Off Topic The Review Thread
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My birthday treat was dinner at Bastardo’s, an ‘illegitimate trattoria’ (ie run by Brits) in Shipston on Stour. The stupid name aside this place is brilliant. Very small, only 14 covers, and a cafe by day, two English blokes doing the cooking in an open kitchen and an excellent Italian girl working the tables. Superb food, Italian using local ingredients, served at a leisurely pace for a change. It’s in the Michelin guide, and is sister restaurant to the Michelin starred Royal Oak just up the road in Whatcote. Personally I prefer Bastardo’s.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
More of a recap than a review. After extensive testing my favourite session beer remains Bathams Mild and my favourite pub the Royal Exchange in Stourbridge. Just epic.
One Battle After Another.
Di Caprio really is a good actor. Supported by a strong cast, really enjoyed this. Nominated for a load of awards, I'm sure it'll pick up some.
Di Caprio plays a reveloutionary helping illegals cross the US/Mexico border with his girlfriend and a host of accomplaces. She gets preganant, and leaves him with the baby whilst continuing her escapades until she gets caught, only to escape and disappear - but not before snitching on a load of her old crew.
16 years later, having gone off grid, di Caprio and his daughter are hunted by the Colonel who caught his girlfriend, creating chaos in the town which is hiding loads of immigrants. Some scenes reminiscent of what's going on in the US with ICE at the moment...
There's a subplot which would be a spoiler - go watch it yourselves.
A good 7.5‐8/10
Di Caprio really is a good actor. Supported by a strong cast, really enjoyed this. Nominated for a load of awards, I'm sure it'll pick up some.
Di Caprio plays a reveloutionary helping illegals cross the US/Mexico border with his girlfriend and a host of accomplaces. She gets preganant, and leaves him with the baby whilst continuing her escapades until she gets caught, only to escape and disappear - but not before snitching on a load of her old crew.
16 years later, having gone off grid, di Caprio and his daughter are hunted by the Colonel who caught his girlfriend, creating chaos in the town which is hiding loads of immigrants. Some scenes reminiscent of what's going on in the US with ICE at the moment...
There's a subplot which would be a spoiler - go watch it yourselves.
A good 7.5‐8/10
I enjoyed it too Steels. A good watch.
Watched Sinners tonight, uncertain what it would be like, really enjoyed it too (with no clear ideas on what the plot was going to be). Nice to see Buddy Guy at the end and supported by Christone "Kingfish" Ingram who is a great young blues player. Great cinematography. Solid acting.
I’d give it equally good 7.5-8/10.
Apologies if mentioned before, but has anyone else seen Mr Mercedes, the Netflix series based on a Stephen King trilogy?
It's brilliantly horrific (that's Mr King for you) and absolutely grippng, with great performances by Brendon Gleeson, wonderful as always, and Harry Treadaway, who's superb as the truly terrifying psychopath. My only criticism would be the dialogue, which is too often unrealistic when used to explain stuff.
Highly recommended.
It's brilliantly horrific (that's Mr King for you) and absolutely grippng, with great performances by Brendon Gleeson, wonderful as always, and Harry Treadaway, who's superb as the truly terrifying psychopath. My only criticism would be the dialogue, which is too often unrealistic when used to explain stuff.
Highly recommended.
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It's fairly old series, saw it when it first came out. It is very good, as are the books.
Have you seen The Outsider? It's a bit of a follow on from Mr Mercedes, not quite as good, but just as gruesome. It has Holly from the detective agency that is in Mr Mercedes, but the directors have cast a completely different actress in the role which was a bit of a headfuck for me - if you watch it, you understand....
So my wife and I took our lives in our hands today and ventured into the crime-ridden hell hole that is Khan's London. Luckily, not one of the thousands of criminals we encountered actually vented their inate violence upon us. Phew.
