Striding on stage in knee high white boots to a tentative audience, Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders gave Liverpool a sweaty, punk-fuelled reminder on Sunday night that they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The band emerged as the French opera classic L’amour Est un oiseau rebelle echoed through the 1,200-capacity room before blazing through 27 Pretenders tracks.
Unmistakably Chrissie Hynde, (the 80s punk queen who topped the charts with rocky numbers including Precious, Brass in Pocket and Back on The Chain Gang over four decades ago), our leading lady proved she was the same outspoken wild child she’s always been as she breezily referred to trying out “programming stuff like everybody else does” after losing her place during a track. Not before characteristically quipping to the front row that they “looked old enough to remember the songs” from first couple of albums.
Hynde’s playful nuances towards aging and her ability to withstand the modern-day industry hail her as one of our long-lasting music legends, a sombre title made even more poignant with tributes to Chrissie’s late friends from the earliest Pretenders era. The Kinks 1964 single Stop Your Sobbin was dedicated to former frontman Ray Davies with The Buzz played for The New York Dolls’ Johnny Thunders.
“One of our favourite places to play” said Hynde on stage at Liverpool’s newest upcoming warehouse venue, Content, which she referred to as a “great venue” before thanking Jacaranda Records who may have just put on their biggest event to date.
Following an epic stint at last year’s Glastonbury which saw the Pretenders joined by Paul McCartney and Dave Ghrol, the exclusive sold-out gig comes as part of a grungy lower cap tour to promote their 12th studio album Relentless, which has already seen them play the Electric Ballroom in London and the O2 Ritz in Manchester and will continue to Glasgow.
Kid was the first delve into the archives with the familiar jangly chorus-laden sound of two telecaster guitars taking us back to 1979 when it was first released on the Pretenders self-titled debut album. The instantly recognizable melodies of original member James Honeyman-Scott were matched with ease by the band’s lead guitarist since 2008, James Walbourne, who Hynde praised as a core writer on The Pretenders new material.
Walbourne gradually stole the audience’s attention throughout the night adding extra grit to the set with impressive guitar solos, notably on slower number Biker.
A highlight from the new album, Domestic Silence was reminiscent of the weight in a heavier Neil Young track like Down By The River, with a dynamically strong rhythm section, guitar stabs and Hynde’s distinctive vibrato creeping up into a chorus met with harmonies from Walbourne.
As Chrissie picked up her signature telecaster to open the next track, another deep cut Back On The Chain Gang was instantly recognised and welcomed by the audience before the set came to an end with the band’s “personal favourite” from the new album and its lead single release, Let The Sun Come In.
Three heated encores concluded the 100-minute set with the familiar harmonica solo from Hynde on Middle of The Road which ultimately sees the harmonica thrown over her shoulder before the band are hailed off stage. Quoting their own lyrics, “to live forever that’s the plan” from Let the Sun Come in, The Pretenders aren’t playing by the rules, and they certainly aren’t showing signs of slowing down.
Naomi Campbell
