BLONDIE + SPECIAL GUEST... JOHNNY MARR // FIRST DIRECT ARENA, LEEDS
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BLONDIE CAPTIVATE A FULL ARENA IN LEEDS
★★★★☆ (4/5)
BLONDIE // FIRST DIRECT ARENA, LEEDS - 04.05.2022
PHOTOCREDIT : JOHN HAYHURST
This is the first show at the Leeds Arena, post covid where I’ve thought, yep it’s pretty full tonight, things are getting back to normal. Although a full arena for Septuagenarian Punk Rock is far from the norm, usually the Punks are confined to the Academy circuit, or the once a year Rebellion Festival and tonight is all seated, confirming the ‘yer old’ status. That said, one of the Queens of the Punk and Post Punk era is gracing the UK live stage circuit, for what may be the last time.
Debbie Harry, the pin up girl from Blondie, was a poster on many a spotty teenagers wall back in the late 70’s and tonight those spotty lads and lasses will relive their youth, while paying £6 a pint instead of 60p, and definitely needing more trips to the loo. But first another icon of the 80’s & 90’s – Johnny Marr is along for the ride, and he is out to entertain with no less than 5 Smith’s classic tracks plus his Electronic hit ‘Getting Away With It’. It is still weird seeing him sing the Morrissey lilting vocals of ‘Please Let Me Get What I Want’ and ‘There Is A Light’, but it works, and as Mozza appears to have dumped those songs in the trash, Marr will have to do the job and keep the light burning.
No mistaking that rumbling riff for ‘How Soon Is Now’ which fills this cavernous space, and ‘Panic’ with its jangly opening and the appropriate local lyrics “The Leeds side-streets that you slip down”, we all joined in the customary hanging of the DJ. Marr managed to inject some of his own solo stuff into the hits set, and personal fave ‘Easy Money’ was a highlight. He went down well here and at other venues on this tour and deserved the applause he got.
We now have a late start due to some technical difficulties and several people are complaining that the sound is a bit muddied during the first couple of numbers, we are also a man down in that Chris Stein has been left unwell in the States, but he sends his regards and also a Sex Pistol to cover for him – Glen Matlock who couldn’t look more ‘unpunk’ if he tried – he’s grey haired, suited and booted.
She is an icon, even with the wrinkles and the work done, her persona cuts through all that, and whilst the vocals aren’t quite as strong these days, they are good enough for what we need. Debbie Harry still gets the temperature rising and pulses racing, and the whole of the floor seating blocks to stand up when she enters the room. Their debut single ‘X-Offender’ is first on the setlist and a complete throwback to the summer of 1976, wasn’t a chart success but significant enough to show what they were originally all about. This is all accompanied with Warhol Styled Pop Art, Comic Book projections behind them. There are plenty of ‘Hits’ to keep the mainstream fans happy and ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ and ‘Sunday Girl’ are here to start the dancing. A fair chunk of Parallel Lines played tonight complete with a black and white striped background, Harry in her shocking pink outfit and shades doesn’t move too far away from the mic it has to be said, preferring to pose, pout and sidestep her way through some of the biggest hits from the 70’s and 80’s.
Her band consisting of the aforementioned Matlock, the still incredible whirlwind of a drummer that is Clem Burke, they are supplemented by two outstanding guitarists Tommy Kessler and Andee Blacksugar. At times some of the tracks felt like a heavy metal band, all guitar solos and rock god poses, Matt Katz-Bohen on keyboards even pulls out a keytar for ‘Call Me’.
An almost two hour set, yes there were some technical problems and I’ll admit ‘Atomic’ wasn’t quite up to scratch, her vocals were far too low in the mix, and there was no ‘Denis’, and they had to cut the encore short, but those would be my only gripes. They played everything else I wanted to hear and were not holding back from extending or blending songs together, at one point ‘The Tide is High’ threatened to go from the Caribbean Reggae to Punk guitars in 30 seconds. ‘Heart of Glass’ turned into Disco Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ and even a burst of Sex Pistols ‘God Save The Queen’ was somewhere in there too.
Final song was a raucous ‘One Way Or Another’ which got just about everyone on their feet, Debbie Harry giving a simple wave goodbye, no Diva histrionics from the 76 year old, as she clocks up another outstanding show in her career. If there is another UK tour then you must get a ticket, because with Siouxsie Soux retired, there really is only Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde left as the punk/post punk female icons still treading the boards. Catch them while you can!
REVIEW + PHOTOS // JOHN HAYHURST
SETLIST
FIRST DIRECT ARENA, LEEDS
X OFFENDER
HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE
SUNDAY GIRL
PICTURE THIS
MOTHER
FADE AWAY AND RADIATE
THE TIDE IS HIGH
WHAT I HEARD
ATMOIC
(I’M ALWAYS TOUCHED BY YOUR) PRESCENCE, DEAR
SHAYLA
UNION CITY BLUE
LONG TIME
MY MONSTER
RAPTURE
MARIA
DREAMING
HEART OF GLASS
ENCORE:
FRAGMENTS
CALL ME
TOUR DATES
5TH MAY 2022
NOTTINGHAM // MOTORPOINT ARENA
7TH MAY 2022
BIRMINGHAM // UTILITA ARENA