We went to a really very good new theatre at Soho Place in Tottenham Court Road to see The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. I didn't really have many positive expectations about the play, thinking that the book lent itself more to the TV or cinema, but it was a really good production, helped by the fact that it was theatre-in-the round. The play and the performances were great, but the real winner was the theatre itself. I'll be looking out for future productions there.
We went to a really very good new theatre at Soho Place in Tottenham Court Road to see The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. I didn't really have many positive expectations about the play, thinking that the book lent itself more to the TV or cinema, but it was a really good production, helped by the fact that it was theatre-in-the round. The play and the performances were great, but the real winner was the theatre itself. I'll be looking out for future productions there.
Any fans of Detectorists? Small Prophets, also written by Mackenzie Crook, has a very similar feel.
Pearce Quigley, who has a smaller role in Detectorists, is the lead character and is great with his deadpan delivery. Michael Palin plays his father, who is in a care home with Alzheimers but gets up to all sorts of mischief.
Really enjoyed this, it's well worth a go. At 30 mins an episode it's a quick watch - catch it on iPlayer
Pearce Quigley, who has a smaller role in Detectorists, is the lead character and is great with his deadpan delivery. Michael Palin plays his father, who is in a care home with Alzheimers but gets up to all sorts of mischief.
Really enjoyed this, it's well worth a go. At 30 mins an episode it's a quick watch - catch it on iPlayer
Haven’t watched it all but the dry humour is pretty funny - enjoyable stuff
Will Trent is a series worth watching
Not often Mrs kiwi and I find tv we both like
She's not a fan of realistic violence
Or subtitles
Or lots of other stuff I watch on a tablet whilst she is watching another home renovation show or salvage hunters
Severance I'm liking at the moment
Not often Mrs kiwi and I find tv we both like
She's not a fan of realistic violence
Or subtitles
Or lots of other stuff I watch on a tablet whilst she is watching another home renovation show or salvage hunters
Severance I'm liking at the moment
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“How to get to heaven from Belfast”.
Imagine Derry girls, 15 years later (Same writer) go to Fargo.
I liked it
Imagine Derry girls, 15 years later (Same writer) go to Fargo.
I liked it
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HomeReviews LiveLIVE REVIEW: TRANSVISION VAMP at Metropolis, Fremantle
LIVE REVIEW: TRANSVISION VAMP at Metropolis, Fremantle
Saturday 21st February 2026
22 February 2026 The Buffman
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British pop rock band Transvision Vamp returned to Australia for the first time in almost three decades, bringing their 80s smash hits to a packed Metropolis Fremantle and reminding everyone why this country once embraced them like their own. Headlining cities across Australia in February 2026, they’ve come back to the territory where they enjoyed phenomenal success — and judging by the reception in Fremantle tonight (the penultimate date of the tour before crossing back to Melbourne for an extra show due to huge demand), that love affair never really ended. As Wendy James told The Guardian a few months ago when speaking about reclaiming the band name for this tour: “Somehow it didn’t bother me any more… I just said yes – it could be the start of a great adventure.”
And on February 21 at Metropolis Fremantle, that adventure roared back into life, not in a haze of leather and red lipstick, but with a sleek black dress, an unmistakable voice and riffs that still sound as dangerous as they did in 1987.
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When I was a young teen, like everyone I knew, I was a little in love with Wendy James and Transvision Vamp. I first saw them in their glorious youth almost four decades ago now – back when all of our hair was bigger, attitudes were sharp, and all our futures were unwritten. I lived in a world that revolved around music, friends and great nights out and it felt more real mainly due to the lack of our constant distraction- mobile phones. Seeing Transvision Vamp again in 2026, returning to the country where they found some of their greatest success, felt like stepping into a time machine, and the phone stayed firmly in the pocket throughout, as an act of wanton defiance.
