Latest news with #TransvisionVamp
Scoop
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Transvision Vamp Announce NZ Tour
UK pop rockers Transvision Vamp are bringing those glorious hits to NZ in February - their first tour here since 1991. Formed in 1986, Transvision Vamp quickly rose to fame. Their songs Baby I Don't Care, Revolution Baby, I Want Your Love, The Only One, and If Looks Could Kill, were all NZ chart hits. Joining original Transvision Vamp's Wendy James and Dave Parsons onstage are guitarist Alex Ward (The Thurston Moore Group) and James Sclavunos (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds) on drums. Says Wendy James: "I am so very excited to be coming back to New Zealand to play the songs which started my whole musical journey! I remember vividly so many incredible moments gigging in New Zealand, moments of enormous success, enormous love and enormous fun."
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
1980s pop icon coming to Australia for first tour in 27 years - and she looks very different to her heyday
Pop-punk icon Wendy James is bringing Transvision Vamp to Australia next year. The iconic frontwoman is returning Down Under in 2026 for a slew of shows across the country, marking the British band's first gigs in 27 years. However, the rocker looks a little different from her heyday in the 1980s, when she performed hit songs such as 'Baby I Don't Care' and 'I Want Your Love.' The bleach blonde beauty, known for her doe-eyes, babydoll dresses and neon pink lipstick, looks a little more rock 'n' roll these days, with heavy eyeliner her new trademark. It's been a few years since the now-59-year-old was storming the pop charts, but Wendy released her solo album, The Shape Of History, to critical acclaim last year. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The record managed to reach the top 40 in the UK. Transvision Vamp disbanded in 1992 after falling out with their record label, but Wendy went on to make seven solo albums in the years that followed, moving to New York in 2002. However, it was only last year that the self-managed singer emailed a few Australian promoters after making the decision to get back on the road. Speaking to The Advertiser, Wendy revealed that the goal with her latest album was to not only go on tour, but to return to Aussie shores, where her musical journey began. '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,' she said. Furthermore, the singer's desire to tour Australia was fuelled by a trip down memory lane after she stumbled upon old Super 8 footage of the good old days. '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,"' she told the publication. During their peak, Transvision Vamp made headlines after Nirvana's Kurt Cobain wore one of their band tees on stage. Kurt donned the iconic shirt repping the group during Nirvana's 1991 US tour, as well as at his iconic MTV performance. Speaking of the moment, Wendy said that it became known as the 'Kurt shirt'. '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,' she said. Transvision Vamp is preparing to play a number of shows across Australia in February. They will be kicking off the tour at Brisbane's The Triffid before moving on to The Station on the Sunshine Coast. The band then heads to King Street Bandroom in Newcastle and the Metro Theatre in Sydney. Transvision Vamp next head down to Northcote Theatre in Melbourne and The Gov in Adelaide, before finishing off the tour at Perth's Magnet House. General tickets to the Australian tour go on sale from July 15 at 9am.
Courier-Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Transvision Vamp book first Australian tour in 27 years
Don't miss out on the headlines from Music Tours. Followed categories will be added to My News. 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. Transvision Vamp singer Wendy James is bringing the band back to Australia. Picture: David Leigh Dodd / Supplied. 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. James and her bandmates in the late 80s. Picture: Supplied. 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.' James released a new solo record last year. Picture: David Leigh Dodd / Supplied. 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 Originally published as Punk pop star Wendy James brings Transvision Vamp back to Australia where it all began
News.com.au
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Punk pop star Wendy James brings Transvision Vamp back to Australia where it all began
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
Leader Live
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Transvision Vamp singer Wendy James to perform in Buckley
The singer will take to the stage at the Tivoli on Saturday, October 25, as part of a UK tour in support of recently released album 'The Shape of History.' The album, which is the tenth solo album by the Transvision Vamp lead singer, was written, produced, and mixed by James herself. It was recorded in West London and New York City, and is available digitally, on deluxe vinyl, and on deluxe CD. James will be accompanied on tour by a full band, including Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Jim Sclavunos on drums and Alex Ward on guitar. They will be playing songs from across all of her albums. Reflecting on 'The Shape of History,' James said: "My songwriting has always been a wide mix of sounds, which naturally reflect the different music and references I have and love. "'The Shape Of History' was recorded on Scrubs Lane, West London, with Alex Ward, Harry Bohay, and James Sclavunos. "I then went off to NYC and Brooklyn to record the pianos and organs with Dave 'The Moose' Sherman. "Overdubbing continued with Al Lawson at the engineering helm in his Shepherd's Bush studio and then I went back to Berkeley, California to mix with Jesse Nichols before mastering with Fred Kevorkian in Brooklyn, New York. "I have spent so much time with this music, I know it note-for-note and love it, and am so happy for you to make it your own now. "'The Shape Of History' has a lot about love in it, a lot about appreciation of oneself, one's life and, importantly, of others. "It is life's arc of starting out, blooming into something and in some ways maturing. "I don't think my music has got older, I know I've not gone mellow! "My attitude can be more ferocious and fearless than ever, but there is an acquired wisdom, which naturally comes after having been alive for a few decades! "'The Shape Of History' is a love letter and a thank you note to life so far. "The culmination of my tenth album is the result of co-musicians and engineers who I've worked with previously and with whom I share a language. "We know each other, we choose to work together. "We enjoy each other's talents and personalities. READ MORE: Connah's Quay dentist to open in Flintshire in September Police release statement on armed officers in Garden City "There is a happiness, a belonging, when we meet up, and an open and determined desire to achieve what we know we have to. "Meeting Nick Christian Sayer and forming Transvision Vamp, the two of us walking into EMI Records and demanding to see the head of artists and repertoire, Dave Ambrose; getting signed and making our hits of the late 80's and 90's; collaborating with Elvis Costello and mixing that album at Sunset Sound in Hollywood where The Stones mixed 'Exile On Main St,' then moving to NYC to start writing and recording as a solo artist; all the gigs I've played and the friends I've made around the world, the astounding, incredible, wonderful people whose lives I've crossed paths with... "I am so grateful for it all." For more information, visit
