The Vamps: Vital facts you need to know about the 'All Night' stars
They've had so many great songs!
Brad Simpson, James Brittain-McVey, Connor Ball and Tristan Evans, better known as The Vamps, have gone from strength to strength over the years since releasing their debut album 'Meet the Vamps' in 2014.
With huge hits under their belt including 'All Night', 'Somebody To You' and 'Last Night', the boys have amassed a legion of loyal fans. Now with a new reVamped album and a sold-out anniversary tour keeping them busy, it's the perfect time to get to know the band better.
Who are The Vamps members?
The members of The Vamps boyband are Connor Ball, Tristan Evans, James McVey and Brad Simpson.
Bradley Simpson
Birthday: 28th July 1995
Height: 5ft 7in
Born: Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Role: Lead vocals and guitar
James McVey
Birthday: 30th April 1994
Height: 5ft 11.5in
Born: Bournemouth
Role: Lead guitar and backing vocals
Tristan Evans
Birthday: 15th August 1994
Height: 6ft 1in
Born: Exeter
Role: Drums and backing vocals
Connor Ball
Birthday: 15th March 1996
Height: 5ft 7in
Born: Aberdeen in Scotland but grew up in Hatton, Warwickshire
Role: Bass guitar and backing vocals.
How old are The Vamps members?
Their birthdays are above, which makes Brad currently 29-years-old, James 30, Tristan 30 and Connor 28-years-old.
How did The Vamps get their name?
In an interview with disney.com, Bradley revealed that he and James came up with the idea for the band name when they were just going through a list of potential names. When they came to The Vamps he said it just 'felt right'.
Connor added: "It also means a throwing together of things, which I guess we like to think we did as a band!"
In another interview, with Hollywood Life, the band revealed they were big fans of The Vampire Diaries and according to James: "Tristan’s a massive fan of Twilight".
How did The Vamps members meet?
The Vamps first formed in 2011. James McVey, who already had management, decided he'd like to be part of a band, and subsequently found Brad Simpson through his YouTube channel. The pair wrote songs together in late 2011, and they met drummer Tristan Evans through Facebook in 2012. The three of them then met Connor Ball through a mutual friend.
They uploaded cover songs to their YouTube channel in the summer of 2012, with their performance of One Direction's 'Live While We're Young' being a particular fan-favourite. From here, they grew a huge fanbase who were extremely supportive of the band.
WATCH: One Direction - 'Live While We're Young' (Cover By The Vamps)
Are The Vamps still together?
Yes, The Vamps are most definitely still together — and are heading out on an anniversary tour. Some of the boys have also been working on solo projects, which prompted confusion in 2023 about whether they may have split. James told the Mirror in February 2024 about how the band are still on working music together - despite Brad's solo career taking off.
He said: "We were in the studio in the summer, we're going to be doing some more stuff, we just need to get some vocals done. There's no thought process in any of our heads where we're like 'Oh let's leave and pursue the solo stuff'.
"It's been three years since the last Vamps album – three years for other bands is not that long but I feel like The Vamps have done so many albums in such short succession that people kind of presume something is wrong."
The Vamps went on tour in November and December 2022. The boys' 'Greatest Hits Arena Tour' saw Brad, James, Connor and Tristan start off with two dates in Manchester, followed by dates in Brighton, London, Belfast, Liverpool and many more places, before ending in Birmingham on 11th December. The band were supported by The Aces and Henry Moodie on tour, and they performed a special one-off show at the Royal Albert Hall in May 2023.
Brad Simpson's solo career
Brad released his solo track 'Cry At The Moon' in April 2024, with his follow-up single 'Picasso' released the following month, on 10th May 2024. He also announced a solo tour, which will see him perform in the UK and Europe in October and November 2024.
He will also be releasing his own solo album in 2025.
The Vamps new music
The band announced in early September 2024 that they will be releasing a mini-album on the 20th of the month. ‘Meet The Vamps Revamped’ will include six singles taken from their debut album, which have been re-recorded ten years on from its original release.
