Punk Legends Blondie Release Havana Concert Documentary

Legendary New York punk rock band Blondie has announced the release of the official soundtrack to “Blondie: Vivir En La Habana,” a new short film capturing the band’s 2019 live debut performance in Havana, Cuba. The film is set for its North American premiere at the Tribeca Festival and UK premiere at the Sheffield Doc/Fest, both in June.

A 40 year dream come true, the iconic band was invited to perform as part of a cultural exchange through the Cuban Ministry of Culture. The 4-day event dubbed ‘Blondie in Havana’ was a one-of-a-kind experience that included two career-spanning sets and brought the band’s prolific catalogue to Cuba for the very first time.

This seminal experience and career highlight was documented in the new short film, Blondie: Vivir En La Habana, created by artist and director Rob Roth. The official soundtrack of the same title is to be released via BMG as a six track EP on limited edition blue vinyl, and will feature some of Blondie’s most iconic hits performed live, including “The Tide is High” and “Wipe Off My Sweat” which are available digitally now, as well as “Heart of Glass”, “Rapture”, “Dreaming” and “Long Time”, taken from their last UK Top 5 album, “Pollinator” (2017). These shows were performed live with special guests including Carlos Alfonso, Ele Valdés and María del Carmen Ávila of Cuban group, Síntesis.

“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!” notes Debbie Harry.