The queen of punk still rules
OVO HYDRO, APRIL 22
IT was a long time coming but Blondie was worth the wait – and any fears that Debbie Harry, at 76, might shatter our memories of the one-time punk icon were soon put to bed.
The show – rescheduled after Covid postponed the original date last November – kicked off the band’s first UK tour in five years.
With the first four hits back-to-back, for almost two hours she captivated the crowd, her peroxide hair, dark glasses and day-glo dress clashing with a slick cartoon backdrop.
Blondie’s original drummer Clem Burke still has her back, but ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock was parachuted in on bass guitar after co-founder Chris Stein was forced to pull out due to ill health.
With a stage of legends, punk stars to their core, Debbie at the front was authentic without any need for reinvention; she retained the true Blondie sound and sass.
She described the show as a celebration of coming out – in every sense of the word – and there was a political nod when she had the crowd chanting “free” during her rendition of Dreaming.
All the hits were there including Atomic, The Tide is Hide, Heart of Glass, and Rapture – and let’s be honest, it might have been risky to tackle its rap verse – but this age-defying queen of punk is still as cool as she ever was.