Wine Stains + Smashed Glass EP Review from Heavy Metal Time Machine

Sometimes the best bands are the ones that are difficult to define. Normally if it's difficult to come up with a description then a band is either drawing on numerous different influences at the same time or they are doing something new.

UK based Vamps 'N' Gypsies fall more into that first category, but they are not entirely removed from that second category either. This band has been around for about five years and their latest EP had me searching for a way to describe to you what I think of their music. Not an easy task and they seem be getting the glam label put to them and that's not off, but they combine glam, pop, punk and hard rock together. Yet that's still too limiting of a description on what they are creating here.

Vocalist Nikki Jones has a voice that would be equally fantastic doing hard rock, punk or pop and she easily brings all of that and far more to the five tracks on this EP. Every musician in the band is certainly pulling his weight and the results are that each song here has it's own identity.

Those thoughts only begin to scrape the surface because that's just the basic mechanics of this band, but the real talent is the way they carry out their skills and ideas. The presentation comes close to be rather astounding as the band's knack of cranking out hard rock licks and pop hooks has me thinking that this band could and should be huge. The ability to convey genuine heart and emotion is a skill that most hard rock bands struggle mightily with yet this band are making it look a little easy.

Back to the hard to put a label on issue, the sound here isn't purely locked into just one decade and I think that's great. This EP draws on music from the 80's through to today so it has a sound that's both familiar and fresh at the same time. The music world is seldom a fair arena, but in a fair world you will be hearing more from this band in the years to come and they will get their due.

metalmark.blogspot.com

VAMPS 'N' GYPSIES @ BAR MONSTA, CAMDEN. 19/05/08

RATING: 9.3 / 10

Rock n' rollers everywhere unite, for London has been invaded by a band of Vamps 'n' Gypsies. Okay, so perhaps it wasn't the whole of London, but Bar Monsta certainly felt the heat as Guildford-based rockers Vamps 'n' Gypsies stormed through their 30 minute set.

The band was bursting with enthusiasm and noise, plunging straight into each song with heavy riffs and electric attitude. Vocalist Nikki Jones made a stunning front woman with raw, gritty vocals and a care-free rock n' roll attitude. She looked perfectly comfortable on stage and she certainly didn't use her sulphurous sexuality as a krutch to help her perform, which is a welcome change from the vast majority of female singers.

Guitarists Stubio Lopez and Flash Danny were not only technically brilliant, they were thoroughly entertaining to watch. Their evident enjoyment of the music infected everyone else in the room and created a blindingly exuberant show.

The rhythm section, made up of Rich Elson and Jamie "The Big Dog," held their own in keeping the band tight and crisp, while adding their own charm and personality to the set.

Vamps 'n' Gypsies played solidly and loudly through each song, but it all climaxed with their anthemic she-rock song, Sleaze, which decidedly takes the power of rock n' roll from the men and firmly places it back in the hands of the ladies.

Everyone, men and women alike, seemed to be energised by the music, especially during such songs as Dumped for Jesus which got everyone on their feet and singing at the top of their lungs.

The show was heavy and thrilling to experience. Nikki Jones was sexy without being slutty, the guistarists were driven without being distracting, the rhythm was precise without being pretentious, and with any luck, Vamps 'n' Gypsies will be staying in town a whole lot longer.

www.komodorock.com

Glamnation vol 3 Sleaze has been included on the new Glamnation CD. It is a ferocious assault of Glam & Sleaze loaded with some of the best up and coming bands on the planet, including Sister Sin, Peep Show, Debbie Ray, CJ Sleez, Kid Ego, Hollywood Vampires, Teenage Casket Company, Dynamite Young, Bastardz and 10 more bands that will blow your mind. You can order your copy directly from Glamnation HERE.

Vamps 'N' Gypsies are currently on rotation on the Spike The Vein 2 radio station....you can check out the show direct from the Spike The Vein 2 myspace page.

NEW WEBSITE

Kinda obvious really! For those of you who've not been to vampsngypsies.com before, it's been updated and actually has stuff on it!

