In the X post (formerly Twitter), Hynde stated: “Hi all! My end of ’24 good wishes to all. I always look forward to a new beginning and here we go. Thanks again to all of you who came to see us on tour”.

Hi All!

My end of ’24 good wishes to all. I always look forward to a new beginning and here we go. Thanks again to all of you who came to see us on tour.

In case anybody is interested – here’s my personal highlights of ’24: pic.twitter.com/ZageCvtpee

— Chrissie Hynde (@ChrissieHynde) December 30, 2024

The Pretenders frontman recently completed a UK Tour alongside the band promoting their latest album ‘Relentless’, which released in September this year. Hynde has been a prominent figure in Alt-Rock since the late 1970s, not only for her contributions as lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for Pretenders but for her contribution to mid-70s punk-rock band Johnny Moped and her presence on reggae-rock classic ‘I Got You Babe’ by UB40, which peaked at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart upon its release in 1985.

This year, Hynde pinpoints standout moments in culture and entertainment across 2024, reminiscing on concerts, films, TV, art and much more.

Most notably, in her ‘live show’ highlights she praises Taylor Swift and her show at London’s Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour. The ‘I’ll Stand by You’ singer noted Swift’s gig as “beautiful and inspiring” filled with “timeless music”.

In the same section Hynde recalls Okean Elzy’s gig at The Forum London, notifying fans that she saw “Ukraine’s number one rock band in its full glory”.

The 73-year-old singer also admitted to seeing the “gorgeous thriller” Conclave (2024) “3 times already” and finding BBC’s Wolf Hall (2015-), inspired by Hillary Mantel’s book series of the same name, “seriously mind-blowing in every way”.

In her notable moment for a ‘show I’ve been involved in’, Hynde recalls her contribution to ‘Mark Lanegan 60’, a tribute to the late singer at London’s Roundhouse on December 5, on what would’ve been his 60^th birthday. At the event Hynde’s performance added to the lineup of numerous rock icons to celebrate Lanegan, including performances by Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme and Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan. Hynde performed sensational renditions ‘Kimiko’s Dream House’, ‘Halcyon Daze’ and ‘Relevator’, recalling the experience as a “heartfelt” celebration enhanced by a “superb band” and “glorious vocalists”.

As 2024 comes to an end and Chrissie Hynde reminisces on her most notable experiences of 2024, Hynde will continue to build on these experiences as part of the Pretenders & Chrissie Hynde Tour in South America next year.

The singer, who died in February 2022, was celebrated by the likes of Josh Homme, Dave Gahan, and Chrissie Hynde in honour of what would have been his 60th birthday ten days prior. More than just a grunge icon, he was a chronicler of life’s shadowy corners, his music a repository of regret, resilience, and an aching beauty that few could replicate.

Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, who introduced the evening, set the tone with a wry observation: “Mark would have pretended to hate this, but he would have loved to see you all here tonight.” It was both a statement of Lanegan’s reluctant relationship with fame and an acknowledgment of the deep connections he forged through his art​. It was a communion of friends, collaborators, and admirers.

The evening’s performances were both celebratory and reverent. Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode opened the night with stirring renditions of Lanegan’s ‘Sideways in Reverse’ and ‘Strange Religion,’ his baritone echoing Lanegan’s haunted timbre.

Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream took the audience on a journey through the bluesy depths of ‘Driving Death Valley Blues’ and ‘Pendulum,’ while Alison Mosshart of The Kills brought fiery energy to tracks like ‘Wedding Dress.’ 

The house band, led by Soulsavers, created a sonic backdrop steeped in the gospel-inflected rock that often underscored Lanegan’s work. 

Greg Dulli, a longtime collaborator, serenaded the crowd with a passionate renditions of ‘Change Has Come’ and ‘Methamphetamine Blues’ a dedication to a friend who wrote “badass” music.

Perhaps the most poignant moment came when Chrissie Hynde, joined by Lanegan’s widow, Shelley Brien, performed ‘Revelator,’ bowing to her and noting that the evening was “a sad night for Shelly Lanegan, but thank you for being here.” 

Homme, who returned to the stage for the second half, delivered ‘Come to Me’ in collaboration with Mosshart, his performance imbued with both humour and sincerity. The night closed with a full ensemble bow, after a moving video montage of Lanegan’s life and career, underscoring the profound impact he had on the musicians around him. 

For the final song of the night Gahan, Homme, and Brien performed Lanegan’s ‘Hit the City’, a triumphant heavy rock song he co-wrote with PJ Harvey. It was a fitting end to a concert that had served not merely as a tribute but also a testament to Lanegan’s singular artistry. His music was never easy, never meant to comfort; it was raw and redemptive, a reflection of a man who wrestled with his demons. As Greg Dulli, remarked in the evening’s final moments, “If you knew him, you loved him. And if you only knew his music, that was enough.”

