Glen Matlock is playing bass on Blondie’s new album.
The Sex Pistol’s member stepped in for bassist Leigh Foxx, who was absent due to a back injury, on Blondie’s April 2022 UK and US tour.
And now, it’s been revealed that Matlock is playing bass on their follow-up to 2017’s ‘Pollinator’, too, while Leigh recuperates.
Speaking to Classic Pop magazine, guitarist Chris Stein said: “Glen has just been great. Unlike ‘Pollinator’, we’re mostly keeping this album in-house: it’s just the band and Glen playing on it.
“He’s fitted right in.”
Bandleader Debbie Harry and co kept busy writing new music amid the coronavirus lockdown when their tour was delayed.
Speaking in 2020, drummer Clem Burke said: “We are working with each other on new material. We wanted to start recording but lockdown stopped that.
“Really we have been creating new music to keep ourselves sane. You can do so much over the internet. We’ve been collaborating around the world. We have a great working relationship.”
Blondie released the six-track soundtrack EP, ‘Blondie: Vivir En La Habana’, last summer.
To accompany the Rob Roth-helmed short film documenting their iconic 2019 live debut performance in Havana, Cuba, the group dropped the mini album featuring special guests Carlos Alfonso, Ele Valdés and María del Carmen Ávila of Cuba’s Síntesis.
The collection includes performances of ‘Heart of Glass’, ‘Rapture’ and renditions of ‘The Tide is High’ and ‘Wipe Off My Sweat’.
Debbie said: “We had wonderful Cuban musicians join us for the performances – vocalists, percussionists, horn players – they added a terrific level of excitement to our songs. On ‘The Tide Is High’, Síntesis vocalists Ele Valdés and Maria del Carmen Avila sang with me and did the original harmonies that John Holt had put on the song, it was incredibly beautiful. Latin music has always been part of the feel of New York, so it was amazing to finally be able to put a very personal touch on the heartbeat of Cuba. VIVA!”
‘Pollinator’ featured contributions from the likes of Johnny Marr, Sia, Nick Valensi from The Strokes, and Charli XCX.
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