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The lead singer/songwriter and guitarist worked decades as a Musician’s Union lawyer in the U.K. when he was offered early retirement. “Dave wanted to take it, and his wife said, ‘I don’t want you hanging around the house all day doing nothing and getting under my feet. You need to do something. Why don’t you get the band back together again,’” explained bassist/backing vocalist Steve Smith, in a recent interview.
Fenton contacted Smith and the other original members –
drummer Howard Smith (no relation) and lead guitarist Edward Bazalgette – to
see if they were game. Having a young child at home, Howard passed, but the
others scheduled a meeting with Dave.
“First thing Dave said to me was, ‘I just want to have
a good time now.’ I could definitely relate, because that’s exactly what I was going
to say to Dave. So here we are,” said Smith.
Formed in 1978, The Vapors were co-managed by bassist
Bruce Foxton of The Jam and joined the latter band’s Setting Sons tour
the following year. Frantic and mischievous Vapors single “Turning Japanese” (off
the debut album New Clear Days) reached No. 36 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in
1980. It was bigger elsewhere – notching top 10 slots in the group’s native
U.K. (where it was certified for 250,000 sales), Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand.
Another New Clear Days track found Fenton
repeatedly singing about wanting to “go to America.” What did the guys think
when they first toured here? “We loved coming to America, especially
California, because it’s lovely and warm,” recalled Smith.
Equally engaging 1981 sophomore album Magnets contained
some darker lyrical themes from Fenton, including “Jimmie Jones,” about
infamous religious cult leader Jim Jones. That tune received moderate airplay
in the U.S. and England, but after neither of The Vapors’ albums fared too well,
the band split in 1982.
Smith attributed the musicians’ disillusionment to record
label inattentiveness following a company transition and staff changeover.
EMI Records “had Duran Duran and bigger fish to fry…they
hadn’t signed us, so I don’t really think they cared that much about us, to be
honest.
“I thought ‘Magnets’ was a good album; we were disappointed
with how it went.”
Fast forward to the mid-2010s and The Vapors had a
handful of reunion concert dates under their belts before Bazalgette opted to
return full-time as a director/producer of BBC television series and documentaries
(“The Last Kingdom,” “Doctor Who,” “Top Gear,” “Genghis Khan”).
“Ed became busy doing so much good stuff. He’s very well
thought of in his field,” Smith said. “Initially, with the band, it was just
odd gigs here and there. We played three or four shows in a row and then we
wouldn’t play any shows for six months. He found it quite easy to continue in
the band when it was like that. But when it started becoming weeks on end of
gigs, that’s when he couldn’t really do it anymore.”
Enter Fenton’s son on lead guitar.
“An interesting thing about Daniel [Fenton] is that he
learned guitar from listening to ‘New Clear Days.’ I’ve always thought
his style is similar to Ed’s and I think he’s carrying on” [the legacy].
The younger Fenton’s onstage energy was evident during
the band’s memorable set at the 2023 Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, Calif.,
alongside Billy Idol, Gary Numan, Echo & the Bunnymen and others.
“We haven’t really done many festivals of that stature
before…For us, it was just a fantastic experience,” said Smith.
The Vapors’ impressive 2020 studio album Together,
helmed by Grammy-winning producer Steve Levine (Culture Club, The Creatures), emerged
at the start of the pandemic lockdowns. “That was an interesting experience for
us, because we hadn’t been in the studio for a long time with a producer.
“Steve is very skilled and really up to date with all
the latest technology. We had good fun. But we recorded in Liverpool in the
winter, and it was cold and wet.”
Since the band couldn’t promote Together properly,
the guys wanted to make sure the next album had more of a fighting chance. They
started a crowdfunding campaign and were pleasantly surprised when the initial
goals were quickly met.
“We were absolutely blown away by the response,” Smith
said. “We broke our first target and then our second target. That not only enabled
us to record another album and release it,” but also get a proper publicity and
promotion team in America and the U.K. to “help get it out there to people, so
they hear or read about it.”
