The Pretenders 18/10/17 - Live Review
On 18th October 2017 The Pretenders headlined the Oxford New Theatre, potentially a odd choice of venue for a band that clearly is still in their prime, but despite being seated the audience stood throughout the set, dancing and singing along as Chrissie Hyde strutted her stuff onstage, swaggering around, and demonstrating that her
incredible singing voice is still as good as ever.
As the audience walked into the venue staff told them that no phones were allowed to be used during the gig and no photos were allowed to be taken. “Maybe she gets stage nerves,” someone muttered, trying to reason why Chrissie had made this decision, however this theory was completely gone the second The Pretenders walked onto stage. A living rock-chick, and a complete badass, Chrissie completely owned the stage and wasn’t afraid to yell at spectators that had dared to try using their phones.
On more then one occasion Chrissie Hynde noted the age of the audience and of herself, insisting life was better back in the day but saying with a cheeky smile, “I look great and that’s all that matters.” But fuck reliving their youth, this audience was living in the moment and loving every single second of it, wildly cheering and applauding in their admiration for the band. There’s something so heart-warming about seeing other people genuinely enjoying themselves, the room was full of good feeling, and the concert itself was fun and also had some very clever moments, including just before the encore where four tour crew came onto stage. It first looked like they were setting up equipment, which in a way they were, setting up 2 microphones and plugging them into amps.
However instead of exiting the stage they actually started singing backing vocals for the band, it a very funny and sweet moment, and it could be argued that they got the biggest cheer of the night.
It’s been over 30 years since they first formed and the Pretenders are still as great as ever, with Chrissie Hyde 100% stealing the show, perfecting the art of being a front-woman. A definite gig recommendation for those of any age.
Listen to the Pretenders album 'Alone' Here!