Review: Transvision Vamp at Metropolis Fremantle

Transvision Vamp at Metropolis Fremantle
w/ The Response
Saturday, February 21, 2026

If you grew up in the 80s, you would be well aware of the huge hits I Want Your Love and Baby I Don’t Care from Saturday mornings sitting in front of the telly watching Video Hits as frontwoman Wendy James graced the screen and wowed us with her energy and charisma. Though Transvision Vamp hit mainstream success in the late 80s and became a staple on commercial TV and radio, the origins of the band and their sound had a firm base in the UK punk scene, with some of the original members of the band (sans James) cutting their teeth in the late 70s as the punk rock act The Plastics.

Almost a decade later, in 1986, with James now fronting the band, they were signed and released their first single, Revolution Baby. 1988 saw them hit success with their debut album, Pop Art, thanks to the leading hit single I Want Your Love. They followed that up with another success in their sophomore album, Velveteen, in 1989, once again reaching star status with another hit single, Baby I Don’t Care. Now back in Australia for their first headline tour in 27 years, Wendy and the gang are back in the upgraded venue of Metropolis Fremantle, proving that Perth’s love for the iconic 80s band is still going strong.

Support came from New Zealand alt-rock duo The Response, made up of vocalist/guitarist Andy Knopp and multi-instrumentalist Victoria Knopp. Visually and sonically engaging, the pair performed a set of fun, synth and guitar-driven indie pop. It may have been a bit unfamiliar for the older members of the audience (who were a large majority of the room), but they still utilised the pop-punk sound theme of the night with a more modern edge that kept eager punters interested and entertained as they delivered their solid performance.

With the lights dimmed, the synthesised laser sounds of Transvision Vamp‘s Trash City rang out across the venue, a perfect opener (as it opens on the album Pop Art) with its cyberpunk intro of samples and 80s-styled effects. The lights came up, and Wendy James appeared on stage to riotous applause as they exploded through the punk anthem. The punk energy stayed high for Tell That Girl to Shut Up, and in a curveball move for a touring act, they played their most popular song, I Want Your Love, third in the set. A move that paid off in spades as the energy in the room shot straight up like a turbo boost to supercharge the night.

All the classic songs followed in the set: Sister Moon, If Looks Could Kill, Born To Be Sold, Down on You and Revolution Baby. They even included one of James’ solo songs, You’re A Dirtbomb, Lester. James gave it everything she had, delivering the power and charisma that comes with 40 years of live experience. Not just a frontwoman, she controlled and conducted the band with her movements, leading with confidence and interacting with charm.

The recorded versions of Transvision Vamp’s songs are highly polished and include 80s production elements, giving them an almost electronic cyberpunk feel, but tonight they performed as a live band, which only reinforced the punk, raw energy driving the music. Although it would have been cool to incorporate some of those 80s production elements live, it was great to see the band in stripped-back and organic form.

Pay the Ghosts of Velveteen followed, then Landslide of Love before the big climax of Baby I Don’t Care. So we’d heard all the hits that we came to hear, but it still felt like there was more to give, and the crowd wasn’t ready for the party to be over. After a brief break, James and crew came back to the stage to perform the fast-paced, rocking The Only One, backed up by another James solo track, The Impression of Normalcy, then the sombre but spicy Bad Valentine.

‘We never did this song with Transvision Vamp 1, because we didn’t have a keyboard player,’ James quipped as she led into the final song, ‘I’d like to present to you, Velveteen!’

The almost ten-minute epic built beautifully with James’ vocals entwined with guitarist Alex Ward’s backing vocals, reaching its crescendo with James’ signature scream and shredding guitar solo. Wendy thanked herself and thanked the audience for a great night.

Transvision Vamp are one of those classic acts that opened the door for new sounds and paved the way for so many bands that followed, inspiring a whole movement of punk acts in the 90s in sound, look and attitude. So much more than a nostalgia act, it was awe-inspiring to witness this historic band in the flesh.

ANTHONY  JACKSON

Photos by Adrian Thomson