Wendy James, frontwoman of 1980s pop-rock band Transvision Vamp, has announced the group's reunion for their first tour in three decades, beginning in Australia in February. The band, known for hits such as 'I Want Your Love' and 'Baby I Don't Care', split in 1991 after their third album was poorly received.
James, now 57, said the reunion came about when she asked former bassist Dave Parsons to join her solo tour. When other original members declined, the pair decided to revive the band name. 'Somehow it didn't bother me any more,' she said. 'I just said yes – it could be the start of a great adventure.'
Reflecting on the band's rapid rise and fall, James recalled how Transvision Vamp secured a record deal by marching into EMI's offices and demanding to see the executive who signed the Sex Pistols. They reached No 1 in the UK with their second album in 1989, but James became a media hate figure, named in Time Out's 1990 Hated 100 list.
James also spoke of uncomfortable encounters in the music industry, including a meeting with French film director Jean-Jacques Beineix, which she described as 'the Harvey Weinstein type of audition'. She said she survived such situations but felt the industry was 'absolutely predatory'.
After the band's split, James moved to the US and built a solo career. She now lives in Toulouse, France, and says she is ready to reclaim the Transvision Vamp name. 'I thought I was going to be bigger than Madonna,' she said. 'But I was pretty sure I was going to win an Oscar.'