Australia was always fertile ground for Transvision Vamp – “Baby I Don’t Care” hit No. 3 here and in the UK, the band’s iconic image plastered across bedroom walls and magazine pages. And though Wendy’s solo career has lasted far longer than the original band ever did, tonight is about those songs – and the crowd made it very clear that not a single line has been forgotten.
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From the moment the band strode out – James in a black dress, hair tied up, exuding that effortless cool that once made her the ultimate New York arty sophisticate – it’s clear this isn’t some dusty nostalgia trip. Joining her are Alex Ward (Thurston Moore Group) on guitar, original TV bassist Dave Parsons, and James Sclavunos (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds) on drums. These are consummate musicians, and in their hands the songs haven’t just aged well – they’ve grown.The opening salvo of “Trash City” and a snarling take on “Tell That Girl to Shut Up” (the Holly and the Italians cover) set the tone. But I got a lump in the throat when “I Want Your Love” rode in early on that unmistakable riff – sharp, bright, and impossible not to move to. The groove is thicker now, less frantic, more assured, steadied by time. It’s not about youthful chaos anymore; it’s about precision and control without eschewing an ounce of teenage excitement.
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“Sister Moon,” “Pressure Times” and “If Looks Could Kill” lean heavily into the second album Velveteen – which makes up nearly half the set – and it’s a reminder of just how strong that record was. “Landslide of Love” sounds way rockier tonight, riding a muscular riff, whilst “Pay The Ghosts” brings that 60s girl-group shimmer wrapped in fuzz. It’s one of those songs that has only improved with time – melody and melancholy meeting head-on.
Mid-set, “Revolution Baby” is still the biggest compliment you could pay to the New York Dolls and the whole CBGBs dream – MC5 and Patti Smith attitude with a pop sheen. James stalks the stage, sneering and smiling in equal measure. Only ten years separated the band’s formation from the explosion of that original New York scene, and you can still hear the lineage in every chord.
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My personal highlight? The third song in – “I Want Your Love.” The perfect song of its time, and the soundtrack to a thousand teenage crushes. I fell in love in ’87, and for three minutes in Fremantle, I was right back there.
Of course, it all builds to “Baby I Don’t Care.” As a set closer it’s unbeatable. I stood back and just watched the room go off. Arms in the air, voices hoarse with an hour and a half’s singing, the floor bouncing in unison. Not many bands can drop one of their most iconic numbers so early in set and still command that kind of chaos at the end – but Transvision Vamp understand theatre. They know timing and the setlist for this tour was spot on.
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The encore is pure sugar rush: “The Only One,” “The Impression of Normalcy,” “Bad Valentine,” and finally a resplendent “Velveteen” – a reminder that the second album wasn’t just a follow-up, it was a glourious landmark. Returning to the territory that embraced them so fiercely, it’s clear this reunion is nothing short of triumphant.
Support comes from New Zealand duo Response, who we chat to after their set. Despite being drummerless, (they joke they left the drummer behind but they’ve always been a duo!) they’ve forged a sound that’s at times introspective yet still energetic – fuzzed-out guitar hooks colliding with moody alt-rock and bright indie tones. The songs are there; you sense they’re on the brink of something bigger.
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But tonight belongs to Wendy. To that voice, that stare, that defiant smirk. She once said reclaiming the band name didn’t bother her anymore – that it could be the start of a great adventure. On the evidence of this Australian Tour, she was right.
Nearly 40 years later, how could you not still be in love with this music?
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Just watched S1/E1 last night, what have I got myself into? I see 30 episodes over 3 seasons. Enjoyed it.
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We watched Marty Supreme last night. Very enjoyable film. Loosely based on the early life of US table tennis champion Marty Reisman, it follows Marty Mauser and his struggles to get to the world championships at Wembley, and later to Tokyo. He gets in to loads of scrapes with quick-win schemes to get the money he needs, constantly falling at the last hurdle. Timothee Chalomet is great as the main character. It's a fun filled 2 ½ hours long, but it doesn't feel dragged out. A good 7.5/10