Review by Shawn Perry
When I found myself inside La Maroquinerie to see the Pretenders, I couldn’t help but notice two American women: one was loud, squarely positioned on the floor wearing a “Hate For Sale” T-shirt; and the other was even louder, standing on stage with a Fender telecaster slung over her shoulder. That was Chrissie Hynde, the very reason the roughly 400 patrons squeezed into this tiny basement of the 500-seat club located in the bohemian 20th arrondissement.
For the first of a two-night stand, the Pretenders — Hynde, guitarist James Walbourne, bassist Dave Page and drummer Kris Sonne — didn’t dither about, instead giving everything they had during a rapid-fire 80-minute set. Afterall, it had been six years since the group had last played in France. And with a new album, Relentless, that dropped the previous week, you could feel a vibrant, contagious energy in the room.
To keep everyone guessing, they inauspiciously started things off by launching into the new record’s first two songs, “Losing My Sense Of Taste” and “A Love.” As things progressed, it became obvious that tonight wasn’t going to be a hit-fest. Rather, Hynde and company dug in deep, pulling out plums like “The Adultress” from 1981’s Pretenders II, “The Buzz” from 2020’s Hate For Sale, and “Time The Avenger” from 1984’s Learning To Crawl.
It doesn’t always go quite smoothly for others, but somehow the Pretenders were able to line up newer numbers next to older numbers for a near-prefect, seamless set. Having just celebrated her 72nd birthday, Hynde was radiant, inspired, and in excellent voice. Reportedly alcohol- and drug-free for over 10 years and a vegetarian for over 50 years, she sang and performed as well as she did in the 1980s. Surrounding herself with a younger band clearly keeps her on her toes, especially when it comes to Walbourne, whose lead work captivated the small crowd. Every time he ripped it up, Hynde stood back and watched with a sparkle rarely seen.
There was a fair mixture of slow and fast songs that rose and fell with the mood on stage. The measured groove of “Biker” from 1999’s ¡Viva El Amor! cleared the path for the rockabilly jump of “Boots Of Chinese Plastic,” raising the already steamy temperature of the basement. When the idea of doing something “old” was tossed about, Hynde responded with “You’re old enough to know all of them” to the predominately middle-aged and older audience.
After a swift run through of “Let The Sun Come In,” the first single from Relentless, the main set ended with the playful “Junkie Walk,” the third number played from Hate For Sale. For anyone aching for the hits, they’d have to wait for the encore.
Hynde’s short romance with Ray Davies may have ended 40 years ago, but her love for the music of the Kinks carries on as she dedicated a stirring “I Go To Sleep” to her former beau. This set the stage for two of the group’s most popular songs: “Precious” and “Tattooed Love Boys,” both from the Pretenders 1979 self-titled debut. “Precious” got everyone hot and bothered before a scorching “Tattooed Love Boys” transformed the ambience into pure ecstasy. Walbourne’s stinging lead work was at once artful and just plain balls-out. And that was it.
With another night in Paris before heading to the Netherlands and Germany to wrap their 2023 European tour, the Pretenders are still as grungy, punky, and edgy as ever, with their sole founding member and leader Chrissie Hynde upholding her chops as one of rock’s most powerful and enduring figures. If they wander into your neck of the woods, you’d be a fool to miss it.
