Two songs into the Pretenders’ set at York Barbican, and Chrissie Hynde is already barking orders at the audience. ‘Turn off those phones and ipads,’ she demands.
By Miles Salter
Hynde has a thing about controlling the environment around her – in the foyer there is a stand for PETA (People for ethical treatment of Animals) as she is a committed vegetarian, and recently there was a minor controversy when she told die-hard fans they couldn’t have front row seats, even if they had booked them, because she wanted to see different punters in the seats in front of her.
She brings the same uncompromising attitude to her music. The Pretenders’ sound is direct, forthright and ballsy, like the singer. Much of the set is given to this kind of approach, relatively short, relatively snarly songs, but the best moments are from the band’s early years.
With former members James Honeyman-Scott (guitar), Pete Farndon (bass) and Martin Chambers (drums), a trio of Hereford-based musicians, the first Pretenders album remains a masterpiece that fuses rock, pop, punk and perhaps a hint of Americana. Tonight, we get four songs from this unbeatable album – Kid, Stop Your Sobbing, Precious and a stunning version of Private Life, with James Welbourne sending out chiming lead breaks in an echo of Honeyman-Scott’s brilliance.
Back On The Chain Gang and Talk Of The Town recall the band’s early brilliance. At every gig, Hynde mentions the first line-up of the band, which imploded in terrible tragedy with the drug-related deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon. Hynde has expressed regret for the misadventures of her life: huge success tempered by unbearable loss. When she mentions her departed band mates, Hynde notes her own mortality. ‘We’re not far behind you,’ she says.
Occasionally, one glimpses a softer side to Hynde. Tonight, she sings I Think About You Daily a song from the most recent album, Relentless, and is laced with regret as a wiser soul looks back at her younger, uncompromising self. It’s a quiet, slow ballad, with an emotional vocal and genuinely sad lyrics. It might refer to a family member, former lover or band member. “Now each morning when I wake up, it’s you that’s on my mind,’ she sings. ‘You never can get over losing those you did unkind.”
Elsewhere, the 1986 hit Don’t Get Me Wrong has the audience dancing with its shuffle, supported by Rob Walbourne on drums and Nick Wilkinson on bass. There’s also an outing of I’ll Stand By You, the band’s 1994 hit single, but (alas), no Brass In Pocket. There are one or two missed cues and fluffed starts, possibly due to a long tour, but such moments are laughed off. Hynde tells an unrepeatable joke while Welbourne fixes a guitar issue. Referring to the sometimes unreliable culture of life in the UK, Hynde quoted Martin Chambers. ‘What was it Martin used to say? Welcome to the UK, we apologise for the inconvenience.’
Overall, this was a fantastic evening, and may not come again – it’s very seldom that the band have played in York.
Pretenders played at York Barbican on Thursday 31 October 2024.
