The Vapors

"We were the first band to make mullets cool" proclaims David Fenton, lead singer (and fully-trained lawyer) of unashamedly 80s band, The Vapors. Given the deluge of Surrey-based bands, you’d be forgiven (if you were born after 1980) for thinking that Guildford wasn’t the most Rock-n-Roll of provincial, quintessentially English towns. And you’d be right. But as is very much in vogue at the moment, another reunion tour arrives, and this time it’s the band known perhaps most for their politically incorrect and rather dated single - "Turning Japanese." This is the highlight from the set, which features all the hits across their two studio albums ‘New Clear Days’ and ‘Magnets’ mainly targeted at those nostalgic baby boomers who pogo’d and danced flamboyantly in a more innocent time – when mullets WERE cool and TV Presenters were not just sexual predators. I’d like to say I enjoyed myself, but it all seemed a bit like a desperate tribute band of The Jam who had forgotten their set list. Some minor politically motivated speeches aside, I’m not sure it should be carte blanche for any 80s act to reunite uncontested – unfortunately The Vapors seemed to have fallen through the cracks.