Punk pop star Wendy James brings Transvision Vamp back to Australia where it all began

News.com.au

14-07-2025

Transvision Vamp frontwoman Wendy James vividly recalls the hysteria generated by the band's popularity in the late 80s.
As hit singles Baby I Don't Care and I Want Your Love set up camp on the Australian charts, the band were greeted by thousands of fans and a big police presence outside the venues they were booked to play and appearances on Countdown and Hey Hey It's Saturday on their first tour in 1989.
Those memories came flooding back when she found old Super 8 footage of those days last year.
'I found a lot of Australian footage, especially film we captured in Melbourne, and I remember there were riot police on horses and people in the street and this one girl who screams they're bigger than the Beatles,' James said, laughing.
James was made for the 80s. The outspoken young star declared Transvision Vamp would be bigger than Madonna and was a vocal critic of the emerging Stock Aitken Waterman pop factory which launched the careers of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.
But after a heady three years touring the world, the band broke up after falling out with their record label.
James embarked on a sporadic solo career, moving to New York in 2002 and when she released her latest solo record The Shape of History to critical acclaim last year, she decided it was time to get back on the road.
The self-managed singer emailed a couple of Australian promoters to gauge if there was interest in her returning to the country for her first tour in 27 years.
'I knew when I made this 10th album I wanted to not just do the UK again but go back to Australia where the whole thing started. I know we broke out of the UK, but really the rapturous, the enormousness broke out from Australia,' she said.
'I wrote a couple of emails to Australian promoters who received me very warmly.'
A woman fronting a punk pop band in the 80s was a rarity. With her baby-doll dresses and bright pink lipstick, James was a unique pop star paying homage to the influence of Blondie's Debbie Harry.
The short-lived band also exerted its own influence on other artists from Nirvana's Kurt Cobain to young female pop stars who have probably had her picture on their vision boards such as Sabrina Carpenter.
Cobain famously wore a Transvision Vamp T-shirt during Nirvana's 1991 tour of the US and a live performance on MTV.
'That T-shirt is just known now as the Kurt shirt,' James said.
'He came to quite a few of those shows we did in America in 1991 and he purchased his tour T-shirt and wore it for quite a few of his performances, including the MTV one.
'There's really funny footage of him telling Courtney (Love) about her hair cut and he's wearing my T-shirt. So yeah, it's a great thrill.'
The Transvision Vamp tour opens at The Triffid in Brisbane on February 12 and heads to The Station, Sunshine Coast on February 14, King Street Bandroom, Newcastle, on February 15, Metro Theatre, Sydney on February 17, Northcote Theatre, Melbourne on February 18, The Gov, Adelaide on February 19 and Magnet House, Perth on February 21.
The tour early bird presale opens on July 11 from 9am and general tickets are live from July 15 at 9am with all details via