on April Fool's Day, which is a joke in itself, we reached The o2 for a fab afternoon in the sun, which was out and shining, making it a stark difference from the weather the UK has been having lately! We reached North Greenwich fairly early so we could find a restaurant to eat in but who knew that even at 4pm the place would be packed with fans (we forgot that it was half term/Easter break). After grabbing some merch we headed to Wagamama, which is just outside The o2 (and also not as busy as half of the restaurants inside The o2), and had some food and wasted time before the madness of entering the arena began.

As we had loads of time to spare before the venue opened its doors at 6.30pm we found a seat in "the village" where my friends and I sat and "people watched" whilst we waited for our friend to arrive. As one of my friends, my Chummy, was on crutches we decided we would wait till after the mad rush of getting in to the venue; we were lucky enough to be shown a back route in which we got a lift up to our block of seats (where we jokingly said we felt like VIPs as no one was going that way). We had a pretty good view of the stage and its set up from our seats 'up in the gods', there was a catwalk-esque stage going straight down the middle of The o2 to the back of the arena that was amazing for fans at the back as it meant they would get to see the band and other acts up close and personal.


The first act on were HomeTown and although we missed the beginning of their performance they sounded quite good. HomeTown are a new six-piece Irish boy band, formed with the help of Louis Walsh in which they've become successful in Ireland and are trying to break out into the UK. Their first UK single 'Where I Belong' has a singer-songwriter/chilled vibe and is available to download now. They also have their debut album out however it is not yet available in the UK (only available in Ireland so far), in which I shall be interested in listening to the kinds of songs they've created.

Next up was Conor Maynard, which some people may have heard of before back in 2012/13 when he was found by Ne-Yo and created the hit song 'Can't Say No', alongside his first album 'Contrast'. Conor in the meanwhile has been creating more covers and videos on YouTube and is apparently in the midst of creating his second album. Conor definitely got the crowd up and jumping and excited for the show with the remixed versions of his songs such as 'R U Crazy' and his vocals are just as amazing as ever!

The Tide were the last opening acts and performed last year on The Vamps tour proving a hit in the UK. The American band have a similar music style to The Vamps and definitely got the crowd ready for the main event. The Tide were energetic, upbeat and will definitely get you having a little boogie in your seat or on your feet. Their new single 'Young Love' is worth a listen if you love The Vamps and similar catchy pop/dance tunes; it'll get your feet tapping and the bridge/chorus will get stuck in your head - I know this because it's currently stuck in my head while I type.


And then came the main act: The Vamps! I have seen The Vamps a few time over the years from small gigs, to supporting The Wanted, to then of course their own tours and I have never been disappointed by them. They always know how to put on a show and get the crowd smiling, dancing and singing along (that's including the parents!). Their stage set up was pretty cool and the main thing to talk about, despite the band themselves, was the pyrotechnic! It was amazing! They really knew how to use it well, their 'V' logo was literally aflame (see photo on the right) along with the usual fireball explosions which you could feel anywhere in the arena (I'm surprised there weren't no singed eyebrows from the WOW pits). As most fans will know The Vamps have really come a long way and their personalities and confidence have grown along the journey too. Despite being a band there were sections where they performed individually or as a two piece, for example James and Connor performed 'Written Off', Brad played the piano during his solo of 'Stolen Moments', and let's not forget the epic drum solo from Tristan! Tristan did a drum solo last year which was clearly a fan favourite and again with the extended stage he performed this year's drum solo in the centre of the arena which was again awesome as everyone got a pretty wicked view! The Vamps informed the crowd that they recently started their own record label called Steady Records and signed a new band New Hope Club (where one member, Reece Bibby, previously belonged to the X Factor group StereoKicks) who came on stage and performed 'Oh Cecelia' with The Vamps.

Overall the night was absolutely brilliant! We came out smiling and laughing and I think the biggest achievement was that Connor didn't fall over or off of the stage (considering he was in a leg brace). Everyone had an amazing time and there were familiar faces in the crowd supporting The Vamps and their opening acts which the crowds were overwhelmed by too.

Did anyone else go see The Vamps? If so did you have a fab night?
Leave a comment down below of your favourite Vamps song :)

Enjoy x


*For links to the acts mentioned click on their italicised names*