The Vamps playing at the SM Mall Of Asia Area on Sunday, February 1. Image by Janine Villagracia/INQUIRER.net.
MANILA, Philippines—British band The Vamps treated its Filipino fans to an early Valentine’s Day gift by playing a short but sweet and energy-filled show at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.
The quartet composed of Bradley Simpson on vocals, James McVey on lead guitar, Connor Ball on bass and Tristan Evans on drums made a musical playground out of the MOA Arena stage while performing original tracks and covers before the crowd which they fondly called “Manila” the entire night.
Among the original tracks they performed were “Wild Hearts,” “Girls on TV,” “She Was The One,” “Somebody To You” and “Oh Cecilia.” They also covered medleys of hits such as “Locked Out of Heaven,” “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “Can’t Hold Us.”
McVey, however, was unable to play his usual part for the show due to a wrist injury which he acquired back in December 2014. He instead focused on the keys while assuming the role of lead vocals every now and then.
Best and loudest crowd
From the moment the boys of The Vamps came out on stage until they performed their final song “Can We Dance,” the crowd’s energy remained over the top and this led them to calling Manila “the best and loudest crowd.”
It was parallel though, since the band members jumped, hopped, danced, and swirled real good to the songs they blasted live. They even switched instruments. In one performance Simpson went wild with the drums while Ball took on the lead guitar, and in another performance Ball continued playing the lead guitar while a sideman played the bass.
‘Pilipinas’
The Vamps performing ‘Risk It All’ during the encore. Image by: Janine Villagracia/INQUIRER.net.
Simpson and McVey wore “Pilipinas” jersey shirts throughout the whole concert and at one point, the band had the country’s flag on the background while performing “Risk it All.”
Prior to playing their gig at MOA Arena, McVey seemingly enjoyed meeting teen Filipina actress Liza Soberano during the band’s appearance at a local Sunday TV show.
The Vamps concert in Manila was organized by MMI Live and Ovation Productions. ADVT