Pretenders do rock 'n' roll without pretensions

It would be interesting to write a review of the Pretenders that did not have Chrissie Hynde at the centre but that would be impossible. The young guitarist and bass player that flanked her had mastered their instruments just fine but had not got further than their A-levels when it came to stage presence and charisma.

Hynde, on the other hand, has only to walk on to a stage to own it completely. Actually, walking is too mundane a word for it. Perched on high-heeled boots and sporting a pair of jeans so tight they were virtually subcutaneous, she strutted languidly around on long, skinny legs that would seemingly of their own accord adopt the akimbo position so beloved of metal boys but never executed so well as here.

It would stretching it a bit, however, to call the performance a triumph. For whatever reason, the audience was strangely subdued. There did come the dreaded moment when Chrissie announced that they were going to play a couple of tracks from a new record. This always has the same effect on a crowd as being hosed down with ice-cold water. One feels sorry for the band because they never get to play the new stuff, merely recycle the old hits.

But having got a couple of new tunes out of the way, the Pretenders rolled the old favourites with gusto and without the faintest whiff of cynicism.

Message of Love, Chain Gang, Brass in Pocket, Talk of the Town and Stop Your Sobbin' all took a bow. Hynde has lost none of her vocal power: for a vegetarian, she still sounds like a man-eater to me. Perhaps the fans were just waiting for the downloads.

iTunes Live: The Pretenders
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