The Set List – all tracks by Mark Lanegan – for the night: 

Tape: 

12 Gates To The City – ÜLM3N 

Dave Gahan: 

Sideways in Reverse

Low 

Kingdoms of Rain 

Strange Religion 

Bobby Gillespie: 

Driving Death Valley Blues 

Pendulum 

Sworn and Broken 

Alison Mosshart: 

Mockingbirds 

Mud Pink Skag 

When Your Number Isn’t Up 

Wedding Dress

Wendi Rose, T Jae Cole, Janet Ramus

Judgement Time 

Duke Garwood

High Life 

I Am the Wolf 

Tess Parks

Resurrection Song 

Greg Dulli

Methamphetamine Blues 

Change Has Come 

Ed Harcourt

The Stations 

The River Rise 

One Way Street 

Chrissie Hynde

Kimiko’s Dream House 

Halcyon Daze 

Revelator 

Josh Homme

Carnival 

El Sol 

Come to Me (ft. Alison Mosshart)

One Hundred Days 

Encore 1:

Presence of God – Soulsavers (Dave Gahan & video tribute)

Encore 2:

Dollar Bill – Greg Dulli

Revival – Soulsavers (with Dave Gahan)

Hit the City – Dave Gahan (with Shelley Brien & Josh Homme)

Hynde herself was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 2005 as part of The Pretenders, but has since taken to social media to decry its relevance. She stated, “I don’t even wanna be associated with it. It’s just more establishment backslapping.”

She continued, “Other than Neil Young’s participation in the induction process, the whole thing was, and is, total bollocks. It’s absolutely nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll and anyone who thinks it is is a fool.”

Despite being inducted back in 2005, Hynde seems to have always viewed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a negative light.

In her Facebook post, she stated, “I got in a band so I didn’t have to be part of all that. I was living a happy life in Rio when I got the call I was being inducted. My heart sank because I knew I’d have to go back for it as it would be too much of a kick in the teeth to my parents if I didn’t. I’d upset them enough by then, so it was one of those things that would bail me out from years of disappointing them. ( like moving out of the USA and being arrested at PETA protests and my general personality ).”

This discussion was sparked after Courtney Love called for more female acts to be inducted. Love shared her outrage at the lack of diversity on social media, telling the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to “GO TO HELL IN A HANDBAG BRO!”

@rockhall GO TO HELL IN A HANDBAG BRO!

I wrote this for the @guardian https://t.co/sjpCeYcqyY

— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) March 17, 2023

Love, the lead singer of grunge band Hole, subsequently wrote an article for The Guardian in which she highlighted that “barely 8% of its inductees are female. The canon-making doesn’t just reek of sexist gatekeeping, but also purposeful ignorance and hostility.”

She continued, “the nominations for this year’s class, announced last month, offered the annual reminder of just how extraordinary a woman must be to make it into the ol’ boy’s club.”

Love also drew attention to the fact that “it doesn’t look good for black artists either.” “If the Rock Hall is not willing to look at the ways it is replicating the violence of structural racism and sexism that artists face in the music industry, if it cannot properly honour what visionary women artists have created, innovated, revolutionised and contributed to popular music – well, then let it go to hell in a handbag.”

Love responded to Chrissie Hynde’s Facebook post on Twitter, writing “principals b4 personalities!”

ARTISTS! Beef off the table. Principals b4 personalities! @chrissiehynde (blew my world into a rainbow in 79 #GOAT ) TBC. I would not accept, don’t need! @rockhall. BRO it isn’t 4 me I speak. THAT BOARD NEEDS A HOSE DOWN so women & poc can FEED THEIR KIDS. Not just Bon Jovi pic.twitter.com/LVJpPUa1g6 — Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) March 17, 2023

Love has continued her tyrade on social media, claiming she was previously “silenced by boos” when she has previously tried to speak her mind.

BRO! @billboard

Me @rockhall HOLDING MY TONGUE.

When I went to speak? I was silenced by boos… So, yeah. pic.twitter.com/2mHdeuNSF7

— Courtney Love Cobain (@Courtney) March 17, 2023

Hynde and Love have both been met with varying receptions from fans after sharing their controversial standpoints.

The Pretenders are rumoured to be releasing a new album this year titled Relentless with the release date yet to be confirmed.

See The Pretenders at Midnight Sun Weekender Festival. Tickets available here.

The 50-minute performance, described as a “musical biography”, was narrated by Juliet Stevenson and featured an excerpt from Gordon Brown’s public 2009 apology for Turing’s 1952 conviction for homosexual activity. The work, entitled A Man from the Future, received a standing ovation at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Chrissie Hynde also performed alongside both Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, giving renditions of three slightly lesser-known Pet Shop Boys songs with the BBC Concert Orchestra, before joining Tennant in a version of the band’s 1987 hit ‘Rent’.

Alan Turing and his Bletchley Park colleagues worked during World War Two to help accelerate Allied efforts to read German naval messages enciphered with the Enigma machine. Turing went on to kill himself in 1954, two years after being prosecuted for gross indecency. Last year he received a posthumous royal pardon.

“Turing was way ahead of his time in the realms of both technology and sexuality,” said Tennant and Lowe ahead of Wednesday’s concert, which can be heard via the BBC iPlayer. Continuing, Tennant stated that “His open expression of his homosexuality was astonishingly brave and forward-looking at a time when gay men were relentlessly persecuted by the government.”