Squeezed inside the tiniest record store imaginable, the Transvision Vamp legend still shone brightly.

In the late 80s, when 14 year old me was trying to figure out what sort of music was the best in the world, Transvision Vamp stood out like an explosion of glamour and punk attitude amongst the sea of sanitised SAW acts and their clones. I loved Wendy’s ferocious confidence and outspoken personality, but alas was far too much of a wallflower myself to ever try to emulate her style. But 1989’s “Velveteen” was a vital album for me that year, and remains a classic that rewards repeated listens well over three decades later.

It took me a while to discover Wendy’s solo music, but I started listening in earnest during the locked-in weirdness of 2020, when she released the hugely impressive “Queen High Straight”. I discovered that she was an artist with a truly unique catalogue of songs, existing outside of transient fads and musical movements, though this disregard for trends has perhaps contributed to the fact that she has never achieved the widespread acclaim she deserves as a solo artist.

And so in 2024, on the release of her new album “The Shape of History”, it was time for me to finally see Wendy live. I’d had a bit of a rough time health-wise since my last gig, Liam Gallagher in June, which had triggered such a ferocious episode of dizziness and tinnitus that for some time I truly believed my gigging days were behind me.

Happily, by the time November rolled around I was feeling much better, and this low-key, stripped-down show seemed like the perfect way to ease myself back into going to gigs. So I found myself queuing outside Banquet Records in Kingston this chilly autumn evening clutching my new copy of Wendy’s latest album.

I hadn’t been inside Banquet Records before, and I had imagined an in-store gig space something along the lines of Rough Trade East, so was a little alarmed to find myself cramped in between racks of CDs in this most tiny of gig spaces. As I noted in my diary: ‘not my most comfortable gig experience, but Wendy was a bright and charming presence, welcoming us all into the sardine-like situation, as she described it.’

She launched into a selection of tracks from the new album as well as highlights from both Transvision Vamp and her previous solo records. Despite the uncomfortable surroundings and having just a single guitarist to accompany her, her charisma and unmistakable voice shone through. Beginning with new song, the sweetly pretty “Everything is Magic”, Wendy sang with the demeanour of a storyteller, imparting tales of intriguing characters or slices of wisdom to the assembled fans.

The new songs sounded great, in particular the darkly infectious “Do You Dig It Do You Love It Is It Groovy” and the spiky and shouty “The Shape of History”. But I must admit that it was the Transvision Vamp songs that I was most excited to hear live. “I Want Your Love” was a thrilling slice of pop-punk even with only one guitar playing, and the closing “Bad Valentine”, from “Velveteen”, was truly delightful, with Wendy delivering its lyrics of romantic misadventure with a brazen charm and a cheeky grin.

Given I was still in recovery from a season of ill health, I didn’t stay for the signing, preferring an early night. I was happy to learn that she was planning a full tour the following year, but unfortunately 2025 was a somewhat turbulent year for me, and I never made it to one of the gigs. But it’s fantastic to see Wendy going from strength to strength, reforming Transvision Vamp with a string of international tour dates in 2026. Hopefully there may be some more UK dates thrown in along the way, but if not, I’m very glad that I’ve had at least this one chance to experience live the woman who made such an impression on me in my early years as a music fan.