The Vamps 

With Support From Henry Moodie

&

The Aces

Dec 7th

At Liverpool’s  M&S Bank Arena 

Pop punk band The Vamps who formed in 2012 came to headline at the ‘M&S Bank Arena‘ in Liverpool as part of their 10-year celebration of the Vamps UK tour on Wednesday night. 

 As soon as I got the call about covering this gig my inner self was screaming because I had been a fan of the band from an early age when they were just starting out. Leading up to the gig however I was feeling incredibly nervous because it was my first time shooting in the M&S Bank Arena but once I got there the staff were all friendly and made sure I was ok and checked that I knew where I was going, and honestly, the staff at music venues need more credit for the job they do. 

I got to the venue fairly early because I wasn’t sure on times at which the box office opened so I got there around 6ish and already there were a number of people queuing up waiting for the doors to open, it just shows how much people love The Vamps if they are willing to queue up in the cold hours before. 

(Henry Moodie_Credit: Sarah Sidwell)

First up was a young Musician known for his singing on social media, Henry Moodie. 

To be only 18 years old and supporting The Vamps on their UK tour its obvious how hard he’s worked to get where he is now, and with that being said his voice was mind-blowing, to say the least, he sang his heart out during his performance and even got the crowd into it as well singing around and waving their torch on their phones in the air during a slow song. He’s got a vibe of the artist Shawn Mendes. 

Next up was ‘The Aces‘ an all-girl pop punk band from Utah USA, and my gosh the crowd were screaming as soon as they stepped foot on the stage, and when I say stepped I mean run because these girls had so much energy on stage, giving off all fun vibes in the process. They started their set with their song “Girls Make Me Wanna Die” which to me is one of those songs that you just instantly start dancing to when played, it’s very catchy. The lead singer Cristal really gave it her all while on stage, using the runway to run up and down and holding a few of the crowd’s hands and interacting, you could tell they were very much liked by the audience. I was quite disappointed that they were only on stage for 5 songs because I really did want to hear more from them. Overall I highly recommend checking them out as I feel like they are gonna become very big and popular and doing their own headline tours and playing even playing festivals such as Reading/Leeds fest in the next year or so. Their sound is a mixture between ‘Halsey’, ‘Foxes’ and ‘Pale Waves’, all bands that I’m really into. So if you get the chance, please check them out, or have a listen on Spotify. 

(The Aces_Credit: Sarah Sidwell)

Last up was the headliner ‘The Vamps‘. Waiting for them to come on the crowd was in high spirits and all doing the Mexican wave. It’s a magical feeling seeing just how much everyone is enjoying themselves. As the lights go out “I’m thinking I think to myself that I need to get my ears checked soon” because the noise was deafening as the curtain fell down and they appeared on stage starting the night off with their song “Last Night” one of their popular songs from 2014, Brad the lead singer was jumping around on stage with the crowd doing the exact same. You could see how much fun the guys have on stage playing together and not just as a band but as mates as well with interacting and running up by each other during songs like they really do just love what they do. Sailing effectively through a near-decade set list of songs these boys are still at the top of their game and it is magical seeing them perform live, “like you know when you listen to them on your headphones at home and you get that feeling of pure joy”? Times that feeling by ten and you might just understand how it feels seeing them live.

(The Vamps_Credit: Sarah Sidwell)

Some of the highlights of the set for me personally were the songs “Married In Vegas“, “Seat At The Table” and “Too Good To Be True“. It’s a big and long set of some of their most iconic and memorable songs and honestly, I could have watched them do the whole set again!

From being a fan from younger age they did not disappoint with their live performance, they sounded amazing live.

A magical night and an absolutely stunning performance from all, especially The Aces! I’m definitely a fan of these guys now! 

Review and photography: Sarah Sidwell

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