The Vamps are often labelled a boy band when in fact they got together off their own bat, play their own instruments and are more rock than bubbly-gum pop.

Last year the musicians headed across the pond to America and appeared on a number of top US television shows. This summer they are back in the UK and out and about with their Four Corners Tour 2019. They will be dropping in to Swindon's Oasis as part of that tour on April 30.

Supporting them on the tour will be New Hope Club, who are signed to the The Vamps own label, Steady Records. The Vamp's work with EMI/Universal on this offshoot which they set up in 2015. They released their own second studio album, Wake Up, in on the label. The first new act they signed to Steady Records was The Tide.

Lead guitarist in the band is James McVey from Bournemouth. He already had a management deal with Prestige Management but the guitarist wanted to form a band, so he found the lead singer, Bradley Simpson, via YouTube in 2011, and they began writing songs together. Tristan Evans the drummer joined via Facebook and Connor Ball the bass player completed the fab foursome.

The band have a huge fan base which brought them to fame through performing songs on their YouTube channel. Wild Heart, their first original track to be uploaded won them 46,000 views in the first two days. This was followed by their first single, Can We Dance, that scooped one million views in two weeks and debuted at number two in the UK singles charts.

Fame beckoned and the musicians did not hesitate with studio albums and hit singles following closely upon each others heels, including hits in the Norway and New Zealand singles charts, and the Canadian Hot 100.

It was The Vamps cover of King Fu Fighting that was used in the animated film Kung Fu Panda 3.

Another cover, Cecilia originally by Simon and Garfunkel, was released in 2014 and featured Canadian singer, Shawn Mendez. It was their fifth consecutive top ten hit in the UK. It was in the same year that The Vamps made a cameo appearance on the popular soap opera Hollyoaks

Away from the band James entered the jungle in the 18th series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out OF Here and he came fifth.

The band have supported a number of known names including McFly, Taylor Swift and Little Mix and collaborated on singles such as Too Good To Be True with Spanish DJ Danny Avila last year.

This year, along with the tour, The Vamps will premiere their music video for the single, Just My Type, filmed in Morocco, taken from their album Day Edition which made it to number one on the Scottish charts and two in the UK album charts. For more details or tickets visit https://www.ents24.com/swindon-events/oasis-leisure-centre/the-vamps/5419448 - Flicky Harrison