Best known for their massive 1980 worldwide hit “Turning Japanese”, The Vapors continue to bring their individually styled brand of New Wave inspired music to fans old and new in the form of high-quality live performances, and the ongoing development of critically acclaimed new material.
The band, formed in 1979, had already gained a substantial live following around their hometown of Guildford, Surrey, and in London, when they were brought to large UK audiences with their support slot on The Jam’s iconic 1979 ”Setting Sons” tour, by then managed by The Jam’s Bruce Foxton and Paul Weller’s father John.
The release of debut single “Prisoners” in 1979 was followed by 1980’s “Turning Japanese“ alongside the classic first album “New Clear Days”. The single reached Number 3 in the UK, Number 1 in Australia, and hit the top 10 in both New Zealand and Canada whilst becoming a mainstream Billboard Top 40 hit in the US.
The debut album spawned further hits “News At Ten” and ”Waiting for the Weekend” before the very different, but equally well received second album “Magnets”, arriving in 1981, provided the singles “Spiders” and further hit “Jimmie Jones”, with the band touring extensively in the UK, US and Australia throughout this period.
The band parted company late in 1981, with all members going on to have varied and successful careers across all spectrums of the entertainment industry before, in 2016, after a decade of Internet clamour for a revival, they announced their reformation for a short series of gigs, including a sell-out show at London’s Dingwalls. The success of this reunion prompted the band to continue in earnest, since when they have played over 150 gigs in the UK and the US, including three sell-out shows at New York’s Mercury Lounge.
In 2020, the band released their third album “Together” some 39 years after their second, featuring a dozen original songs that again gained hugely positive reactions from fans and critics alike.
The band continue to write and perform, and have completed two headline tours in the UK since the pandemic as well as appearing at the Pasadena Rose Bowl’s “Cruel World” festival in May 2023, playing to increasingly large audiences comprising fans old and new, and delivering polished shows featuring songs spanning their entire 45-year history.
Menu