Electric Picnic Live Review: Blondie

As ‘One Way Or Another’ kicks in, two things become apparent.

1) The place is positively heaving. 2) They really love Blondie. Clad in a black and white striped jacked that would make Beetlejuice jealous, Debbie Harry proceeds to roll back the years as Clem Burke engages in his trademark theatrics, nearly missing his signature stick catch but finding time for a spinning flourish before the beat goes on. We never doubted ya, Clem.

A tribute to The Strypes (Blondie are big fans, it seems) and ‘Mile High’ follows before Burke rolls like a demon into ‘Call Me’. The crowd do most the heavy lifting - masking some sound issues in the process - before Matt Katz-Bohen gives the much-maligned keytar its moment in the sun with a busy synth barrage. ‘Maria’, arguably the greatest comeback song of all time, proves majestic.

Not everything soars. ‘Euphoria’, an awkward mix of calypso, industrial pop and neon gloss, meanders along like a phoned-in remix while ‘Rapture’ is stretched perhaps a little too much. A quick shot of Beastie Boys’ ‘(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)’ paves the way for ‘Atomic’ to bring the house down, Harry leaving the boys to go full Skynyd at the end.

Set over, surely? Nope. While new-ish song ’Sugar on the Side’ somewhat derails momentum, ‘Heart of Glass’ and ‘Dreaming’ make for a game one-two punch finish, Blondie are still a lethal pop force.