Racine

Fronted by ex Transvision Vamp lead singer Wendy James I wasn’t sure what to expect of her new band. Transvision Vamp first appeared around the late 80’s and became popular throughout 1990 with music influenced by Punk, particularly their first album, Pop Art, however their second album (Velveteen) had succumbed to a somewhat more “pop music” sound. After the release of Velveteen the group seemed to lose their presence and little was heard from them. Fast forward to late 2004 and Wendy James launches a new band called Racine. Wendy on vocals and guitar, supported by Ray and Singh on drums and guitars respectively.

The gig began with a track that at best can be described as different, with spoken lyrics similar to The Streets however once through this track the tracks got more enjoyable. Similar in style to “Pop Art” Racine rely heavily on drums and guitars (with Wendy taking the lead in many tracks) to make a distinctive sound. The tracks were varied in style and content which meant you looking forward to the next track once the previous one had finished unlike some bands where the tracks are all much of a muchness.

Overall Wendy has made a good job of making a comeback and in my opinion has lost none of the appeal that made her so popular in the Transvision Vamp days. Racine will hopefully be around for a few more years to come.

Mention must also be made here to the support band The Crimea whose theatric playing style, especially the lead guitarist, are well worth going to witness!

We would also like to thank The Charlotte for allowing us to review Racine

By Matt