Having already released ‘Somebody To You (ReVamped)’, ’Last Night (ReVamped)’ and ‘Oh Cecilia Breaking My Heart‘, the album will also include ‘We Can Dance (ReVamped)’, Wild Heart (ReVamped)’ and ‘Risk It All (ReVamped)’.
Are The Vamps on tour?
Yes! The pop-rockers are putting on a ‘Meet The Vamps Anniversary Tour’, which sold out in less than an hour. It starts on Saturday 7th September 2024 in York, with extra shows added at London's Eventim Apollo on Sunday 22nd September and Manchester Academy on Friday 27th September to meet demand.
The anniversary tour marks ten years since The Vamps released their debut album.
What do The Vamps sing?
The Vamps have plenty of well-known songs, including their debut single 'Can We Dance', 'Oh Cecilia' featuring Shawn Mendes and 'Chemicals'.
What are The Vamps' fans called?
If you're a fan of The Vamps then you're a Vampette or a Vampion!
The Vamps: Albums
'Meet The Vamps'
Their debut album 'Meet The Vamps' was released in 2014, and reached Number 2 in the charts but was kept off the top spot by Paolo Nutini's 'Caustic Love'. It featured some of the boys' biggest hits, like 'Wild Heart', 'Last Night', 'Somebody to You', 'Can We Dance' and 'Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)', which was adapted from Simon & Garfunkel's 'Cecelia'. A later version featured vocals from Shawn Mendes.
'Wake Up'
The band's second album 'Wake Up' was released just 18 months later in November 2015. It peaked at Number 10 and was certified Gold. It spawned singles 'Wake Up', 'Rest Your Love', 'I Found a Girl', 'Cheater' and 'Stolen Moments'. The supporting tour saw the band perform in a whopping 18 countries, with support from the likes of Conor Maynard.
'Night & Day'
Third album 'Night & Day' had two version - one called the 'Night Edition' in July 2017 with the 'Day Edition' following in July 2018. It debuted at Number 1 on the album chart and even out-selling Ed Sheeran's '÷' that week. Singles from the record include 'All Night', 'Middle of the Night', 'Hands', 'Staying Up' and 'Just My Type'.
'Cherry Blossom'
They also released their fifth studio album 'Cherry Blossom' on 16th October 2020, which peaked at Number 1 in the UK Albums Charts, featuring lead single 'Married In Vegas' which the band performed on Strictly Come Dancing on 15th November 2020!
'Meet The Vamps Revamped'
‘Meet The Vamps Revamped’, which is due to be released on 20th September 2024 will be made up of the six singles taken from the debut album re-recorded and reimagined ten years on from its original release.
Brad, Connor, James and Tristan got together in the rural countryside and have re-worked and re-recorded ‘Meet The Vamps’. Ten years older, it's their new take on the album that catapulted them to stardom.
The band said: “We are so excited for the fans to hear these re recordings, this was the album that started it all for us and songs that are very close to our hearts but they have evolved a lot over the past ten years so it was amazing to go back in and recapture the energy through our eyes now having toured for ten years."
The Vamps' biggest songs
'Can We Dance'
The Vamps' song 'Can We Dance' was their debut hit which was released in September 2013, and peaked at Number 2 in the UK. 'Can We Dance' was kept off the top spot by OneRepublic's 'Counting Stars'.
'Somebody to You' ft Demi Lovato
'Somebody to You' was The Vamps fourth single from their debut album, 'Meet The Vamps', and reached Number 4 in the UK. 'Somebody to You' was the group's fourth successive Top 5 song and was certified Gold in the UK.
How much are The Vamps worth?
According to OK! magazine, the band are collectively worth £7.3 million.
Who is The Vamps' most famous friend?
Taylor Swift is their gal pal after they went on tour together. She likes the boys so much, she cooked for them on a trip to LA. Home-made Thai green curry, with brown rice, FYI. Apparently she’s a brilliant cook.
The Vamps' dating history
Brad Simpson's dating history
Brad Simpson gets mega nervous on a date, but that didn’t stop him rocking up to the First Dates restaurant for a hook up live on the TV as part of Channel 4's campaign Stand Up to Cancer. And we loved him all the more for it.
