We had a certain aesthetic that worked really well.” Success was instant: their eponymous debut reached No 3 in the charts, with the band at the forefront of the New Romantic/New Wave movement.Īlways technologically minded, they embraced the burgeoning music-video trend, becoming stars on a new American station called MTV: with videos more like short films – “Hungry Like the Wolf” took inspiration from Raiders of the Lost Ark – Duran Duran became massive in every US state that broadcast the channel. Within four months of le Bon joining, Duran Duran had a record deal.
But as soon as he walked in, 6ft tall, with his own style, with a lyric book – we knew.” Everyone we auditioned sounded like Rod Stewart or Gary Numan. “We thought we might never drop on the right one. It was just – You’re young, you’ve got good hair, good luck out there.”Īfter several line-up changes, Roger and Andy joined before le Bon – recommended to the band by his then-girlfriend – ended their search for a singer. John formed Duran Duran with Rhodes in Birmingham in 1978 – “I wasn’t motivated by ‘I gotta get out of this place’,” John says, “I just wanted to go to New York” – with the lessons of punk guiding him. I think people are just kind of bored with people saying, ‘Can you believe these guys are still doing what they’re doing?’” “It’s like with Paul McCartney at Glastonbury. Many critics noted their influence on The Weeknd’s mega-selling new album Dawn FM: Rolling Stone magazine called The Weeknd’s 2019 smash hit “Blinding Lights” as “the best new wave song this side of Duran Duran”.Īll this coincides with a Covid-extended 40th anniversary victory lap – not that the band are taking too much notice.
With 1980’s pop culture enjoying a lengthy renaissance – see Kate Bush’s Stranger Things-assisted resurgence, the Top Gun remake, and the continued inspiration of synthpop on modern pop artists – Duran Duran are finally getting their dues. “This feels like a Saturday night down at the local with all your best mates,” Le Bon said at one point, after roaring reactions to the band’s biggest hits “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “The Reflex” and closer “Rio” (the tour celebrates that single’s 40th birthday).Duran Duran are back in fashion. But it was the addition of talented saxophonist Simon Willescroft and backup singers Rachael O’Connor and Anna Ross (who aced the harmonies on “Come Undone”) that fortified the live set.
Guitarist Dominic Brown (the latest in the band the last decade or so after a rotating cast) added to the chemistry, with winding solos that gave extra panache. Save for a few raspy parts, Le Bon’s voice was impeccable, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Taylor held a steady rhythmic front and Nick “keyboard god” Rhodes (Le Bon’s words) was in ultra-sharp form. But that only put the focus on the prime moments of each band member.
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The early masters of video production brought a set full of mood-setting imagery throughout the night though short on other theatrics.
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