DEBBIE HARRY AND CHRIS STEIN FIRST TOPPED THE UK CHARTS IN 1978 AND, DESPITE SOME SETBACKS, THEIR GROUP BLONDIE HAVE REMAINED RELEVANT FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS. AND NOW THEY ARE BACK WITH A NEW ALBUM

WORDS: GILES HATTERSLEY PHOTOGRAPHY: JENNY BROUGH

STYLING: NICK BYAM

Debbie wears full look by Mulberry, glasses by Linda Farrow. Chris wears jacket by Neil Barrett at Harvey Nichols, t-shirt by Sunspel, glasses his own

There aren’t many bands — especially ones who trade so heavily in the art of cool — that can rustle up a relevant-sounding album 40 years after they irst dominated every chart (and gay danceloor) on the planet. But that’s exactly what Blondie have done.

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, aged 71 and 67 respectively, swagger into Attitude’s photoshoot in East London buoyed up by a cache of potential new hits, written by the likes of Charlie XCX and Sia. And we can’t help noticing that they give off a distinct air of WDGAF (we don’t give a fuck).

And why should they? The words “legend” and “icon” are chucked around so freely these days that they’ve lost their impact, but in the presence of Blondie it’s hard not to be affected by their thrilling sense of cool. Sure, I’ve had lots of giggles interviewing Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, but there is something truly epic about watching Debbie Harry devastate a room full of hardened media professionals.

The photographer is alutter and the hairstylist is beside himself, while the magazine’s fashion team have been reduced to speaking in the sort of hushed tones usually reserved for royalty. But such is the effect of Harry’s cheekbones, and, of course, the timeless perfection of that baseline on Heart of Glass, (see also: Call Me, Rapture, Denis, Sunday Girl, One Way or Another, Atomic… I could go on.)