The Vamps: Brits and Grammys are not the only measure of success

For many musicians, it does not get better than receiving annual recognition at awards events. But for The Vamps aka Bradley Simpson, Connor Ball, Tristan Evans and James McVey, it is not the ultimate benchmark of talent.

Speaking to IBTimes UK at London's Highgate Studios, the British band admitted that while they would love to add a Brit or a Grammy to their mantle, they refuse to consider a statuette as a measure of success.

"I don't think that artists necessarily need awards," Simpson explained. "It's not necessarily a measure of success of how good you are as an artist. The shows give you that gratification and there are other things. Awards aren't the be and end all."

For McVey, it is the not-so-subtle politics that ruins the creativity. "It sucks that some award ceremonies do become quite political, which is a shame because it is an award ceremony for talent," he said.

So it comes as no surprise that they cannot wait to get their adrenaline pumping this summer when they headline the Access All Eirias festival in Colwyn Bay, Wales. According to Evans , fans can expect to see McVey"topless playing the guitar" in a bid to outdo Jessie J, who was the headline act in 2014.

On the scene with Can We Dance

The Midlands-based quartet first burst on to the music scene in 2013, with their single Can We Dance. Long before inking their record deal with Virgin EMI, they had already amassed and impressive 250,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel.

In the past 18 months they have released their debut album, collaborated with the likes of Demi Lovato and Shawn Mendes and embarked on a world tour. "We are just feeling really blessed," Evans declared.

After paving the way for upcoming artists, their advice to those wanting to use YouTube as a platform is simple: "Cover current songs but add a twist." Simpson added: "Do something a bit different and have fun with it and make it genuine."

According to the foursome, who credit their success to their organic sound, fans can expect the same authenticity from their forthcoming album when it drops in later in 2015. "[It's] more dancey with elements of Avicii but still guitar-driven," McVey said.

Singing and running a record label

The Vamps' desire to harness fresh talent drove them to launch their own record label. Although have yet to decide on a name, they have already signed Los Angeles-based teen band The Tide as their first act. They say they feel lucky to be in the position to give aspiring singers a platform and are looking forward to helping them conquer the charts.

Two years on, and two top 10 hits later, the jury is still out on whether they fall into the "boy band" category alongside rivals One Direction.

Setting the record straight about their confusing status, Simpson said: "We are a band of boys obviously but I think boy bands are associated with straight up five singers - like a vocal group - whereas we're band. We have guitarist, bassist lead singer."

"We are like more of a man band," McVey quips before adding: "Because I have hair on my chest now. I'm a man."