Reflections of an Ageing Gig Goer 7

The Pretenders and The Picturebooks London Palladium October 23 2024

This was a concert that had been postponed from its original February date after Chrissie Hynde injured her knee. It was the middle date of three at the London Palladium and we went in eager to finally see a band that is amongst my wife’s favourites. There was never any chance that the main attraction would disappoint, but what about the support act?

The Picturebooks

The Picturebooks are a duo featuring lead guitar and drums and they were as compact as any band I have seen in terms of the space they took up on the stage. When they started playing they were compact in the other sense of the word. They looked like they had been playing together for years, but as we found out later the usual drummer was indisposed and this was his replacement for the tour. The drumming on PCH Diamond was the first thing I noticed. It was mesmerising and complex with a high energy level and it laid down the basis for a wall of sound that filled the hall. They followed up the excellent self penned track with two covers that demonstrated the range of their influences. First up was I Feel You, originally by Depeche Mode, which they totally made their own, with the intense interplay between drum and guitar aided by excellent vocals. This was followed by State Trooper, a Bruce Springsteen cover which was very well done. Then came the undoubted highlight of the set with the most unexpected background. Why Mother Why was a song that the lead singer dreamed about. When he woke up he quickly recorded a vocal guide of the tune which he built upon to create an absolutely epic song that had a choir in the recorded version. He then told the story of making the video and facing up to the horror of his father, who was shooting the video, being hit by a lorry that almost killed him! To the delight of the crowd, he told us that the story had a happy ending as it was his dad in the lighting booth for them that night. Well, given the incredible backstory it would have been a shame if the song was not particularly good! It was in fact absolutely terrific, and at the end of the song my wife in particular was already a committed fan! The last two tracks, The Rabbit and the Wolf and Your Kisses Burn Like Fire demonstrated the prowess of their song writing and the fact that Chrissie Hynde knew what she was doing in inviting such a brilliant support act along on the tour. My wife is telling everyone who will listen how good they are, and listening to their new album Albuquerque on repeat. Well, I can only echo those sentiments. Get The Picturebooks on your playlist and look out for them on their own tour of the UK in March 2025. They are a force to be reckoned with.

The Pretenders

When The Pretenders came out to start their set the excitement was at fever pitch. Theirs are one of the most committed fanbases you could ever see. Clearly Chrissie Hynde would be able to stuff the set full of singles and everyone would be overjoyed. However, she produced a set that was full of deep cuts that the die hard fans would know and that the less committed would enjoy even if they didn’t know them. Judging by the reaction to every album track The Palladium was full of the long standing fans that any band would really appreciate. Losing My Sense of Taste was the first song of the night, from their most recent album, Relentless, released last year, as was their second A Love, and the people around me seemed to know those as well as the songs I recognised from the earlier albums. The thing that stood out from the beginning was just how loud and intense the band were. They were a superb unit who were amongst the best I have seen live over the years. I was expecting Chrissie Hynde to still sound good, but in fact she sounded absolutely amazing! The power and range of her voice hasn’t diminished over the years and her guitar playing was outstanding throughout the night. It is incredible to think that The Pretenders first single Stop Your Sobbing was released in 1979, and here she is 45 years later still at the top of her game. The first song I recognised on the night was the marvellous Kid, one of their three releases from 1979, and it is such a good track that all these years later it sounds as fresh as anything you could hear now. This was when everything came together for me on the night and really drew me in. Before long there was the next highpoint for me, the magnificent Talk of the Town which raised a massive cheer from the entire Palladium as soon as that instantly recognisable intro rang out. Having said that, by the time that happened I had been completely won over by a band that seemed to get better and better song by song. Although the setlist didn’t include my two favourite songs from the band, Hymn for Her and 2000 Miles, it turned out to be as good a night as I could have imagined. Back on the Chain Gang and I Go To Sleep were presented with intensity and verve, sounding even better live than they had been on record. The punk style energy of their early incarnation was thoroughly matched by a band who were full of musicians at the top of their game and a lead singer who is absolutely ageless. For me, the highlight of the set was a raucous and rocking version of the brilliant 1986 single Don’t Get Me Wrong. I saw it on Top of the Pops recently and can only say that it was definitely even better on the night itself. By the time the last notes of Tattooed Love Boys from their very first album rang out the crowd were in raptures as they paid tribute to one of the best bands of the modern era with perhaps the greatest front woman of any era. Thank you Chrissie, you were amazing!