Debbie Harry took to Twitter last night to shoot down reports in the U.K. press that she was planning to retire from music next year, thereby ending iconic New Wave act Blondie following the release of its next album, which is expected out later this year.
Not so, the 68-year-old Harry tweeted: “No plans to stop working, don’t believe everything you read.”
The retirement talk originated with a story posted Saturday by the Daily Mail in which the newspaper reported drummer Clem Burke said the band has spent the past year discussing a looming break-up.
The paper quotes Burke as saying:
“Debbie is 11 years older than the rest of us, so it’s on her mind. We’ve tried to keep it going for as long as possible, but it’s not just up to me. Nothing is finalized yet, but obviously there’s no Blondie without Debbie Harry.”
The newspaper quoted a spokeswoman for Harry saying, “They are in a hiatus at the moment. They will do some tour dates next year. Nothing is confirmed yet.” But that’s an odd statement, since the band has been working on a new album and has an extensive U.S. tour scheduled this fall with X.
Last night, Harry tweeted:
No plans to stop working, don’t believe everything you read
— Debbie Harry/BLONDIE (@BlondieOfficial) July 28, 2013
Last month, Blondie debuted a new song — the electronic track “A Rose By Any Name,” featuring The Gossip’s Beth Ditto — that is expected to appear on the band’s 10th album, due out by the end of the year. Fans who buy tickets to the band’s fall dates with X also were promised five new songs as downloads.
See Blondie’s full tour dates below:
Blondie tour dates:
Sept. 5: Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH (with X)
Sept. 6: The Rapids Theatre, Niagara Falls, NY (with X)
Sept. 7: Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino – The Grand, Atlantic City, NJ (with X)
Sept. 9: 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. (with X)
Sept. 11: PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH (with X)
Sept. 12: Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI (with X)
Sept. 14: Riot Fest, Chicago, IL
Sept. 17: King County’s Marymoor Park, Redmond, WA (with X)
Sept. 19: Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, CA (with X)
Sept. 20: Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA (with X)
Sept. 23: The Santa Fe Opera House, Santa Fe, NM (with X)
Sept. 26: Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, Austin, TX (with X)
Sept. 27: Warehouse Live – Ballroom, Houston, TX (with X)
Sept. 28: State Fair of TX – Silverado Main Stage, Dallas, TX (with X)
Sept. 30: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN (with X)
Oct. 1: The Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta, GA (with X)
Oct. 3: The Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA (with X)
Oct. 4: Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY (with X)
Oct. 5: I Love the ’80s, Olympic Stadium, Montreal, QB
Oct. 12: Corona Capital Music Festival, Mexico City, Mexico
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Blondie announces U.S. tour with X, will give away 5 new songs with each ticket
- Photo: Blondie and Devo backstage in Chicago on final date of joint U.S. tour
- Blondie and Devo to tour U.S. together this September — full dates announced
- Blondie sets 23-date North American tour, U.S. release date for ‘Panic of Girls’
