From the moment they assume the stage, it’s clear that Blondie are not here to milk their back catalogue. Not that they won’t be playing the hits – indeed, they will – but unlike many bands of their vintage, this group’s primary reason for being a touring rock band after all these years is clearly because they still want to be.
Decked out in a dangerously short mini and luminous pink stilettos, Debbie Harry is every bit the commanding rock goddess. If anything, the fact that she’s closing in on 60 gives her performance more gravitas. It’s a defiance of time, and, bolstered by so much sincerity and a palpable love for the stage, serves as an affirmation of the timelessness of Blondie’s music. To her credit, she’s still blessed with that undeniable sexuality – something she continues to embrace as she writhes her way around the stage.
The songs themselves are also in incredibly good shape. Still vibrant, still fresh, they have succeeded in avoiding the customary spare tyre so often attributed to sets that have been gigged as often as this one. ‘Atomic’, ‘Hanging On The Telephone’, ‘One Way Or Another’, ‘Heart Of Glass’… the list goes on endlessly; every song a classic, every beat a hi-light, hit after hit after hit, not for a moment churned out (the band are at no point in danger of merely going through the motions) but lovingly enticed out of hiding and bestowed upon an all-worshipping crowd. One thing’s for sure, Blondie’s musical pension book is still a very long way off.