Wendy James of Transvision Vamp fame, has announced a UK tour in October in support of her recently released new album ‘The Shape of History’. Written, produced and mixed by James and recorded in West London and New York City, ‘The Shape Of History’ is the tenth solo album by Transvision Vamp lead singer, and it is available digitally, on deluxe vinyl and via deluxe CD – Details HERE.
Wendy will be accompanied on tour by a full band, featuring Transvision Vamp’s bass player Dave Parsons, Jim Sclavunos from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds on drums and Alex Ward (Thurston Moore Group) on guitar. They will be playing songs from across all of her albums, from ‘TVV Pop’, to ‘New Wave Punk’ to ‘Lo-Fi Racine No.1’, through to the big productions of ‘Queen High Straight’ and ‘The Shape Of History’, picking off favourite songs from each. They are clearly saving the best for last as the final date of the UK tour is to happen at Patterns in Brighton on Thursday 30th October, courtesy of JOY. promoters – Tickets HERE. Wendy James last performed at Patterns on 30th September 2021 – Read our review of that night HERE.
“My songwriting has always been a wide mix of sounds, which naturally reflect the different music and references I have and love. ‘The Shape Of History’ was recorded on Scrubs Lane, West London with Alex Ward, Harry Bohay and James Sclavunos. I then went off to NYC and Brooklyn to record the pianos and organs with Dave ‘The Moose’ Sherman. Overdubbing continued with Al Lawson at the engineering helm in his Shepherd’s Bush studio and then I went back to Berkeley, CA to mix with Jesse Nichols before mastering with Fred Kevorkian in Brooklyn NY. I have spent so much time with this music, I know it note-for-note and love it and am so happy for you to make it your own now”.
“‘The Shape Of History’ has a lot about love in it, a lot about appreciation of oneself, one’s life and importantly, of others. It is life’s arc of starting out, blooming into something and in some ways maturing. I don’t think my music has got older, I know I’ve not gone mellow! My attitude can be more ferocious and fearless than ever, but there is an acquired wisdom, which naturally comes after having been alive for a few decades! ‘The Shape Of History’ is a love letter and a Thank you note to life so far. The culmination of my tenth album is the result of co-musicians and engineers who I’ve worked with previously and with whom I share a language. We know each other, we choose to work together. We enjoy each other’s talents and personalities. There is a happiness, a belonging, when we meet up, and an open and determined desire to achieve what we know we have to”.
“From meeting Nick Christian Sayer and forming Transvision Vamp, the two of us walking into EMI Records and demanding to see the head of Artists and Repertoire, Dave Ambrose. Getting signed and making our hits of the late 80’s and 90’s. From collaborating with Elvis Costello and mixing that album at Sunset Sound in Hollywood where The Stones mixed ‘Exile On Main St’, then moving to NYC to start writing and recording as a solo artist, all the gigs I’ve played and the friends I’ve made around the world, the astounding, incredible, wonderful people whose lives I’ve crossed paths with… I am so grateful for it all.”
Wendy James October tour dates:
Wednesday 1st Oct – 100 Club, London
Thursday 2nd Oct – HMV Empire, Coventry
Friday 3rd Oct – Hangar 34, Liverpool
Saturday 4th Oct – Sugarmill, Stoke
Tuesday 7th Oct – Met Lounge, Peterborough
Wednesday 8th Oct – Cluny, Newcastle
Thursday 9th Oct – Brudenell, Leeds
Friday 10th Oct – The Brook, Southampton
Saturday 11th Oct – Old Bakery Studios, Truro
Tuesday 14th Oct – Cheese and Grain, Frome
Wednesday 15th Oct – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Friday 17th Oct – Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool
Saturday 18th Oct – Pryzm, Kingston upon Thames
Tuesday 21st Oct – Deaf Institute, Manchester
Wednesday 22nd Oct – King Tuts, Glasgow
Thursday 23rd Oct – Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
Friday 24th Oct – Georgian Theatre, Stockton on Tees
Saturday 25th Oct – Tivoli, Buckley
Tuesday 28th Oct – Fleece, Bristol
Wednesday 29th Oct – One Ninety Four, London
Thursday 30th Oct – Patterns, Brighton
Tickets for all dates can be located HERE.
