“We really take rock 'n' roll more seriously nowadays,” said Chrissie Hynde onstage at London’s Electric Ballroom. The Pretenders had just charged through Tequila, an urgent deep-cut from 1984’s celebrated third record Learning To Crawl that felt as vicious as it did 40 years ago. Hynde’s grin was unmissable from every corner of the packed-out venue.
The Pretenders are undeniably a legendary rock group. When they performed a last-minute set at Glastonbury’s The Park Stage earlier this year, they were joined onstage by Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, The Smiths’ Johnny Marr and Paul McCartney like it was the most normal thing in the world. The following weekend, they played just before Guns ‘N’ Roses at London’s Hyde Park.
