Review: Blondie and The Stranglers, Summer Pops, ECHO Arena
Liverpool Echo – 23rd July 2008
Dawn Collinson
OLD punk icons, like habits, are inclined to die hard. Although in fairness it was never really likely that either of these two bands, given their three-decade credentials, were going to go quietly.
This was firmly a pairing of some nostalgia. But there was no cheesy cabaret here, just bands who know their craft and their audience and who have earned the luxury of enjoying themselves more than a little.
The Stranglers had the tougher task of opening. But the old songs sounded as good as they ever did, despite Hugh Cornwellís now distant departure in favour of Baz Warne on lead vocals. Always The Sun, Peaches and Strange Little Girl pre-empted a crowd-raising Golden Brown complete with guitar solo posturing from Warne.
Their two other stand-outs of the night were an incredible rock cover of Walk On By and The Kinksí All Day And All Of The Night.
A finale of No More Heroes (what else?) paved the way for Blondie with the audience now on its feet.
Itís 30 years since the release of Parallel Lines. And this was a homage-and-a-half.
All the hits were there from One Way Or Another to Picture This, Fade Away And Radiate and Pretty Baby.
Debbie Harry – or is it always Deborah now? – looked edgy without embarrassment. She is 63 and it could all have been a bit cringeworthy – look no further than Madonna’s pink leotard for how it can go horribly wrong. But here there was no danger. Dressed in a black clinging dress with broad red belt, skinny striped tie and red stilettos, she never looked less than amazing.
By the time Sunday Girl and Heart Of Glass came along the shoes were off and swung into the crowd. Maria and Rapture both showcased a voice which has lost nothing and gained plenty, before an anthemic finale of Call Me.
By the time she returned for an encore of Atomic, The Tide Is High and a Liverpool special The Beatles’ Please Please Me the only word was phenomenal.
Close your eyes and it could have been 1978 again. Back then Debbie Harry was the beautiful peroxide blonde who owned the world, or at least the coolest corner of it.
Maybe weíd all like it if our icons stayed frozen in time, just the way they were. But sometimes you just have to sit back and relish the survivors.
