As I entered Champions, I was hit by a heat wave as I saw a flood of indie kids spread across the venue. Hot Vamp Club are the headliners and they have come a long way in the few years they have been a band. They recently spent six months in the studio to produce their first EP, ‘I Dream of Fires’ which is popping up on iTunes and being sold at shows with only one hundred hard copies produced.
Kicking off my viewing was IVienna, a four piece alternative band from Ringwood. It’s clear that they have a fair following as a group of the crowd moved forward and engaged with the band as they broke into their first song, ‘Batteries’, which spurred an instant response and showcased a delay soaked atmosphere with a mixture of both acoustic and electric guitar to create melodic tones with some smooth vibes. Front man, Sam has a haunting voice which both charms the crowd but also delivers a sense of pride in their music and despite some moments of almost, reflection on past events; I do feel a sense of positivity in their songs which eventually became evident throughout their set. They possess an interesting sound which reminds me of The Temper Trap, with similar delay settings to their guitar riffs and a singer with a unique, fantastic vocal quality. I thoroughly recommend anyone to see them when they return to Bournemouth to headline their own upcoming show.
The headliners for the night are Hot Vamp Club, a four piece indie band who originate in Bournemouth but spend a lot of their time gigging in London. A rare local show from the indie band saw a fair crowd stay after IVienna, despite a fair number leaving. Opening with ‘Always Always’ from their new EP, the band showcase their up tempo indie vibes with indie guitar riffs ever present to create a progressive feel to their songs. Front man, Darius shows his love of their songs with odd hand movements and strange dancing throughout their set, but the crowd can’t get enough of it as there is a sense that their songs are designed to have people on their feet and feeling their music to Darius’ extent. His vocals may not be soaring but they have a certain edginess to them which blends well with the bands indie rock instrumentals, giving a unique take on their genre. There are too many indie bands these days who sound the same and luckily Hot Vamp Club do not fall into this category, and with songs like ‘Myra’ and ‘Young Hearts, Slow Shoes’, it’s obvious that their sound is diverse enough to delve into the patterns of their songs as much as they like. In all honesty, the crowd size did eventually start to decrease throughout their set, which was strange, but I doubt it was due to their performance.
There was very little talking between the band and the audience and it seemed like they were slightly fatigued as little enthusiasm was shown by the band, apart from Darius who seemed to be enjoying himself. The spark returned with crowd favourite, ‘Speaking Tongues’ which saw the crowd jump forward and respond. Their final two tracks from their new EP, ‘Ache’ and ‘Lilies’ were well received and despite obvious fatigue, it was no doubt a nice way for the band to return to their home town.
Set-List
Always Always (on the EP)
Tender Grip (brand new)
Young Hearts, Slow Shoes
Myra
Speaking Tongues
Youth
Ache (on the EP)
Lilies (on the EP)
Making of their new EP…
Hot Vamp Club’s EP ‘Dream Of Fires’ iTunes link
http://tinyurl.com/idreamoffires
http://www.myspace.com/hotvampclub
Pictures by Annie Kilpatrick.
Words by George Fullerton.
