A Day on the Green started off with a happy and festive crowd on Sunday despite the cold weather and infrequent showers put a literal dampener on patches of the evening.
After the crowd built up during reasonable performances from young rising stars Alex Lahey and ARIA Award winning, Montaigne, veteran indie rockers The Clouds charmed the audience with quaint harmonies and laid back tunes. The performance wasn’t by any stretch mind-blowing and perhaps better guitars and amps and a little more colour on the pedals would have resulted in a superior sound, but the set did have a slightly rough indie charm, albeit an old school one.
“One way or another” was a great way for Blondie to launch into their show, although the sound quality was a bit quiet in parts which was disappointed. Debbie Harry added some eclectic elements to her performance, with some sarcastic faux-exuberant gestures, mixed in with her effortlessly chic mannerisms and crowd interaction. The drums sounded huge in the lead to “Call me” which had a huge reception. Unfortunately, often throughout the show Deb Harry’s vocals were a touch hoarse, as she struggled to reach notes she either would have when she was younger, or that were out of her range.
There were other highlights though from the band which famously crossed punk, pop, rock, disco and reggae seamlessly. For one, the keytar solo was amazing. Blondie’s visual display was constantly eye-catching and vibrant, featuring a mix of animations and old footage.
Songs from upcoming album “Pollinator” showed the band’s taste for contemporary class with songs created with the help of Smiths legend Johnny Marr and pop sensation Charli XCX. Having said that, nothing beats old Blondie and “Heart of Glass” capped off a pumping live set, marred only by low volume in some parts of the venue and Deb Harry’s subdued and slightly hoarse vocals.