MUSIC REVIEW: Blondie and The Stranglers, Summer Pops, Liverpool

Jul 23 2008 by David Charters, Liverpool Daily Post

ROCK and roll is forever, but rock and rollers aren’t immortal until a great song thunders from the stage and trem-bles the souls of those gathered below, blowing away the years in celebration of what used to be and still can be – in your dreams.

So we had the matrons, once so spry, with beer bottles resting on their generous laps; hippies with their silver hair swept back from glistening foreheads into ponytails, brushing rhythmically on white t-shirts; and the young ones, bopping like mum and dad to complete the cycle.

Last night’s high moment came late in The Stranglers’ set with the opening chords of All Day and All of the Night – the old Kinks classic, adopted by the punks, which had the crowd on their feet at last, clapping, stomping and ignoring their creaking joints.

That was followed by Something Better Change and, of course, the epic No More Heroes.

JJ Burnel, kicked again and Baz Warne, his head a-shine, jiggled a little, as the song’s anger reached the audience.

Strange Little Girl, Peaches and Golden Brown were also in the set, which started with Five Minutes (“and you’re almost dead”), a somewhat discouraging lyric, but a fine performance.

Although this was billed as a double-header, probably more of the audience came to see and hear Blondie – the magnificent Debbie Harry, who celebrated her 63rd birthday earlier this month.

Well, the cheekbones are still high and, when she wiggles her hips, you can see why she was a teenage pin-up when Margaret Thatcher ruled. But really she is hamming it up as a great old trouper now – and why not?

The act flagged a little at times, but Debbie’s voice soared sweetly enough in Heart of Glass.

Picture This and Hanging on the Telephone were among the hits offered in the show.

Demands for an encore were probably not the loudest in her career, but she obliged the faithful with Atomic.

The Stranglers adapted better to this large auditorium and, unexpectedly, a reverse in the billing might have worked better.

* SEE the picture gallery here.

davidcharters@dailypost.co.uk