Blondie bombshell drops on Arlington

Bootleg Blondie

at Arlington Arts, Snelsmore

on Friday, April 25

Review by BRIAN HARRINGTON

ANOTHER sold out show at Arlington Arts tonight made all the more poignant by the recent death of Blondie drummer Clem Burke.

The backdrop on the stage proclaimed ‘Clem Burke & Bootleg Blondie’ (a reminder of their tour together in 2019) and Clem's autograph was prominently displayed on the drum kit.

I have seen and reviewed Bootleg Blondie, who were formed back in 2001, before, but tonight was, in my opinion by far their best show. Nearly two and a half hours of performance time, absolutely packed with songs that superbly captured the excitement and atmosphere of a live Blondie show.

The – to put it mildly – enthusiastic, part-standing audience were bopping and singing along raucously from the opening chords of One Way or Another throughout the entire show.

With almost no pause for chit-chat they cranked out the hits interspersed in a thoughtfully conceived set-list with slightly less well-known songs, guaranteed to keep both avid and casual fans happy.

Sunday Girl was next, followed by Pretty Baby, both from the Parallel Lines album of 1978.

Fronted by Debbie Harris, who has both the look and the voice to carry-off the job of keeping the legacy of Blondie alive Bootleg Blondie are all excellent musicians and work hard to create an incredibly authentic and tight sound. The fact that they are officially approved by Clem Burke and Gary Valentine (the bassist of Blondie) means their claim to be the number one Blondie cover band in the world is no idle boast.

The second set maintained the momentum of the first and included Heroes (David Bowie) and, as an encore, Get it On (T Rex), two covers which Blondie performed live in her shows, along with a string of huge hits.

I honestly believe that Blondie fans and people who just love late 70s and early 80s music in general alike loved the show and left singing their favourite track.

Brilliant.