DURAN DURAN THE WILD BOYS
BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!

Pop legends DURAN DURAN last night (14th October) returned to the stage to perform their first British concert in eighteen years to critical acclaim with the original line up of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor to a sold out crowd at the Forum in London. The concert which sold out in an incredible four minutes, was the fastest selling British gig this year and was the hottest ticket in London.

The band whipped the crowd into a sheer frenzy and rattled out the classics of "Wild Boys," "Rio," "Save A Prayer," "Planet Earth," "Girls On Film" and "Notorious" as well as showcasing new material from their forthcoming album which included the tracks "What Happens Tomorrow," "Virus" and "Reach Up For The Sunrise."

Both the concert and after show party were attended by a host of celebrities and stars as well as the bands friends and family. Among the stars to attend were actor and playwright Stephen Fry, fashion designer Phillip Tracey, The Prodigy front man Keith Flint, comic genius Avid Merrion (Bo Selecta), pop stars Gabrielle and Mark Owen (Take That), TV presenter Tara Palmer Tompkinson and Eastender’s actresses Jill Halfpenny and Kim Medcalfe

Commenting on the show Bass player John Taylor said: “It was a really emotional night for us all, it felt really good to be back playing on a British stage and the audience was just amazing. I can’t wait to do it all over again.”

The London show followed the bands return to the stage to critical acclaim this year with a series of phenomenally successful sold out concerts in America and Japan. Recently the band were honoured for their outstanding contribution to music with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, which was followed several weeks later with another prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Q Magazine awards in London.

Lead singer Simon Le Bon added; “You only dream about shows like this, it was truly an incredible experience and I can’t wait to do another show in the UK. We really felt a lot of love from the audience and they were amazing.”

Duran Duran wowed the critics with an electrifying performance. The Daily Express said; “Eighties pop idols Duran Duran showed they’ve still got what it takes to drive their fans wild with a storming comeback gig last night and they broke box office records by selling all 2000 tickets for the show at the Forum in London’s Kentish town in less than four minutes!”

The Daily Mirror was also flowing with tributes to the band; “Planet Earth, Girls On Film and the classic Rio, rank as some of the all time chart favourites, what an unexpected thrill to hear them live again. Duran Duran – no joke, these guys may well be Britain’s next Rolling Stones! A bunch of lads from Birmingham came of age last night. When they brought down the curtain with a rousing encore of White Lines and Girls On Film, I have never seen scenes like it!”

Equally the Daily Star could find no fault with their performance; “Duran Duran proved after 18 years away from a British stage they’ve still got what it takes to move the crowd, a host of celebrity fans were there and the 2000 sell out crowd saw the band play such classics as Hungry Like The Wolf, Come Undone and The Reflex”

The London Eve Standard wrote; “When the show was announced last Tuesday, 200,000 people applied for the 2000 tickets. Outside Kentish Town Forum, tickets were being touted last night at no less than £300. “A couple of weeks ago, we woke up with an idea” singer Simon Le Bon told a crowd giddy with anticipation, “Isn’t it time we played some concerts at home?” Their entrance was magnificent they lined up at the front of the stage, stroked their suits, milked the applause and peeled off one by one to play Friends Of Mine. Rio, Planet Earth, Careless Memories and Wild Boys were rattled out with abandon that groups 20 years their junior would struggle to muster!”

And finally The Sun succinctly summed up the mood of fans by saying “Duran Duran appeared on stage for the first time since 1985 last night – and seemed out to prove they were still the hottest band on planet earth! Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor played to a sell out crowd of 2000 at London’s Forum opening with Friends Of Mine and classic Hungry Like The Wolf, they burst on stage with energy from the start. Simon’s voice is as powerful as ever. Classics such as Rio got the biggest cheers but their new material went down well too. The crowd included actor Stephen Fry, Tara Palmer Tomkinson, and Eastenders Kim Medcalf went wild as the show closed with oldies Careless Memories and Girls On Film. Anyone who saw their last UK stage show at Live Aid 18 years ago, would think not a day had passed.”

The band will tonight (15th October) also join a host of stars including Robbie Williams, David Bowie, Beyonce, Jamiroquai, Bjork, Bryan Ferry and Sheryl Crow to perform “Girls On Film” for fashion designer Donna Karan at the prestigious FASHION ROCKS event at the Royal Albert Hall in London in aid of the Prince’s Trust.