The Wanted
Support: Elyar Fox, The Vamps
SSE Hydro, Glasgow, 16/3/14
I don’t think that Glasgow’s SSE Hydro has ever been filled with more girls screaming than it was on Sunday night when Elyar Fox, The Vamps and The Wanted took to the stage as part of The Wanted’s Word of Mouth Tour, their last outing before they go on ‘hiatus’ (pop speak for ‘split up’). Handmade “WE LOVE THE WANTED” posters sprung up everywhere and there was even one dedicated dad wearing a jumper that matched his little girl’s that read “I LOVE THE WANTED” in big letters. Their fans love them and I don’t think my eardrums will ever be the same.
Elyar Fox took to the stage first and when he said ‘jump’, the crowd asked ‘how high?’ For a star on the rise, he has a lot of charisma. There was plenty of flirting with the crowd: winking, leaning in close and making all the girls (and they were all girls) down at the front feel like he was singing only to them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if there was crying involved. His cute and innocent look probably doesn’t hurt either and it seems he could be the UK’s answer to Justin Bieber.
Next it was The Vamps, and we were blown away. Despite a little mishap with timing in the beginning, they were fantastic. They got the crowd pumped with their energetic playing and cheeky banter – the bass player wore a kilt and asked the crowd: “Fit like?” It was a really good performance. They got the crowd singing along to their songs so well that they didn’t need to sing at all and it made for a great atmosphere. The chemistry between the band was great and we were thoroughly impressed.
What came next can only be described as a fan-girl eruption. Before The Wanted even took to the stage their fans caught a glimpse of them in the wings and ran up to the barrier in a hoard, started to scream and waved their arms in the air. They were promptly told by burly security guards to get back to their seats. The Wanted opened with a montage of their achievements and sang the beginning of Gold Forever hidden behind a curtain. Their silhouettes alone were enough to make their fans go wild. They really pulled out all the stops: fireworks, pyrotechnics, smoke machines and strobe lights made us feel reminiscent of the golden age of boy bands. However, their performance seemed very staged. There was little interaction with the fans that love them so much and there was even less between the band themselves. No eye contact and choreography put together so they don’t have to touch at any point – no surprise really given rumours that the band’s split is due to tensions between the boys. Despite this though, there were plenty of little girls made very happy at getting to see “the best band ever” for what was, probably, the last time ever.
A good show on the whole, but it was The Vamps who made the night for us. We will definitely be keeping an eye on them in the future.
[rating=3]
