The Vamps’ Bradley Simpson on his debut solo album and his bandmate 'brothers'
Finding your way in your late teens and 20s can be painful enough for anyone to contend with, but doing so with a showbiz spotlight cast upon you means there is truly nowhere to hide.
The Vamps star Bradley Simpson was just 16 when he joined the British boy band, know for hits including All Night, Somebody To You and Can We Dance. The group found each other on the internet back in the early noughties and while many other boy bands from around the same time, like One Direction and The Wanted, have now called it a day, the group – consisting of Simpson, Connor Ball, Tristan Evans and James Brittain-McVey – have stuck together as they still love what they do.
But they were not immune to the pressures and challenges their fellow boy band contemporaries experienced when finding fame at a young age. “I think we were very lucky that (we are), and still are, best mates, so going through stuff with your best mates is a hell of a lot easier,” says Simpson, 29. “You don’t realise how young you are, I was 16 when we started the band, and when the band released their first album I had just turned 18.
"And we were all young lads, it’s such a big transitional period in anyone’s life, from like 16 to 21, so doing that whilst also being away a lot, and you miss home, and you miss your mates, and you miss the routine, but the pros always massively outweigh the cons.”
The group’s 2014 debut, Meet The Vamps, propelled them to fame after it went to number two in the charts and they later claimed the top spot with their third offering, Night And Day, in 2017 and their 2020 release, Cherry Blossom. After learning the art of touring when they warmed up for several pop superstars, including supporting the current queen of concerts, Taylor Swift, in 2014, they set off on the road for their own headline shows and have never looked back.
“There wasn’t any moments where we really felt like it was all too much and I do put that down to we had a great team,” the singer says. “We were best mates, and we managed to lean on each other a lot through it which is so important. But I see a lot of young artists even now, but especially at that time, it’s just tough. You can get caught in with a bad team or fall into the wrong things, and it’s so easy to do that.”
After celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their debut album last year, the boys are now pursuing their own personal projects. Simpson did not initially set out to write a solo album, but one began to emerge “naturally” when he was writing songs inbetween The Vamps’ material and some of them began feeling too personal to give away.
Once committing to the project, he poured through genres and artists who have influenced him over the years, such as Queens Of The Stone Age. This has given his solo sound a more alternative feel compared to The Vamps more poppy style, with touches of indie-rock, Americana, 1980s synth and psychedelia intertwined.
The record also allowed him space to reflect back over the highs and lows of the last decade within the band. “Its kind of like an album of therapy, essentially, but it’s been a really enjoyable process,” he reflects. “The album’s called The Panic Years and I’m hoping that it will instil a bit of ease in people. It’s very easy to feel, like in your 20s especially, a bit lost and a bit wondering where you’re heading or (what) you’re doing.
“But I think the album as a whole is the message of going through those ups and downs and then coming out the other side and being like, ‘That’s the way, number one, you have the most fun, and then number two, you learn the most about yourself’. So, I wanted it to be an album that people can put on, maybe when they’re in those periods, and it gives them a bit of reassurance.”
Embarking on the project solo has been a steep learning curve for the singer, but he is embracing trying on many hats in his new role, including musically directing his shows last year. He will be back on the road come May for his biggest UK tour to date, with shows scheduled for cities including Leeds and Sheffield.
Simpson says his bandmates have been “massively supportive” of his new album and they were among the first to hear the tracks around two years ago. Likewise, he has encouraged the others in their own pursuits as he says they all have a “very healthy” relationship. “I feel lucky. They’re brothers, its family at this point,” he adds.
Although the band is taking a breaking from releasing music currently, the singer is sure they will come back together to write new material again, but they do not want to force they process. What he does feel confident about is how their own pursuits will have a “massive influence” on any future Vamps music.
“I think just having space and different things to write about is always really healthy, rather than feeling like you’re writing in a pressure cooker,” he says. “So, I’m very intrigued. I don’t really know what it’s going to sound like. I don’t think any of us do. So, it will just be a trial and error, explore different things when it does come to that moment.”
And to the young artists who are trying to break through, Simpson advises them to just trust their gut. “It’s very easy to feel like (your) voice and your opinion isn’t as strong or isn’t as valid as other people’s through their experience," he says. “But I think if it’s your project and you’re doing something that you love and you’re passionate about it in your heart of hearts, you probably know what’s right and what you want to do.”
Bradley Simpson’s album The Panic Years is out now. He is at The Leadmill, Sheffield on May 13 and Beckett SU, Leeds the following evening.