By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Thursday 22 October and tour running through 1 November 2026

Setlist: Trash City; Tell That Girl To Shut Up; I Want Your Love; Speedball; Sister Moon; Pressure Times; You’re A Dirtbomb, Lester; The Only One; If Looks Could Kill; Born To Be Sold; Down On You; Revolution Baby; Pay The Ghosts; Landslide Of Love; Baby I Don’t Care; The Impression Of Normalcy; Bad Valentine; Velveteen

We haven’t seen Transvision Vamp live since Portsmouth Guildhall in 1991 and are here for the hits but the added joy of this gig is the occasional nods in the set to lead singer Wendy James’ fascinating continuing solo career.

• Read on for reasons including how this is 1 of the best gigs we’ve seen all year

James has never been away of course and has released 7 albums since the band she’s best known for fronting split in 1991 after the release of albums Pop Art, Velveteen and Little Magnets Versus The Bubble Of Babble.

Last year monstagigz interviewed the former Transvision Vamp frontwoman ahead of a solo tour and James thanks the 02 group venues for booking her for this triumphant celebration of the band’s hits but also some of the genuine treasures in their back catalogue.

James is delighted to be performing at this beautiful and historic venue and remembers appearances on Top Of The Pops at the old BBC studios a stone’s throw from this Shepherd’s Bush location and hanging out with Joe Strummer.

Opener Trash City immediately sets the Transvision Vamp agenda – ‘the rules are – there are no rules. Success is credibility … credibility is success’ – in a frenzy of fist-pumping and wild guitars.

This month we saw Gene at Camden Roundhouse, a year after they played their 1st London gig in 21 years, and in the 12 months since they’ve added 1 new song to their set.

The difference here is that James has never been away and her solo material is a fascinating counterpoint to the band’s work – less pop, more uncompromising, harder and self-penned.

She’s also in fine voice and a charming hostess even revealing there will be a new Transvision Vamp album which you can pre-order out on the 40th anniversary of the release of debut album Pop Art, 3 October 2028.

The interesting thing about Transvision Vamp’s albums is how well the material from final LP Little Magnets, unreleased in the UK, has aged so well.

Pressure Times builds powerfully and If Looks Could Kill is subtly brooding in ways that the more route-1 material the band is best known for could never be.

Yet I Want Your Love, Baby I Don’t Care and Landslide Of Love are some of the best pop songs ever written. 1 of the best gigs we’ve seen all year.

• Main pictures by via Facebook courtesy Transvision Vamp Tickets
• Have you seen a Transvision Vamp show before and what did you think of it? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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