Engaging new album Wasp in a Jar is among the strongest releases of 2025 thus far. The band, including drummer Michael Bowes, created it at musician friend Michael Giblin’s Pennsylvania home recording studio. “That was the first time we’ve worked with someone that we know really well” [Giblin served as Vapors guitarist during the 2019 Lost ‘80s Live tour in America].
“We all lived in his house for two weeks, which was great
fun. We did it like we recorded an album in 1979 or 80, said Smith, adding much
of the work was done live. The result was 14 songs in 14 days.
“Mike likes to work fast, in an organic, natural way
and not use digital editing much. It really worked for us. He really captured
the energy of the band.”
Smith said he and Dave often joke about how many of
their tunes are “medium-paced. But these ones seemed to lend themselves to
being a bit faster and punkier. We came from punk in 1979, so it was just us
leaning back into that again.”
From supercharged opener “Hit the Ground Running” (it
has received SiriusXM airplay on legendary DJ Rodney Bingenheimer’s Underground
Garage show) and gang backing vocals on “Forever and Ever” to the
positive-minded “Proud,” the exuberance is palpable. The oldest song on the
album, “Proud,” is also represented on the album by an alternative, almost
countrified version as a hidden track. Smith plays piano and other instruments
on it.
“There are a few keyboard things going on in the
album. That song was from the ‘Together’ sessions and didn’t quite make it on
that time. Dan and I really liked that song, and we kept pushing for it.
“Doing the other version was us trying to see which one
we liked the best. And then we thought, ‘Why can’t we put them both on and let’s
hide one?’ That way it doesn't look like we’ve just copied it.”
More catchy album highlights include “The Human Race,”
a statement of intent where Dave Fenton name checks each bandmate in the lyrics
and sings: “This is what we came for/This is what we do/This is where our love
lies/Maybe yours too.”
“Dave never fails to impress,” said Smith. “He’s got a
great way with the turn of a phrase and with a melody and a hook.”
Elsewhere, “The Words” and “Nonstop Radio” find The
Vapors briefly delving into reggae and ska, while “Nothing Can Stop Us” contains
a sitar. That sound was made digitally and inspired by Stevie Wonder’s hit “Signed,
Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” which sported the actual Indian stringed
instrument.
Having played with Fenton for so long, Smith says their
creative process stays fresh these days because “Dave’s still coming up with
great ideas that still really excite me…I’m still really enjoying playing the
songs.”
The Vapors perform this summer on the Lost ‘80s Live Tour with A Flock of Seagulls, China Crisis, General Public, Big Country, Belouis Some, The Icicle Works, Josie Cotton, The Polecats and Peter Godwin (see below).
North American Tour Dates:
7/31 New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
8/1 Boston, MA – Boch Center, Wang Theatre
8/2 New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
8/3 Cary, NC – Koka Booth Amphitheatre
8/6 Northfield, OH – MGM Northfield Park
8/8 Niagara Falls, ONT, Canada - OGL Stage at
Fallsview Casino
8/9 Roanoke, VA – Elmwood Park Amphitheater
8/10 Macon, GA – Atrium Health Amphitheater
8/12 St. Petersburg, FL – Duke Energy Center - Mahaffey
Theater
8/14 New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theater
8/15 Sugarland, TX – Smart Financial Centre
8/16 San Antonio, TX – The Espee
8/17 Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
8/20 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
8/21 San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air
Theatre
8/24 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
8/28 Ontario, CA – Toyota Arena
8/29 Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheater
8/30 Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery
8/31 Lincoln, CA – The Venue at Thunder Valley
*General Public and Peter Godwin appear on selected
dates
For more information: lost80slive.com and thevapors.co.uk
To purchase a physical copy of Wasp in a Jar, go to: bandcamp.com
A version of my interview originally appeared at rockcellarmagazine.com.
Photo by Bopflix, courtesy Reybee PR.
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