Although it's not known what happened after the date, Brad seemed to get along really well with his date Isobel Mills from Worthing. The pair both rated their date 10/10 and went to famous London hotspot Ronnie Scott's jazz club.
Brad spoke about finding love as a celebrity, telling Isobel: "It’s quite a superficial world and people are there blowing smoke up your a--- the majority of the time. You need to surround yourself with people you trust and I think that’s the key to not being too lonely."
He also told Lorraine: "I think there’s a common misconception in the whole of the entertainment industry that, people in the public eye and I have got it made and they can meet people really easily. But, I think at the same time it’s a hindrance being in the public eye because people already have this perception of you and this side of you and this idea of what you’re like in their heads."
It's unclear if Brad is currently in a relationship.
James McVey's dating history
James McVey, of course, is married! After appearing on I'm A Celeb! 2018, he made great friends with footballing legend and King of the Jungle Harry Redknapp, who gave him some advice on getting engaged.
One month later, James and his model girlfriend Kirstie Brittain were engaged! Having been together for four years, the pair briefly split at the start of their relationship but reunited shortly after. James shared the happy news in an interview with Hello! magazine.
He said: "Harry said he knew a really good jeweller whenever I was ready to do it and I thought, ‘I may as well just do it’. By the time Harry arrived I had already chosen the ring; as soon as I saw it I knew it was the one. And Harry loved it too."
Model Kirstie opened up about the moment James got down on one knee, confessing that she didn't know what he was doing to begin with as he had the box at "a funny angle".
"I kept saying, 'are you joking?' And he hadn’t actually asked me to marry him because he was crying," she said, as James added, "She said: 'Aren’t you going to ask me then?’ So I did."
James and Kirstie tied the knot in October 2021, having previously postponed their wedding due to Covid restrictions.
Tristan Evans' dating history
Tristan Evans is currently dating American model Nikki Banner - and has shared a series of loved-up snaps on Instagram.
He was previously engaged in April 2018 to his model then-girlfriend Anastasia Smith. The pair removed all trace of each other on their Instagram profiles, and Anastasia reportedly commented on Instagram: 'thanks so much huni yes we have split but it’s all for the best...' sic
Connor Ball dating history
Connor had a previous relationship with Luisa Hackney, an Instagram model, before dating Lucy Moore.
Who are The Vamps' musical influences?
Brad told Birmingham Live in September 2013 that, although he doesn't mind being likened to One Direction and Harry Styles in particular, he actually thinks they're more like other bands.
"There are worse people I could be getting compared to," he joked. "In terms of music, I think we’re more like McFly or Lawson than One Direction. They’re more ‘music bands’. They write and play their own stuff and that’s what we want to do.
"They’re a massive influence and I like comparisons with them as we write and play and we pride ourselves on that. We toured with McFly earlier this year and it was great to play to our own fans in Birmingham."
The band even covered McFly song 'That Girl' in 2013, the video for which featured McFly bassist Dougie Poynter and Tom Fletcher's sister, Carrie Hope Fletcher. They then supported McFly on their 'Memory Lane' tour later that year.
However, Brad's own musical tastes differ somewhat to the type of music the band makes: "I’m more into indie to be honest. Bands like The Strokes, Foo Fighters and The 1975 are what I’m listening to at the moment. The rest of the band are really varied, from pop punk to more acoustic stuff, we’re into a lot of different music."
When we caught up with the band in May 2019, they revealed who they'd have headlining their own music festival. Tristan said heavy metal band Metallica, whereas James would like pop star Taylor Swift. Connor chose The Arctic Monkeys, with Bradley asking for Panic! at the Disco.
Where is Brad Simpson's gin bar?
Brad has his own gin bar in Sutton Coldfield called Simpsons Gin Bar with his dad Derek, mum Anne-Marie, and sister Natalie. He told Birmingham Living he wasn’t initially a big fan of gin but his parents are, so it was a good excuse for him to try more. Handy. Make ours a Burleigh’s & Mediterranean tonic, ta.
NOW WATCH: The Vamps Dish The Dirt On Each Other!
You can hear The Vamps on the Hits Radio playlist.
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