Blondie drummer Clem Burke talks ahead of Birmingham show

While fellow bands from the New York punk scene didn’t last the course – The Ramones, for instance, played 2,263 gigs during a non-stop, 22-year tour and by 2014 all four of the band’s original members had died – Blondie is enjoying an Indian Summer.

Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and drummer Clem Burke are the ever-presents who have enjoyed a career resurgence after 40-plus remarkable years.

The Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famers, who sold 40 million records and soundtracked the lives of a generation with Call Me, Rapture, Heart of Glass and more, are back in the big time. Their most recent album, Pollinator, was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic – and was their best new music in decades – while their gigs have moved up from regional clubs to arenas. They’ll be back in the UK later this year for four shows, including a headline at Arena Birmingham on November 13.

Drummer Clem Burke says the band is enjoying its just desserts after staying on the road throughout the year, with shows in Australia, the USA, Hyde Park and more. “It’s been great. We are really happy with it. The chemistry of the band comes across on the new album.”

The band are avowedly Old School. Their album featured songs from other writers – though they’ve had a history of covering other songs, from Hanging on the Telephone to Denis. “We began recording before Christmas 2015. It was in the Magic Shop Studio, where David Bowie had done his last two albums. David died when we took our Christmas break and that was very sad. In many ways, Pollinator is informed by David. Prior to his passing, we were excited to be working in the same space as him. So we started before Christmas 2015 and it took a while to get out. The show in Birmingham will be a handful of Pollinator tracks alongside the hits and some deeper Blondie cuts.”

Blondie took five years to hit their stride. Following their eponymous debut, they made waves with their sophomore record, Plastic Letters, which earned a platinum disc in the UK. It was their third record, Parallel Lines, that earned them ubiquity – and their first number one hit. Featuring Hanging On The Telephone, by The Neves; One Way of Another; Picture This; Sunday Girl; Heart of Glass and the Buddy Holly cover I’m Gonna Love You Too, it was the best kind of breakthrough. The beautiful, blonde and slightly-androgynous Debbie Harry was very much to the forefront, backed by Chris, Clem et al.

Clem says: “When we first started, Debbie’s image had a lot to do with opening a lot of doors for us. That overshadowed her ability as a songwriter and ability to come up with great melodies. She gets compared more to Jim Morrison or Bowie or Marc Bolan these days because she’s adrongynous in her mind. I think it’s finally come to light that we have a lot of great songs.”

The age of digital music has helped open Blondie up to a new generation of fans. It’s no longer just the old punks and new wavers who make up their audience. These days, a younger generation are tuned into their legacy.

That said, the band had an absurdly long break. They quit in 1982, after releasing six albums. It took another 15 years for them to work out their differences and get back together. Debbie, Chris and Clem reformed the group – and remain the ever-present members.

“The best thing for everyone was for us to get back together when we did. We made some money and everyone is in a good place. Who would have thought we would still be doing this at this age? We survived and got out alive and we appreciate that.”

The band bring edge and danger to the stage. There’s still an element of anything-can-happen at a Blondie gig. The key players are diverse in terms of their influences and will return again next year for a longer tour.