24 August,2016 09:04 AM IST | | Kasmin Fernandes
On their first trip to India, members of British pop-rock band talk cricket and tease a Bollywood song in an exclusive interview
Fresh-faced and all under 20, Bradley Simpson, James McVey, Connor Ball and Tristan Evans from Brit rock band The Vamps were hoping to make a low-key visit to India. So, when a bunch of screaming fans, who got a whiff of their arrival, greeted them at Mumbai airport, they were taken by surprise.
(From left) Connor Ball, James McVey, Tristan Evans and Bradley Simpson from The Vamps. Pic/Prabhanjan Dhanu
"We didn't know we had fans in India," Brad told hitlist as they kickstarted a Mumbai darshan.
Apart from collaboration with Bollywood composer duo Vishal-Shekhar - on Hinglish song, Beliya, The Vamps are three years old and have two full-length albums of original songs. Their single, I Found A Girl from their second album Wake Up, went viral for being a cheeky take on a girl who prefer girls to guys. Their vocal harmonies, strummy, feel-good music and sparkling stage presence has found favour with teenagers who have seen them through the transition from a cover band making YouTube videos to international concert makers.
All four of The Vamps are vocalists, with Bradley being the lead singer and guitarist. James also plays guitar, Connor is on bass and Tristan plays drums.
They are curious about all things local. "There are some places in India where they jump on top of the trains. Is that the case in Mumbai as well?" was one of the first things they asked during an exclusive chat. Excerpts:
Q. How did the song, Beliya, with Vishal and Shekhar come about?
Brad and James: Actually, that came through the record label. It was a different kind of opportunity for us. We are open to trying new things and that gave us a chance to see how talented they are, and how successful they are here [in India]. They sent the song originally that we really liked. Then, they flew over. Vishal and Shekhar had a chorus they started writing on the plane. We sat in session in the studio for about an hour. They sang the chorus and we literally wrote the song and recorded it in a day. That was the first time Brad was singing in Hindi. The only other time we had sung in Hindi was at a party that Tristan hosted. Tristan's family friends are Indian so they have taught him a few things in Hindi.
Q. Your video I Found A Girl is about crushing on a girl who likes women. Was it inspired from a real life incident?
James: It happened to one of us and we just wrote about it. We exaggerated the story. It wasn't about a full relationship. We were trying to introduce ourselves to a girl at a club, but she wasn't into guys.
Q. Are you familiar with India?
Tristan: I grew up a little bit with Indian culture. My dad's best friend is Indian and their folks are like extended family. I love the dress sense, especially sarees, and the food. We are looking forward to see the Gateway of India.
Q. What do The Vamps have in common with each other?
James: We all love Lost [television series] and watch it together. We are all massive fans of cricket too. We love playing cricket together - bowling, batting, fielding, the works. The one dish all the boys like is scones.
Q. What is the India visit about?
Brad: Virgin EMI Records, UK, and Bottomline Media have brought us to India, and we are hoping to build a solid foundation on this trip, so we can come back and
have bigger concerts. As of now, we are performing with Vishal-Shekhar at Hard Rock Café in Andheri on August 25.
Connor: If everything goes right, a song with a Bollywood composer is in the pipeline.
