Review of Blondie - The Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow - 01/07/13
Blondie - The Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow - 01/07/13
The atmosphere inside of the Clyde Auditorium feels less like the start of a gig and more like the reverent hush at a place of worship. Like most, if not all of the women in the crowd, the band I am waiting to see held a huge influence in shaping my formative years. In front of my teenage mirror I khol’d my eyes, practiced my best disdainful sneer and Monroe-esque smile, while the heady pop/punk beat of Blondie glittered in the background. The ethereal image of Playboy bunny perfection seemed so unattainable then, but as a ripple of “happy birthday” flutters over the audience I hear someone whisper the dreaded words, “Debbie Harry is sixty eight years old today”.
There is a collective intake of breath as she takes to the stage. Poured into an inordinately ugly pink hooded dress and sporting chunky silver trainers, one can only assume that Harry deliberately chose such a monstrous outfit to give the audience a brief glimmer of hope that she is actually human. Has the legendary pin-up really lost her way and descended into the realm of mere mortals? Quick as a flash, the hand is placed expertly on the hip, the razor sharp cheekbones scythe the air as the imp-like bob whips round and Harry fixes the audience with a steely stare. “I’m trying to act my age, you know? I know it’s too late, but what the f*ck,” she quips in a lazy drawl, while the audience roar in approval at this taboo breaking riposte from the icon who dared to age.
Kicking off their set with the stomping One Way or Another, the band launch into a confident performance of their 70’s and 80’s back catalogue, including Heart of Glass, Hanging on The Telephone and Call Me, but crowd-pleasing favourites like Denis and Rapture are notable by their absence. Woven in between the greatest hits are instead a rather hit-or-miss collection of new material such as the charming soft rock single A Rose by Any Name (lead single from their forthcoming album Ghosts of Download - due for release January 2014) and a slightly confused cover of Ellie Goulding’s Lights. It’s heartening to see a band whose career spans almost four decades be unafraid to tackle new ground, even if the results are mixed and the audience reaction politely non-plussed.
And they are a band, don’t forget - not just a charismatic front woman with a bunch of non-entities behind her. Original members Chris Stein on guitar/bass and Clem Burke on drums give a seemingly effortless master class in new wave chic - the former never breaking the aura of impenetrable cool behind his shades, and the latter on poundingly energetic, drumstick twirling fine form. New recruit Tommy Kessler on lead guitar brings some youthful exuberance as he throws some carefully studied axe-wielding shapes, although loses his way slightly when entrusted with the lead vocals on the group’s 1999 comeback hit Maria. Debbie Harry’s snarling rasp may have mellowed a little with age, but her self-assured attitude remains to such an extent that she occasionally struts to the back of the stage to allow the rest of the group a chance to shine.
Closing on a breathily sexy rendition of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax, fading into the incandescent vocals of Atomic, Blondie finish the gig on a bold and decisive note. As the audience belts out an alcohol-fuelled reprise of “happy birthday”, Harry’s majestic veneer actually slips a little as she lets out a beam of seemingly genuine pleasure at their acceptance. Her hair may now be grey instead of blonde but, like her, it really was beautiful tonight.
The atmosphere inside of the Clyde Auditorium feels less like the start of a gig and more like the reverent hush at a place of worship. Like most, if not all of the women in the crowd, the band I am waiting to see held a huge influence in shaping my formative years. In front of my teenage mirror I khol’d my eyes, practiced my best disdainful sneer and Monroe-esque smile, while the heady pop/punk beat of Blondie glittered in the background. The ethereal image of Playboy bunny perfection seemed so unattainable then, but as a ripple of “happy birthday” flutters over the audience I hear someone whisper the dreaded words, “Debbie Harry is sixty eight years old today”.
There is a collective intake of breath as she takes to the stage. Poured into an inordinately ugly pink hooded dress and sporting chunky silver trainers, one can only assume that Harry deliberately chose such a monstrous outfit to give the audience a brief glimmer of hope that she is actually human. Has the legendary pin-up really lost her way and descended into the realm of mere mortals? Quick as a flash, the hand is placed expertly on the hip, the razor sharp cheekbones scythe the air as the imp-like bob whips round and Harry fixes the audience with a steely stare. “I’m trying to act my age, you know? I know it’s too late, but what the f*ck,” she quips in a lazy drawl, while the audience roar in approval at this taboo breaking riposte from the icon who dared to age.
Kicking off their set with the stomping One Way or Another, the band launch into a confident performance of their 70’s and 80’s back catalogue, including Heart of Glass, Hanging on The Telephone and Call Me, but crowd-pleasing favourites like Denis and Rapture are notable by their absence. Woven in between the greatest hits are instead a rather hit-or-miss collection of new material such as the charming soft rock single A Rose by Any Name (lead single from their forthcoming album Ghosts of Download - due for release January 2014) and a slightly confused cover of Ellie Goulding’s Lights. It’s heartening to see a band whose career spans almost four decades be unafraid to tackle new ground, even if the results are mixed and the audience reaction politely non-plussed.
And they are a band, don’t forget - not just a charismatic front woman with a bunch of non-entities behind her. Original members Chris Stein on guitar/bass and Clem Burke on drums give a seemingly effortless master class in new wave chic - the former never breaking the aura of impenetrable cool behind his shades, and the latter on poundingly energetic, drumstick twirling fine form. New recruit Tommy Kessler on lead guitar brings some youthful exuberance as he throws some carefully studied axe-wielding shapes, although loses his way slightly when entrusted with the lead vocals on the group’s 1999 comeback hit Maria. Debbie Harry’s snarling rasp may have mellowed a little with age, but her self-assured attitude remains to such an extent that she occasionally struts to the back of the stage to allow the rest of the group a chance to shine.
Closing on a breathily sexy rendition of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax, fading into the incandescent vocals of Atomic, Blondie finish the gig on a bold and decisive note. As the audience belts out an alcohol-fuelled reprise of “happy birthday”, Harry’s majestic veneer actually slips a little as she lets out a beam of seemingly genuine pleasure at their acceptance. Her hair may now be grey instead of blonde but, like her, it really was beautiful tonight.