Review: Duran Duran
It’s a chilly December night at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, and I’m waiting for some iconic new romatics to warm my spirits up a bit.
And despite being in their 50s now, they manage it with an expertise I could never imagine.
Simon Le Bon and company are clearly in their element, bouncing through A View To A Kill, and their energy is infectious, spreading like wildfire amongst the audience.
Perhaps it’s the sheer explosiveness of the band, or the magical graphics projected; or maybe it’s the way that Le Bon gets off stage and starts a duet with a random audience member. Whatever it may be, the affinity the band has with the audience is fantastic.
It’s plain to see that the many hundreds there were lucky enough to have experienced Duran Duran the first time round, and as the Tweets showed on the screen behind Roger Taylor, it seemed that the majority of them had been transported back to their teens, rewinding casette tapes through The Reflex and Notorious.
Nevertheless, hearing them storm through the amplifiers was no less enjoyable to my own ears.
One of the more touching moments by far was the dedication of Ordinary World to the recently deceased footballer and manager Gary Speed, and their perfect performance was the ultimate tribute.
The band’s decision to include old favourites as well as new material off their latest album, All You Need Is Now, proved that the underlying success of Duran Duran is reliant entirely upon their constant musical regeneration.
A fantastic night, a fantastic crowd, a fantastic band. No music lover could ask for more.
2 Comments – Post a comment
CLICryan
Commented 4 months ago - 5th January 2012 - 15:06pm
Nice of them to acknowledge Gary Speed with such an iconic song.
lincoln
Commented 4 months ago - 5th January 2012 - 15:06pm
Nice review - I remember being freaked out by the alien thing coming ourt of the water in the Wild Boys video when I was a kid!