Picture this.... It's been 40 years since the release of Blondie's iconic album Parallel Lines and to celebrate, our mate, Blondie's renowned and celebrated drummer Clem Burke, wanted to join us for a 15-date exclusive tour of the UK! Here's what happened….
The CBBB Tour was a whirlwind of sold-out shows, standing ovations (we'll never forget the one at the Shepherd's Bush Empire), fab reviews, tons of photos, tweets and videos on social media, and hundreds of happy smiling faces in the crowd singing along to every word of the songs.
Behind the scenes we were travelling up and down the country in a van (Andy's Cabs), with Clem conducting live interviews on the phone from the Clem Burke lounge (the back of the van!). We played two acoustic shows for radio, Matthew Wright Talk Radio and Boogaloo Radio, and an interview for Mail On Sunday Magazine.
Clem was coming up with song ideas on the road - “Hey, let's do a Beatles song in Liverpool, Andy you can sing it!”, and on our way to Scotland – “Hey Debbie, let's do a Eurythmics song, we've got the fan club coming down.”. ”You wanna do In The Sun? Ok, let’s try it in the soundcheck”, and “We could do Gary Valentine’s song Scenery, a deep cut, it was never released, he’s coming to our gig at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire.”.
There was always someone dropping in to say hello. It was fantastic to see Mick Avory The Kinks drummer, Ed Chesters The Bluetones drummer, Gary Valentine original Blondie bass player, John Ferriter Piers Morgan's manager and band member of The Tearaways, Paul Thompson founder member and original drummer with Roxy Music and Bill Barclay Blondie and Sex Pistols tour manager.
Stopping off to visit the Salford Lads Club made famous by The Smiths photo for the album The Queen Is Dead. Clem sent a photo of us to Johnny Marr!
Clem and Andy trying to find the blue plaque at Leeds University where The Who played and recorded their Live At Leeds album. Nobody seemed to know where it was, all the students were too young! Fortunately C and A bumped into a lecturer who not only knew where the plaque was but was also at the original gig! He claimed he never got any royalties for cheering and making a noise on the recording! He showed them to the refectory which still had the original stage and all around the walls were photos and dates of the amazing bands that had played there over the years.
C and A popping into a recording studio owned by Pat Collier from The Vibrators, to write a song on their day off! Clem on drums and keys, Andy on guitar and bass and Debbie on vocals!
Clem going for a jog around Loch Levan in Scotland with people trying to keep up with him to take photos!
Clem smashing a snare drum skin, standing up in the middle of the gig and auctioning it off for the charity Shelter!
C and A doing their hair in the dressing room, commenting on how big their hair was getting because of the local water, to the soundtrack of 'I'm Henry the VIII I am’ by Herman's Hermits on the player.
Deb's stiletto heel getting stuck in a grille on stage in Leeds and one of the avid crowd pulling her shoe out for her!
Deb and Andy getting pulled up by the police for driving on the wrong side of the road while they were trying to find a car park for the van after the o2 Newcastle gig.
James T Wheeler drum tech and multi-tasker sticking dayglo arrows everywhere so that the band could find their way from the dressing room to the stage.
The single Enigma Soho Au Go Go was released in April and available now from Apple Music and itunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/enigma-soho-au-go-go-single/1460030731?uo=4
Enigma Soho Au Go Go on youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fgPo-zoT-g
Enigma Soho Au Go Go - Chanté version
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/enigma-soho-au-go-go-version-chant%C3%A9-single/1463131053?uo=4
Dr Marcus Smith from the Clem Burke Drumming Project helping us out by buying more drum heads as Clem kept smashing them. Also interviewing Andy and offering to get a Cockney translator to help with subtitles!
Watching Andy and super sound man Simon Taylor loading the back of the van night after night, in the rain and the snow, don't know how they got it all in!
Our merch lady Helen, setting off the fire alarm at the Tivoli Theatre while ironing Clem's three-button jacket, and C and A trying to stop the alarm thinking they had set it off because they just happened to be standing next to it at the time!
Our friends Bob and Andrea, Dawn and Mike, Helen and Kim for giving up their time and coming out in all weathers to man the merch stall to help raise money for Shelter, a charity close to our hearts.
Best fond memory ever was having Clem Burke from the real Blondie playing drums with us every single night for 15 gigs!!!!!!
The CBBB Tour covered nearly 3,000 miles, and played to over 4,000 super lovely people along the way, we had such a marvellous, fabulous, brilliant time and want to thank everyone who came along to support us.
Big big hugs
Debbie and Andy xxxx
Review: Bootleg Blondie with Clem Burke As Good As The Real - o2 Academy Newcastle (click here)
Review: Clem Burke and Bootleg Blondie play Parallel Lines - Lowry Salford (click here)
