Blondie closes Camp Bestival 2011 day one

Debbie Harry and Co on formidable form in Dorset

Daniel Fahey - 30 July 2011

Debbie Harry is no spring chicken. Back in the day she graced the walls of millions of teenage boys, but these days she has a slightly Ab Fab quality about her.

Some over-bright day-glo outfits and a series of suspect dance moves underscore her disconnect from the hip indie-kid generation.

But this Camp Bestival 2011 show is not for the kids. Tonight it's about memory lane and it's about the parents of the zillion seven year-olds who make up half the festival’s population - and their lost youth.

In their era, Blondie epitomised transatlantic cool. Attitude was high on the agenda and the band held sway over the poppier end of the punk charts.

There's nothing punk about tonight's castle stage show though. This is polished and professional.

It's a joyously helter-skelter ride through a greatest hits set that is only interrupted once with a bad case of the band's 'new favourite song'.

But the crowd forgives this slight transgression as they are transported back to the days before they had to worry about mortgages, tax returns and whether the kids are going too get into the right school.

Debbie Harry also manages to deliver the goods in terms of her vocal performance tonight and all memories of her less-than-perfect Glastonbury show of a few years back are consigned to the bin.

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