THE sun shone and Blondie rocked in a spectacular opening to the 2010 Kenwood Picnic concerts on Saturday. Thousands flocked to the Hampstead Heath venue to make the first concert of the season a sellout. The organisers could not have asked for a better e

THE sun shone and Blondie rocked in a spectacular opening to the 2010 Kenwood Picnic concerts on Saturday.

Thousands flocked to the Hampstead Heath venue to make the first concert of the season a sellout.

The organisers could not have asked for a better evening as the sun created a party atmospere ahead of the main event - Blondie taking to the stage after British rockers Little Fish had opened the show. Expectations were high and Blondie did not disappoint.

Fresh from a UK tour and a critically-acclaimed performance at the Isle of Wight festival, Blondie would appear to be at the top of their game once again.

And at 64, frontwoman Debbie Harry has lost none of her edge or her abilities as a show woman as she burst on stage to the delight of the screaming fans - many of whom had dashed to the front of the stage to see their idol in action.

The set list included songs from the band's forthcoming album release Panic Of Girls, proving that they can still produce catchy pop songs 30 years after their career first took off in the late 1970s.

Happily, they performed a string of famous hits to keep the crowd happy, including Atomic, Hanging On The Telephone, Call Me, Picture This, Maria and The Tide Is High.

A surprise introduction to their set was Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, a clear tribute to Michael Jackson who had died almost exactly a year ago.

As opening concerts go, this was one of the best and Blondie have deservedly earned their place in the Kenwood history books.