T HE G REEN W AVE G AZETTE
P AGE 6
Discovering The Vamps
British Pop band delivers upbeat rhythms
The Vamps (publicity)
“The rhythm is
really catchy,
and would
make one want
to sing along
instantly.”
K ATELYN L A R OSA
Katelyn LaRosa
Contributor
One could argue that in the world of
music, YouTube has become the gateway to success. This claim proves to be
true for the Vamps, a British pop band
that got an early start to their music
career. “We’re all songwriters and
musicians who have played our instruments for eight years or more,” said
singer Brad Simpson on their Island
Records bio page.
In addition to Simpson (lead vocals and
guitar), this very talented group consists of James McVey (lead guitar and
vocals), Connor Ball (bass guitar and
vocals) and Tristan Evans (drums and
vocals). The Vamps started to get
noticed by uploading cover songs onto
YouTube, in 2012. By November of
2012, the band was signed to Mercury
Records.
The Vamps released their first U.S.
album, “Meet the Vamps,” with Island
Records, in April of last year. One of
their songs, “Oh Cecilia”, also known
as “Breaking My Heart,” features
Shawn Mendes. Mendes became popular through social media as well, in
particular via the popular app, Vine.
The music itself has a summer feel to
it, with its upbeat and happy
rhythm. The video shows the band
members playing on a tropical beach
with a group of girls. And, the song i s
about a boy who really misses a
girl, but unlike the common love
song, she is just not interested. As for
the boy, he would bend over backwards for her.
Another one of the Vamps’ hits is
“Somebody To You,” featuring Demi
Lovato. The music video shows the
boys hanging out on the beach as a
group of girls walk by and catches their
eye. The rhythm is really catchy, and
would make one want to sing along
instantly. It’s focused on the point that
he doesn’t care if he’s rich, all he
wants is to be noticed by that special
girl. Demi Lovato’s solo adds an exceptional touch to the song.
Teen girls are the majority of the
Vamp’s fan base, and they are often
compared to other popular bands such
as, One Direction and 5 Seconds of
Summer.
“The message of the Vamps is to show
people that we are four young musicians who started in a garage and are
now having this amazing adventure,”
says Connor Ball in the Vamp’s profile
for MTV. They get to follow their
dreams and have the time of their
lives. What could be a better outcome
than that?
One Direction at a Crossroads
Fans mourn the exit of Zayn Malik
Caroline Bradbury
Staff Writer
If you have looked at the One Direction tag on twitter lately you have
probably noticed one thing – absolute
mayhem. Ever since Zayn Malik, the
vocal strong point of the group, announced he was leaving (March 25),
“Directioners” around the world have
been in mourning.
Jeff Wheeler/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT used
with permission
Although most high schoolers have
grown out of obsessing over this boyband, true fans are sad about the situation. Fans have been voicing their
thoughts on social media through
pictures and emotional tweets. Some
common examples of the dramatic
outpouring for Malik include, “(I) still
can’t believe Zayn left us :(” –
Twitter user @cleotoms. Several
users took videos of their friends crying once they heard the
news. Although the hype about this
boy band that was formed during the
2010 season of the United Kingdom
version of the X-Factor, may be a little
out of hand, the emotions
are real.Some people think Malik left
the band because of his Perrie Edwards, his fiance who is in the girl
band “Little Mix” (also formed on the
X-Factor). Fans have been watching
this relationship unfold for years and
think Zayn may want to settle down,
which is understandable after five years
of consecutive touring, and being in
the spotlight.
So, what’s left for the rest of the band?
The other four members (Harry
Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and
Louis Tomlinson) have stated in multiple interviews that they will continue
on with their tour as a quartet. Although fans are devastated by the loss of
Zayn, they are grateful that they are
not losing the band all together.
So, if you get the opportunity to see
the now four member group sing
Zayn’s old solos, you probably should
take it. You never know when One
Direction might go into more than two
directions, or three, or four, or five…