A ROCK icon who has toured the globe has said a Colchester city venue is "up there" with some of the best places he has ever played.
Clem Burke, 69, is an American drummer most famous for being the beating heart of the legendary rock group, Blondie.
The musician is headlining Colchester Arts Centre for a sold-out event tonight as part of an incredible ensemble, as the group kick off their second UK Lust For Life Tour.
Clem is joined by the original Sex Pistols bassist, Glen Matlock, Pet Shop Boys dancer and broadcaster Katie Puckrik on vocals, and Iggy Pop and David Bowie collaborator Kevin Armstrong on guitar.
The talented supergroup is completed by acclaimed guitarist Luis Correia and Heaven 17 touring member and classic pianist, Florence Sabeva.
After a well-received first UK tour last year to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Iggy Pop’s magnus opus, Lust For Life, the band is now back in Colchester for the second time.
According to left-handed drummer Clem, playing in Colchester again just made sense.
“Well, for one, we enjoyed the venue, and our promoter Tom Wilcox has a history here and it's a lovely venue," he said, while speaking exclusively to the Gazette.
“We had no idea whether we were going to continue doing the whole Lust for Life thing when we finished the tour last year.
“Then time allowed for everyone to still be able to do it again and we've enjoyed it, it's a good band, it's fun.
“When I do the Blondie tours, I don't really get to see as much when going around in the tour bus and or when we are flying.
“I prefer driving around in a van and seeing the cities, towns and the villages.”
Over the years, Clem, Glen, and Kevin have all performed with punk icon Iggy Pop, with Clem having worked on Iggy’s 1982 record, Zombie Birdhouse.
Throughout the UK tour, the group will perform the music of Iggy Pop along with some David Bowie, Blondie, and Sex Pistols songs.
Clem's very first national US tour with Blondie in the 1970s saw the group support Iggy Pop when he was only 20-years-old and David Bowie joined Iggy's group as a keyboardist.
Since then he has performed all over the world. But how does Colchester Arts Centre compare to the best venues on the planet?
Ahead of taking to the stage of the Church Street venue for a second time, the Heart of Glass drummer said: “It's not my favourite venue of all time but it's up there.
“It's a very nice venue, the people are great. It's a cosy room, I like the clear sight lines, nice stage.
“I kind of like Royal Albert Hall, actually.”
Blondie, fronted by Debbie Harry, has had a significant cultural impact on today’s musical landscape and on fans across the world since forming in 1974.
Clem is aware of the high musical and cultural regard in which the band is held and pleased to have had an impact - but he doesn't let the weight of that expectation phase him.
He said: "I try to appreciate it because sometimes... it's not that I take it for granted, but I don't dwell upon it particularly.
“I think one of the big influences we had with Blondie was the whole do-it-yourself attitude.
“When we came up from the streets of the lower east side of New York, we really kind of did it on our own for quite some time.
“Of course, we had record companies, and tour support and things like that, but the original impetus behind the band was just to make music and to see where it went.
“I think our influence lies in the fact we were so eclectic, we mixed different sorts of musical media.”
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