By André Paine
12 Jul 2011
12 Jul 2011
As well as the timeless quality of Blondie's songs, post-gig
conversations about this Kew The Music series finale focused
on the iconic Debbie Harry.
The consensus among a group of thirtysomething female fans talking on the way home was that the 66-year-old singer was inspirational and, furthermore, still had an impressive set of pins contained in her fishnets and shorts.
The rest of the band has worn well, too, and had an obvious hunger to perform. There are recent, younger recruits, but there was no mistaking Chris Stein's angular guitar solo on Dreaming and Clem Burke's clattering drums.
Harry struggled with an earpiece on Union City Blue and offered a tentative shuffle in lieu of any real movement. Soon enough, though, she was growling over Stein's dirty guitar sound on Atomic, racing through Hanging On The Telephone and stomping about to new wave classic Call Me in this spectacular setting.
"What a beautiful garden, is there a botanist in the house?" asked Harry.
Yet while the genteel set-up featured a picnic area and Peyton and Byrne catering, Blondie summoned the spirit of a sweaty New York club circa 1980. Except Harry is now a better singer, with a sideline in rap on the imposing Rapture and a Beasties Boys cover.
After suggesting they would "slip in" some new songs, Blondie bombarded us with eight tracks from their latest album Panic Of Girls. That would normally result in an audience switching off, but the uplifting power pop tunes What I Heard and Love Doesn't Frighten Me sounded like The Killers on a good day, while Wipe Off My Sweat's Latin flavour suited this open-air show.
After suggesting they would "slip in" some new songs, Blondie bombarded us with eight tracks from their latest album Panic Of Girls. That would normally result in an audience switching off, but the uplifting power pop tunes What I Heard and Love Doesn't Frighten Me sounded like The Killers on a good day, while Wipe Off My Sweat's Latin flavour suited this open-air show.
The performance boasted five number ones including Sunday Girl, dedicated to the mystery buyer who recently paid £3.7 million for Andy Warhol's portrait of Debbie Harry, and the glorious disco anthem Heart Of Glass.
After 90 minutes, the band still appeared full of energy - good news for those going to the sold-out Somerset House show tomorrow and Lovebox in Victoria Park on Sunday. Thirty years after its peak, it seems Blondie is enjoying an Indian summer.
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