Chrissie Hynde Returns With New Band

Chrissie Hynde who fronted the band The Pretenders for 35 years has a new album coming out called Stockholm and touring with a new group called the Will Travel Band. The difference seems negligible, as the Pretenders had a revolving door of members over their decades-spanning run; the only constant was Hynde’s leadership. The Pretenders’ last album was 2008’s Break Up the Concrete and their last performance was in 2012.

Hynde herself released an album called Fidelity with J.P. Jones in 2010, though prefers the collaborative elements of working with a band than as a standalone artist

“For 35 years, I’ve said, ‘I’ll never go solo,’ ” Hynde told the Guardian while promoting Stockholm. “But after a period of time — and this isn’t just for an artist, but for anybody — all the things you never wanted to do eventually become the only things left that you haven’t done. So they start looking pretty interesting.”

The 63 year old is also going back on tour with her new band. Starting in her hometown of Akron, Ohio, Hynde and the Will Travel Band will play 25 dates across the United States. While the tour will feature many new songs from Stockholm, Hynde’s recent live shows have also mixed in a healthy dosage of Pretenders songs that longtime fans will enjoy hearing. At a recent show at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Hynde and the Will Travel Band performed Pretenders mainstays as “Talk of the Town,” “Kid,” “My City Was Gone,” and “The Phone Call.” Pretenders hits will be mixed in with their lesser known work as well as the new stuff.

“I’m not towing the line,” Hynde said to a knowing and accepting crowd.