Vamps Biography

Vamps (stylized as VAMPS) is a Japanese rock duo formed in 2008 by Hyde (vocalist, rhythm guitarist, lyricist and songwriter) and K.A.Z (lead guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter). Only a year after their founding, Vamps performed its first international tour, ten dates in the United States, and in 2010 they went on their first world tour. Originally signed to Hyde's own record label Vamprose, every release the band has had to date has reached the top ten on the Oricon music chart. In 2013, the group changed labels to Universal Music Group's Delicious Deli Records and produced their worldwide debut release.

History
2008–2011

Vamps was formed by Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel) and K.A.Z (Oblivion Dust) in 2008. They had been working together on Hyde's solo work since 2003. After years of collaboration, the two finally decided to form their own band and agreed that there was no better way to announce Vamps than getting out in front of the fans right away. Their first material was the single "Love Addict", released on July 2, 2008.

Their first nationwide tour, Vamps Live 2008, kicked off at Zepp Tokyo. The band, having only released one single, played mostly songs from Hyde's solo career. Between August 1 and October 28, they played 46 shows at the Zepp live houses throughout Japan. The band played 6 to 10 shows at each venue and every single show was sold out. Vamps' second single "I Gotta Kick Start Now" was released on March 13, 2009, and was followed by "Evanescent" on May 13.

In July 2009, Vamps went on their Vamps Live 2009 U.S.A. Tour. The tour covered 10 cities in the United States from July 11 - August 1. Stopping in the following cities: New York, two Warped Tour 2009 shows (Hartford & Columbia), Baltimore, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, and finishing off in Los Angeles. They had an additional finale US show in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii on board the battleship USS Missouri on September 19. On June 10, 2009, they released their self-titled debut album, Vamps, followed by their fourth single "Sweet Dreams" on September 30.

On January 31, 2010, the band was awarded the "Billboard Japan Ranking International 2009" award for their efforts and success with their tour in the US. After releasing the DVD of their US tour on March 17, they released the single "Devil Side" on May 12. Their sixth single "Angel Trip" was released on June 9, followed by their second album, Beast, on July 28, 2010. The band held a free concert in Roppongi Hills on July 30, which was also freely streamed live on several websites.

Vamps embarked on their first world tour in the fall of 2010. Making stops in the following countries: Taiwan, United States, Spain, France, China and Chile. Their seventh single "Memories" was released on December 15, 2010 and contains the B-side "Get Up -Japanese Ver.-", which is an alternative version of "Get Up" that translates some of the English lyrics into Japanese. This recording of the song was used in the Bakuman. anime, which features a fictionalized version of Hyde that is voiced by the singer himself. On July 13, 2011, Vamps released their fourth DVD, Vamps Live 2010 World Tour Chile, which was recorded in Santiago on November 6, 2010 at the Caupolican Theatre.

2013–present

In February 2013, Vamps announced they were changing record labels to Universal Music Group's Delicious Deli Records. The first release on the label was the home video Vamps Live 2012 on April 24, which was recorded at Zepp Namba in 2012. Vamps, who were recording in Los Angeles, performed at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan on June 22, coming straight from the airport. This was the first performance of the songs from their double A-side single "Ahead/Replay", which was released on July 3, exactly one year and one day since their debut five years ago. The duo released the best-of album Sex Blood Rock n' Roll on September 25, which includes re-recordings of songs, all in English, and is also their first worldwide release. They supported the record with a world tour that took them to Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, London, and finished with shows in Los Angeles and New York where they were supported by Sid Wilson of Slipknot.

Vamps headlined the U-Express Live 2014 event at the Saitama Super Arena on March 1, played their second show in London on March 28 and will also perform at this year's Download Festival on June 14.