By Deborah J. Draisin

Visual Kei is a movement among Japanese musicians characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes (often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics.) In Japan, the kings of the Kei scene are Vamps (not to be confused with the the British boyband, The Vamps) who have been busy dudes this past year. Within the first few months of their fall 2014 release, Bloodsuckers, they hosted their first ever self-titled festival, VampParkFest, at Nippon Budokan, featuring the likes of Sixx:A.M., Buckcherry, Sads, Nothing More and Gerard Way. The bands got on so well that, two months later, they were invited to open for Sixx:A.M. throughout their North American excursion. From there, they appeared at Florida’s Fort Rock and Welcome to Rockville festivals, ending with a one-off at New York City’s Best Buy Theater and a slot at Rock on the Range. Later this year, they will back Apocalyptica along their UK run.

Vamps was formed in 2008 by Hyde, (of L’Arc-en-Ciel fame,) and K.A.Z., (of Oblivion Dust.) Despite the silly sendup to B-movie monsters and kitschy song titles, Vamps are actually a very musically talented outfit. They could be described as anything from prog metal to hard rock on any given number, and their hooks are quite contagious, even in Japanese.

Hyde and K.A.Z. were gracious enough to grant Jersey Beat a brief sit-down and photo op backstage at their packed Best Buy gig, and they’re super nice dudes, so if you would be so kind as to check it out while giving them a listen here, it would be much appreciated.

Q: Regarding Vampfest, where did the idea come from, and what led you to decide upon the eclectic mix of artists who performed there?

Vamps: If you want to deliver on your music to the outside, you have to accept the music from outside as well. But, of course, it wasn’t easy to make a home amongst such stiff competition. Nikki Sixx was there!

Q: And Buckcherry was there, and Gerard Way.

Vamps: We picked bands who all had special things to contribute.

Q: Who was your favorite performer at the festival?

Vamps: SixxA.M.!

Q: Nikki’s a legend. Let’s talk a little bit about “Bloodsuckers.” What was the inspiration behind it?

Vamps: The previous album, “Sex, Blood and Rock N’ Roll,” was the first album that was released all in English. It was supposed to be the best works of Vamps to date, so whatever came next was to be very different, but good enough to be the next album. So, we spent a lot of time and energy on it.

Q: What progression have you seen in the way that you compose songs? Were you going for a different type of sound this time?

Vamps: When you compare our music from the beginning until now, the stuff that you do gets better, rather than just creating the same thing over and over again. Every time that you finish a song, it gets better and better, so we feel really confident about what we came up with for this album.

Q: Awesome! Do you have a favorite track yet? That’s hard, I know – it’s like picking a favorite child.

Vamps: I think it’s “Lips.”

Q: That’s a good track.

Vamps: Also “Zero.”

Q: Which song has been best received live so far?

Vamps: Oh, “Revolution!” Maybe because of the tempo – the four-beat count. It might be easier for the audience to understand and feel.

Q: Fair enough. The latest video, “Vampires Love,” has already inspired karaoke versions, acoustic covers, and live reviews. Can you talk a bit about the concept of the video?

Vamps: The concept of the song or the video?

Q: Whichever. Both?

Vamps: The video was shot in one day, before we did Download Festival. We wanted to make people cry, to move them. We wrote the story by ourselves – we had a certain vision for the video, and sometimes other writers don’t see eye to eye with you. So, it was a lot of work, but we think that it came out good.

Q: It’s beautiful, but why did the girl in the video die so many times though? (All laugh.)

Vamps: Well, the concept of the video is reincarnation.

Q: Ah, okay, gotcha. So, you recently switched to Delicious Deli Records. Was there any particular reason for the switch? What’s changed for you aesthetically since signing with them?

Vamps: As you may know, we were working with an indie label before signing with Delicious Deli. We started thinking about how we could approach the world, rather than just Japan – go bigger. What were we supposed to be doing in order to break through to the international market? So, we resolved that maybe we needed the help of a major label to support us in our efforts. This way, we would be able to do a lot more stuff than what we had been doing.

Q: So it was just a growth thing.

Vamps: Yes.

Q: Alright. Was it mind-blowing to perform at the MTV Music Awards? Were you nervous?

Vamps: We were not comfortable being in that situation – we did not feel too confident!

Q: How did you get yourself through it?

Vamps: Well, we might not have liked it, but we still tried to have fun. We just had to face it.

Q: Did you just picture everybody in their underwear? I’ve heard that that helps (all laugh.) How was Download, by the way – were you well-received there?

Vamps: That was actually the first festival that we performed in Europe.

Q: Oh, that’s not intimidating at all – and that’s a tough crowd.

Vamps: That festival – that entire situation - was so different from Japanese festivals.

Q: They’re bigger.

Vamps: Yeah, but still, we enjoyed it – it was very exciting.

Q: Definitely. Are you aware that you share a name with a British boy band, by the way? How do you distinguish yourselves from them? I think they’re actually covering themselves in blood right now, so you might have to try something else.

Vamps: People should get us twisted more often.

Q: It’d be funny if they thought they were going to see The Vamps, but you guys came out instead, or vice-versa. Imagine they walk out and see Vamps fans? They’d be like “What just happened?”

Justine (my camera lady): That actually happened on Ticketmaster. Folks thought they were buying one ticket, but actually wound up with the other.

Vamps: Excuse my language, but…shit happens.

Q: Oh, you don’t have to excuse yourself, we’re New Yorkers.

Vamps: We went on a record tour for them, and in the dressing room, there was a sign that said “The REAL Vamps.”

Q: Surprise!

Vamps: That was kind of fun.

Q: That is – you should play together; that would really confuse everybody (all laugh.)

Vamps: Well, maybe would think that K.A.Z. is young enough to be in the other band.

Q: Why not? You’ve stated that American fans are pretty direct (we are, that’s true.) Have you ever received a negative response here, or has it all been positive?

Vamps: It’s been very positive. Everybody has been really supportive.

Q: That’s good, I didn’t want to have to feel ashamed of my people. What’s happening with Hyde’s online diary?

Vamps: Oh, the blog?

Q: Yeah.

Vamps: I just posted a new one last week – prior to that, I hadn’t posted in two months.

Q: That’s a long gap – you probably had a lot to say (all laugh.) So, you’ve been to New York a bunch of times now, do you have a favorite spot?

Vamps: There is this famous sidewalk.

Q: The High Line?

Justine: The East River?

Q: The South Street Seaport?

Vamps: It’s by a battleship?

Q: Union Square?

Justine: Oh, yeah!

Vamps: Yes!

Q: We’ve got you. Can you teach us a crude phrase in Japanese, for when our bosses piss us off?

Vamps: Kimi, Kawaii ne

Q: (repeats – all laugh.) Okay, what did I just tell my boss to go do?

Vamps: It means, like “Fuck you,” I mean, not really, but it’s the way that you say it.

Q: Oh, I have to say it nicely, otherwise I may be offending somebody?

Vamps: Yes, exactly.

Q: I’m going to pull that one out. Thank you so much for your time, guys!