| Cutting supplied by Paul K. (Rovers fan) |
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| Timeless pop hits Blondie Colston Hall, 8th June 2004 IT may have been almost 30 years since they first rocked the charts, but Blondie still sell out wherever they play, and this gig was no different. And it was interesting to note that most of those who crammed into the standing area of the stalls in front of the stage were in their mid-twenties and were not even born when 'Denis Denis' came out in 1978. Why Blondie and their 58-year-old singer still attract so many fans was obvious as soon as they walked on stage and launched into a string of their hits. For Blondie wrote perfect pop songs. The melodies were not over-complicated and the lyrics were hardly likely to inspire a degree thesis, but they made you want to dance, wave your arms around like a loon and sing along. And sing along we did. We may not be able to remember the words to 'God Save The Queen' or 'Jerusalem'. But when Debbie Harry started singing 'Hanging On A Telephone', 'One Way Or Another', 'Call Me', 'Atomic', 'Heart of Glass', 'Blue' or 'Maria', the words come flooding back. There were a few less familiar tracks from the latest 'Curse Of Blondie' album, including the timeless sounding single 'Good Boys', 'The Tingler' and the quite complex and moving 'Magic (Asadoya Unta)' but mostly it was a greatest hits set. The reggae beat of 'Tide Is High' is more accentuated these days, 'Picture This' is much more fiery, and the rap in 'Rapture' is a lot heavier, but essentially the songs all sounded just like they did when we first bought them. Chris Stein played some stonking solos. And watching Clem Burke beat the hell out of his drum kit (think Animal in The Muppet Show) was riveting. But no matter how many times she might proclaim that Blondie are a group, the star is still Debbie Harry. She may give the impression that she is growing old disgracefully but her voice is still as great as ever. Rating: ***** KEITH CLARK (Bristol Evening Post) |
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