2 days ago
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.
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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.
