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Blondie, Royal Albert Hall, London – Nov 23, 2005
UK gig review
Blondie may have gone slightly brunette over the years, but the band are still true and hot to their bottle blonde roots.
As we all know, Blondie are the band. The line up may have changed a little over the years but guitarist Chris Stein, singer Debbie Harry, drummer Clem Burke and keyboardist Jimmy Destri are still rocking. Now with guitarist Paul Carbonara, bassist Leigh Foxx and keyboardist Kevin Patrick, the band are just as solid and as tight as ever, providing ample support for Debbie’s inimitable vocals.
Yet all eyes are on the beautiful Debbie Harry when she steps on stage. You cannot help it; she has amazing stage presence and knows how to work her wink to get the audience in her black mini skirted lap (oh how they wished!). What is fascinating to watch is the way she knows how easily she can take over by doing so little, and she shares the stage easily, standing back during solo’s to give the guys their time in the limelight. And we love her all the more for that, cheering loudly each time Clem throws his drumstick ever higher in the air, pulling off a catch every time.
Crowd pleasers will always be the oldies, and Blondie played enough of their back catalogue to keep everyone happy, although this Union City Blues fan was a little sad at not hearing that familiar dirty sexy riff. Still - Picture This, Atomic, Rapture and the rest captivated an audience willing to be taken away to a place almost 30 years previous. We may be in the stately surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, but if close my eyes; I could be in Club 51. Somehow the smoky vibe of 70s New York cool is all around me. I almost expect to see the guys from The Factory. And when I look up, Debbie is again standing backlit in the shadows and she looks as though she hasn’t aged a day from the years I have just been dreaming about.
Gig review by Mandy Carter
Blondie - tour dates
The fabulous Blondie are shortly touring at a venue near you...Got your tickets yet? Not still hanging on the telephone are you? Tch, tch.
UK tour dates:
NOVEMBER
Wed 23rd Royal Albert Hall, London
Fri 25th Rivermead, Reading
Sat 26th Corn Exchange, Cambridge
Sun 27th Regent Theatre, Ipswich
Wed 30th De Montfort Hall, Leicester
DECEMBER
Thu 1st Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
Fri 2nd Opera House, Blackpool
Sun 4th Aberdeen Music Hall
Mon 5th Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Wed 7th Newcastle City Hall
Thu 8th Glasgow Armadillo
Fri 9th City Hall, Sheffield
Sun 11th International Centre, Harrogate
Mon 12th Nottingham Royal Centre
Thu 15th N.I.A. Academy Birmingham
Fri 16th Carling Apollo Manchester
Tue 13th St. Georges Hall, Bradford
Tue 20th Ireland Olympia , Dublin
Wed 21st Ireland Waterfront Hall, Belfast
Blondie - 'Greatest Hits' Sight & Sound CD/DVD
Album released Nov 7, 2005
Genre: Punk / New Wave
Format: Album - CD/DVD
Review: I am in awe – a cd with all the Greatest Hits and…AND… you get to watch all the videos on a DVD as well! Whoever has thought of this idea is a genius. Can I repeat that? Genius.
The DVD review:
Cheekbones you could cut ice on and outfits that look as if they were chosen by a colour blind lad having a bad day - Debbie Harry has style. She was cutting edge fashion then and still is today – go to Plastic People in Hoxton, London and you will see girls doing their level best with shiny satin and tracksuit material, yet no one can top the coolness that Debbie has. No wonder every lad fancied this girl. She is fascinating to watch, singing with lacklustre poise through the videos as the faceless nameless boys in the band behind her sway and swagger. They could be standing there naked to be honest; all eyes will be on Miss Harry and no mistake. But the band have their own brand of cool, a Franz Ferdinand of their time, yet overshadowed by having an incredibly pretty front girl. Blondie (the band) themselves haven’t dated – cool then and cool now. The videos however - different story. Mirror vision, bright lights, weird cut outs – this is when the technology was new and shiny, when video was about to kill that radio star. Oh blimey it shows. Neon, odd camera angles – the videos of Blondie drip with 80s finest FX. Of course, we love it. We love them.
The CD review:
Well what can I say. 22 tracks of pure blonde. As a Cd entitled Greatest Hits gives a few clues, you will find all of Blondie’s best bits here, and the songs don’t date. Forget for a moment that Carphone Warehouse did its best to destroy Hanging on the Telephone. Union City Blues, One Way Or Another, Call Me – all still as brilliant as ever and Maria proves they still can work their magic. Bonus track of Rapture Riders - Blondie vs The Doors mash up works really well. I wonder what Jim Morrison would have thought?
Press Release:
As well as being recognised as one of the most influential bands of their generation, since they formed 30 years ago Blondie have become one of the most commercially successful acts to emerge from the punk and new wave scene of the late 1970s. Their musical influence spreads far and wide and is as evident today as ever before.
Featuring every classic track from their outstanding career ‘GREATEST HITS’ SIGHT & SOUND CD/DVD is a superlative collection of Blondie’s finest moments and includes a staggering 6 Number 1s, 2 number 2s, 3 top 10s and 4 top 20 hit singles. Opening with their cross-Atlantic chart topper Heart Of Glass and featuring UK number 1s Hanging On The Telephone and the stunning Atomic, the album charts their astounding success from the mid1970s through to the late 90s when they stormed back to the top spot with amazing comeback single Maria.
The DVD features the accompanying single videos, available together for the first time ever. Mostly made between 1977 and 1982 when the format was in its infancy, the collection stands as a testament to Blondie’s groundbreaking status. Most bands were relying on live performances to sell their singles on television at that time, yet with videos such as Denis and The Tide Is High they created images that have become truly iconic over the years.
‘GREATEST HITS’ SIGHT & SOUND also features Rapture Riders as a bonus track. Created as a bootleg by acclaimed club remixer Mark Vidler’s ‘Go Home Productions’, the track which combines Blondie’s 1980 hit Rapture and The Doors’ Riders On The Storm, has already become massive club hit throughout the US.
With a nomination for the 2005 UK Music Hall of Fame already secured, Blondie will end their year spectacularly with a 25 date tour of the UK during November and December. (Dates below)
CD:
Heart Of Glass
Sunday Girl
Atomic
Call Me
The Tide Is High
Rapture
Maria
In The Flesh (Remix)
X Offender
Rip Her To Shreds
Denis
(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear
Picture This
Fade Away And Radiate
Hanging On The Telephone
One Way Or Another
Dreaming
Union City Blue
Island Of Lost Souls
Good Boys (Blow-Up mix)
End To End Bonus Track:
Rapture Riders (Single Edit)
DVD:
In The Flesh
X Offender
Denis
Detroit 442
(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear
Picture This
Hanging On The Telephone
Heart Of Glass
Dreaming
The Hardest Part
Union City Blue
Atomic
The Tide Is High
Rapture
Island Of Lost Souls
Maria
Good Boys
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