The boys of summer

How long has One Direction (1D) been hogging the limelight as the boy band of the moment? Three? Four years? Have any of those who came after proved to be serious threats? Lawson? Wanted? I say it is now about time that we take a look and a lot of listens to those who, I do not say will replace 1D, but will bring excitement to the boy band market with their music and great looks.

Now don’t forget, talent is not the only thing necessary to succeed as a boy band. Looks are also important. As girls everywhere are wont to say, the members have to be cute. And here are three groups, dubbed the Boys of Summer, who fit the bill and show lots of huge possibilities.

The Vamps: The members of this pop-rock group are no childhood friends who got together to form a band. Neither did they meet while competing in a talent show. They met on the Internet. Guitarist James McVey wanted a singer for his songs. So, he went online and found vocalist Bradley Will Simpson on YouTube. Then Tristan Evans, a finalist in the 2010 UK Drummer of the Year contest, saw their videos online. He contacted them through Facebook and was readily accepted. The fourth member bassist Connor Ball came through normal channels — a friend introduced him to the trio.

All the songs they wrote and videos that they uploaded created their huge following and got them their label deal. They now have three big hits and have opened for the likes of Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. These guys have now become the hottest imports from the UK since One Direction. See how it all happened in the DVD accompanying their debut album Meet The Vamps. It has a one-hour film on their story and videos of their hits Can We Dance, Wild Heart and Last Night plus other new songs.

5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS). This is Australia’s bet in the boy band race and these guys are really big. Michael Clifford on vocals and guitar; Calum Hood on vocals and bass guitar; and Ashton Irwin on vocals and drums have toured worldwide with great success with One Direction and released four singles that instantly conquered Australia and the UK and are now also big hits in the US of A. And note that everything also got going for them after they uploaded videos of their original works. They had no radio or TV exposure for months but they managed to build a massive following via Facebook and Twitter.

These boys who write, perform and produce their own materials rock hard and angry in their songs. They are more punk than pop and this, I think, is what gives them an edge over the other groups. Boy bands have to give up the ghost sometime but rockers live forever. 5SOS still has to release a complete album but the EP, titled She Looks So Perfect, is now out. It is, of course, made up of the group’s hits, She Looks So Perfect; Heartache On The Big Screen, The Only Reason and the best of the lot, Disconnected. 

R5. Technically, R5 is not a boy band. It has one female member. But because, the girl is the boys’ sister, I do not think the fans will mind letting a girl be in close proximity with their idols. R5 is a family band with three brothers, one sister and one friend. These are Ryker Lynch on bass and lead vocals; Rocky Lynch on lead guitar and background vocals; Ross Lynch on lead vocals and guitar; the sister Rydel on piano, keyboards and background vocals; and the friend and fifth letter R of the group, Ellington Ratliff on drums and background vocals.

Individually, the careers of the two R5 members are already off to a good start. Ross starred in the Disney flick, Teen Beach Movie, and has his own TV show, Austin & Ally. Riker is a regular in Glee as one of the a cappella boys, The Warblers. But those have nothing to do with R5. They also want to make it big as a band. As of this writing, they already have everything going great with millions in YouTube views, radio and TV play and world tours to promote their album Louder.

Louder is a sort of sequel to R5’s debut EP, Loud. So, the debut album became Louder. It is a happy, wholesome pop collection that young buyers will surely enjoy. The songs echo early Beach Boys like Cali Girls, party tunes, Love Me Like That, some rockers Forget About You and Ain’t No Way We’re Going Home, and surely aimed at the girls, romantic ballads like One Last Dance and Fallin’ For You and the sweet pop-rock single, Pass Me By.

Still on boys and their music on this summer. Before You Exit (BYE), a hot young band from Orlando, Florida that conquered Manila at last year’s Circuit Fest, will be back in town this week. I do not know if the heartthrob Braiden Wood will still be with the band. Connor McDonough, his brothers Riley and Toby plus Thomas Silvers, have ample supply of eye and ear candy for the fans of BYE. They will perform at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura on Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m.

The show is produced by MMI and Ovation Productions and tickets are priced at P3,660 and P2,090.  Fans who want a closer encounter with the group can avail of the Ultimate Exiter Package which costs P5,230 and P3,660 and includes the Hangout Party after the concert. Tickets are available at www.smtickets.com and other regular outlets.