Debbie Harry Isn’t Sure Blondie Will Tour Without Clem Burke

At the moment, Debbie Harry doesn’t know what’s next for Blondie in terms of touring.

With the death of drummer Clem Burke last April and the absence of guitarist Chris Stein, who has not toured with the group since 2019 due to cardiac issues, Harry says it’s not the same band. Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols has been serving as the group’s bassist, while Tommy Kessler and Andee Blacksugar have been handling guitar duties.

New music from Blondie — the last of which Burke ever played on — will be arriving in the spring of 2026 in the form of an album called High Noon. But as for performing live, Harry isn’t so sure she wants to tour without the others.

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“I feel, I have, I don’t know if you want to call them scruples, but, you know, I sort of reject the idea of being Blondie without the rest of Blondie,” she recently told Consequence. “At least some of it, you know? And, you know, Clem and Chris were fundamental, and the three of us were fundamental. And, I don’t now, I’ll have to figure out how to do it nicely.

“I want to feel comfortable about the identities, as well, as everyone else does. So, you know, the guys that we’ve been working with for the past, I don’t know, five or six years actually, they’ve been with us quite awhile, and have, you know, contributed heavily to the tracks that are on High Noon. So I want to make it so they feel some pride and identity, because they’ve put a lot into it, and I don’t know how that’s going to work out.”

A Blondie Biopic

Earlier this year, Harry shared with Vanity Fair that a biopic and a documentary about Blondie was happening, though no firm details about when they would be released.

“They’re in the works,” she said, “but I don’t know how a life can be summarized or given a caption. I suppose there’ll be something that’s off the wall but will somehow work. I’m happy to be doing it — it’s helping me to collect my thoughts.”