Blondie @ The King’s Hall – 23/06/2010
July 6, 2010 No Comments
Not being strange enough that Blondie were playing mid-week, but the fact that they were packed into Nugent Hall as opposed to the Main Hall (which Paramore graced the night before) was just plain crazy. However, the crowd and the venue itself added a beautiful intimate atmosphere for an awe-inspiring gig.
Little Fish were the supporting act, a female fronted 3-piece who had previously shared stages with Hole, Spinerette, and Alice in Chains. I was a little apprehensive when they first started playing – despite the front-woman’s incredible booming yet husky voice, it did feel like each song stayed stationary, with no hooks or catchy choruses, and I found myself losing attention from the band, staring at the background, sound desk and other pointless objects instead.
But then, everything changed. As their set continued, it began to feel more like a warm-up act, and the heavy beat of the bass drum proved the Fishes worthy of being bassist free.
Julia ‘Ju Ju’ Sophie (the front-woman) exuded uncontainable amounts of passion and intensity. She looked a tad mental, but in a good way. The men couldn’t take their eyes off her, and the women couldn’t stop dancing – and everyone was loving it.
After a long and exhausting wait, Blondie finally graced the stage. Debbie Harry looked incredible (I hope I look as breath-taking at 65 as she does) and in a matter of minutes she had Belfast in the palm of her hand. They belted out ‘Hanging on the Telephone’ and the place erupted instantly.
The band were 3 times my age and had roughly 3 million times the energy – absolutely unreal. As they threw out some new material – ‘Love Doesn’t Frighten Me At All’, it was clear that, 30 years on, these guys still haven’t lost their touch.
The gig itself was very glamorous, the women looked like they’d just exited a ‘Sex and The City’ premiere, and even the guys were making an effort. It became obvious why Debbie Harry was such an idol and role model to so many women. Her charm, class, cooler than the average ice cube attitude and overall presence was spellbinding, and when she belted out ‘Maria’, I couldn’t see a single girl not tapping her heels or singing her heart out. It was an amazing moment, in fact, it felt like one big girls night in.
‘The Tide is High’ sent the hall swaying and with the amount of females in the audience sporting sandy blonde hair, it must have looked like a beach from where the band were standing.
‘Call Me’ nearly killed me – with all the hands in the air, I kept banging my head off elbows, and when they fell straight into ‘One Way Or Another’, Debbie Harry’s voice got lost in the sound of the crowd’s. Everyone was chanting, singing, screaming, whistling and dancing, while Blondie kept it effortlessly cool. Then they left.
But they came back!
And performed a cover – possibly one of the most random covers, but equally epic, I’ve heard. If I were Taio Cruz I would’ve wept because their cover of his ‘Break Your Heart’ was just fabulous. The atmosphere was brilliant, I don’t think anyone wanted it to end.
They finished with ‘Through the Glass’, bit predictable but who cares. After a show like that they could’ve done anything and Belfast still would’ve kissed the ground they were standing on. Debbie Harry looked nothing short of a goddess as she exited the stage, and the massive disco ball glittering against the heads of a satisfied crowd was just the icing on the cake.
By Tascha Kay