Duran Duran - Live at the O2 Arena, London
The O2 Arena, London
For a band who named themselves after the baddie in a soft-porn sci-fi movie, Duran Duran havenât done badly. With 13 studio albums and 39 singles under their slightly widening belts, theyâve sold over 100 million records, helped to create synthpop and invaded America at least once - and they show no sign of stopping now. Or of giving up on glitter-encrusted trousers. Over the years Duran Duran have changed band members more frequently than the prostitute and her proverbial knickers, but theyâre back now with the near-classic line up of Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor (Andy Taylor left for good in 2006).
From our vertiginous perch at the top of the O2 Arena, all that can be said of Duran Duran visually is that theyâre down there somewhere. Probably in a different time zone. Lucky, then, that thereâs considerable life in the old dogs yet, and ant-sized Simon Le Bon manages the Herculean task of engaging an audience the size of Bristol. They kick off with âBefore the Rainâ from new album âAll You Need is Nowâ, a theatrical piece that wouldnât sound out of place in Les Miserables. This is just an amuse bouche to the main course, however, and as the synth beats of âPlanet Earthâ reverberate around the arena, the crowd lumbers to its feet and starts air-punching like the last 20 years never happened. This is followed by âView to a Killâ, with appropriate, Bond-themed images gracing the back screens, although oddly, someone has opted not to use the football pitch-sized screens flanking the stage.
In the midst of decade-defining, heavy-weight pop anthems like âNotoriousâ and âThe Reflexâ, the new material stands up pretty well, possibly because itâs not all that different â Duran Duran have found a formula thatâs worked for 30 years, why change it now? The excellent âBlame the Machinesâ is particularly nostalgic and wouldnât be out of place on that first, eponymous album, nestled between âIs There Something I Should Knowâ and âThe Night Boatâ. Equally consistent is Le Bonâs voice, which is as clear as the days when he wore pirate gear and girls thought it was cool.
After waiting for this gig for 7 months (the May shows were cancelled due to âvocal problemsâ ) youâd expect something a bit extra. This is wheeled on in the form of Mark Ronson, producer of âAll You Need is Nowâ and a man whoâs turned guest-starring into a profession. He contributes some rhythm guitar and contemporary celeb appeal to âGirl Panicâ, basically a latter-day âGirls on Filmâ.
Packed together like this, itâs striking how many hits Duran Duran have had, and how seriously they influenced the musical landscape of the 80âs. They manage to include most of the classics, including a heart-felt rendition of âOrdinary Worldâ (dedicated to âfriends who have passed onâ) although thereâs a couple of disappointing omissions like âGirls on Filmâ, âSave a Prayerâ and even âElectric Barbarellaâ for the really devoted. Itâs clear that those sceptics who labelled them as fly by night âpretty boysâ were dead wrong. If longevity is the true mark of success, whoâs laughing now?
Words by Theresa Heath
Photo by Stephanie Pistel
Courtesy http://www.clashmusic.com/live-review/duran-duran-live-at-the-o2-arena-london