Pretenders head back to NZ

BY TRACEY BOND

Singer songwriter Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders talks about heading back to New Zealand, the joys of avocado sandwiches and why choosing bands to play with is so hard. 

Chrissie Hynde shot to fame in the late '70s and '80s as the frontwoman of the rock band, which had hits with Don't Get Me Wrong, Back on the Chain Gang and I'll Stand By You.

The Pretenders line-up has changed over the years but the outspoken "rock chick" has remained at the helm.

"I just like working and keeping a low profile," Hynde told Stuff.co.nz.

"I’ve steadfastly kept my band together and toured on a small level and I wouldn't change that for anything"

The Pretenders have just released a CD and DVD package, Pretenders:Live in London, which was filmed at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2009 by Pierre and Francois Lamoureux.

"Pierre and Francoise stayed right out the way. There were no cranes or hair and make-up."

The result is a raw, intimate look at a band, which evidently loves playing together onstage.

Although she's played her fair share of large venues, Hynde says she prefers playing in places where she can see her audience.

"If you're not having fun, how on earth can you expect your audience to have fun?"

She's critical of the plethora of bands who have recently reformed for what she says is "for the money and the glory".

"It’s a cheap shot, you can break up and do what you want for 15 or 20 years and then come back because it's exciting.

"That might sound cynical but if I split up the Pretenders when Pete and Jimmy died and I came back 25 years later I would also be playing in arenas."

Hynde is a strict vegetarian and keen animal rights supporter.

"The music helps implement that, and gets a few headlines but I'm not on the frontline."

Her strong beliefs also mean that supporting some bands on tour can be tricky.

"As much as I might like the band we’re supporting, if I don’t like their catering ... it ruins my show if I can smell a burger van from the stage, the show's over for me.

"I start getting in a really bad mood and start thinking about slaughterhouses and I can’t concentrate," Hynde admits.

"And then I start berating the audience and calling them meat-eaters and when someone pays to come and see you they don’t really want you to tell them to f**k off!"

Hynde says that whenever they tour the band has an unusual item on their rider.

"We must be the only band that on our catering there's a big bowl of avocados!" Hynde laughs.

"Nick, my bass player, has this secret recipe for avocado sandwiches which we eat every night on tour."

The avocados shouldn't be an issue when the band heads back to New Zealand.

Hynde revealed to Stuff that although the details haven't been worked out yet, there are plans to tour in Australia and New Zealand.

"We're doing some shows at the end of the year. We don’t have a schedule or anything yet, so I don't know how that works out."

Also on the cards is an album due out later this year, co-written with Welsh singer songwriter JP Jones.

Jones approached Hynde in a bar and convinced her that they should work together.

"He sent me some songs when I was on tour and said, 'I think we could write a great album together', and then I didn’t even think about it and then I met him again and we said let’s go to Cuba, and we took a guitar and we wrote the whole thing.

"It’s never happened before, but if anyone else wants to meet me in a bar and get me hammered and say we should write an album together ..."

* The Pretenders: Live in London is out now.

- © Fairfax NZ News