PURE RAWK 'VAMPS 'N' GYPSIES EP' REVIEW

Vamps 'n' Gypsies - "Vamps 'n' Gypsies"

Now this is definitely a name to watch out for. Female-fronted London scuzz-rockers Vamps 'n' Gypsies have come up with a very promising opening shot here which I hope means we'll be hearing a lot more from them in the future. Sounding like Smashed Gladys relocating east of the Atlantic, this self-titled EP consists of three above-average tracks and two absolutely killer ones, the mid-tempo "Running After You" and the awesome lead-off track "Dumped For Jesus" which has the sort of "wooooaaaaahhh-oh" singalong chorus line which more bands should really be doing nowadays. If the album proper's this good then it should be well worth keeping an eye out for.

Review By Andy

© Pure Rawk 2007
www.purerawk.co.uk

KOMODO ROCK 'VAMPS 'N' GYPSIES EP' REVIEW

KRock Rating
7.6 out of 10

Wednesday 18th July by the Spunky Lobster

Vamps N Gypsies might on the surface appear to be yet another female fronted rock band, and we've none more than a fair share of those over recent years, but from the opening notes of 'Dumped By Jesus', it's obvious that this is a cut about the norm, especially when we know that the band are self financed, and put this self titled EP together as time would allow.

The sleazy punk rock sound that they bring to the table has enough angles to please a vast array of people, and guitarist Stubio Lopez told us exactly who they are during the bands recent Komodo Rock Interview saying "We're a punk rock n roll band, we have elements of 80s rock you will find if you're looking for it, but our sound is our sound, formed of best mates coming together playing the music they love."

The already mentioned 'Dumped For Jesus' is by a fair distance the best song on the EP, and a fine choice in that to open the CD, the punk influence shining out, the rock n roll dripping off the jaws of the beast. 'Down Below is where I gotta go' indeed. This is the devils music, and we love it!

If you had any doubts, by the time they've kicked and spat there way through 'Sleaze' and 'Blind Eye', those doubts should be well and truly banished, from the irony looking out on the world in 'Sleaze', and the spite in 'Blind Eye' as Nikki sings "I was so fucked up, that's why I wrote this song'. I'm glad I'm not on the receiving end of this one. It's nasty, it takes no prisoners, and punishes.

What makes this EP a cut above the rest though is that no one part dominates. The guitars define, Nikki Jones' powerful vocals accentuate, while the drums and base whip us along in a fever, and then you suddenly realise that you've stopped hearing anyone part and the whole is sweeping over you.

Power punk? Power Pop? Punk Pop? How about we just say, it's rock n roll, and we love it!

www.komodorock.com

VAMPS 'N' GYPSIES LIVE @ BAR MONSTA. KOMODO ROCK REVIEW.

Sunday 22nd July, by The Spunky Lobster

KRock Rating
7.3 out of 10

www.komodorock.com

Bar Monsta is slowing starting to fill up as Bubblegum Screw take to the stage tonight, and launch into a brand of punked out rock n roll that seems to draw influence from the New York Dolls and the Ramones as much as it does from the likes of Motley Crue and LA Guns. Undaunted by the mild reaction they seem to be getting by the crowd, frontman Mark launches himself around the tiny stage like kangaroo on speed, hardly standing still for the entire set.

While the crowd did not seem hugely impressed on the night, a fair amount of that can be put down to tonights headliners who have been waiting eagerly to hit the stage, and seem to have brought the large proportion of the audience to see them, and by the time they finally do strike up, the crowd has swelled quite considerably.

Vamps 'N' Gypsies sound good on CD, and talking with the band in our recent interview we certainly knew that they were mad, but what wasn't clear until they hit the stage tonight was that they really do have stage presence and charisma, and a fair London following to boot.

The biggest handicap to Bar Monsta is always going to be the stage size, and by the time you've got guitars and drums up there there's not much space, but the Vamps use every inch. Guitars are in the air, players on top of amps and the crowd instantly bouncing along to the wild sleazy carefreeness that frontwoman Nikki brings to the stage.

You know she's loving every minute of tonight, and the band get a great reaction to my pick as the best song on their EP 'Dumped For Jesus', and to be honest it sounds better live than it does on CD.

Not everyone there tonight were into the Vamps, and I can understand their misgivings, but I can only disagree, and say after seeing them live, I finally understand why people have been talking about these guys for the last year or so.

www.komodorock.com