Review | 'A masterclass in timeless rock cool': The Pretenders at Portsmouth Guildhall

When it was rescheduled an additional date in Portsmouth was bolted onto the front giving us the honour of hosting the tour opener.

And my word, the band are raring to go. They’ve recently been on the road across Europe so are already sharp – no first night rust to shake off here.

They kick things off with the opening brace of tracks from 2023’s well received Relentless album – Losing My Sense of Taste and A Love. Indeed the set draws strongly on their recent output – 2020’s Hate For Sale is also well represented tonight – the title track in particular is a fierce blast.

That said, Hynde also acknowledges their storied past – Talk of The Town is dedicated to co-founders James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon who both met drug-related deaths in the 1980s, while The Buzz is dedicated to New York Dolls’ infamously dissolute guitarist Johnny Thunders.

Of course, Hynde is the band’s focal point – she has been the sole constant throughout the band’s 46 years and has become a legendary figure in rock music. Her voice and stage presence remains as strong as ever.

But that’s not to say she’s surrounded by anonymous sidemen. Guitarist James Walbourne has been with the band and Hynde’s main songwriting foil since 2008, and boy can he play. He’s given numerous opportunities to show off his chops with some shredding solos, Thumbelina’s is a galloping tour de force.

And when Hynde puts her guitar down for a couple of more reflective numbers – The Losing and You Can’t Hurt a Fool, she proves she can do the ballads just as well as the rockers.

It’s not until midset that they unleash the big chart guns – Back on The Chain Gang is followed by Hynde asking: “What would you like to hear?” before answering herself without pause: “Okay we’ll do it”, and launching into Don’t Get Me Wrong. The latter gets this seated audience on its feet for the first time tonight.

Night in My Veins and Precious are also highlights, and we’re treated to not one but two sets of encores. ​

They ultimately finish with the pure punk of early tracks, Bad Boys Get Spanked and Tattooed Love Boys. It’s a fine way to wrap things up, but I do hear one or two grumbles on the way out about the absence of their sole number one, Brass in Pocket.

Given the masterclass in timeless rock cool we’ve just witnessed, it’s an omission I can live with.