Blondie, The Magnets
London Kew Gardens
11th July, 2011

The Kew The Music series of concerts, picnics and champagne outings closed in fine fashion, with sunshine and a sell-out crowd. Some excellent a cappella was provided by six-piece The Magnets who, on top of plenty of overlaying vocal harmonies, produced some amazing beat-boxing that made the percussion and bass lines real. Their takes on Buzzcocks’ Ever Fallen In Love and Bowie’s Let’s Dance went down well, and the bossa nova version on Bon Jovi’s Living On A Prayer was thoroughly enjoyable. Blondie came on stage as the sun started to set and the energetic crowd loved their new tracks and classics alike, Debbie Harry sounding as good as she looked. Every track was delivered with aplomb and a confident swagger, and the odd guitar solo was almost Maiden-esque! D-Day seamlessly impressed next to standards like Atomic and Hanging On The Telephone, and a superb sound made the most of the band’s energy; they were tight and sounded heavier than I’d expected for a new wave band. Maria was one of many to get the crowd singing along, by then both the masses and band alike were warmed up, Harry’s dark glasses came off and she was clearly enjoying the evening. By One Way Or Another, the party was in full swing, and fireworks appropriately rounded off a grand event.