Simon Le Bon has joked he makes “blood sacrifices” before going on stage.

The star is part of British New Wave band Duran Duran, alongside Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor. They were one of the most successful acts in the 1980s, and enjoyed success with songs including Rio, Girls on Film, The Wild Boys and A View to a Kill.

Their latest album All You Need Is Now was produced by DJ Mark Ronson and they are enjoying being back in the business. Frontman Simon has revealed that the band have a rather unusual stage ritual before doing a show.

“Yeah, we have blood sacrifices before every show. Usually women between the age of 18 and 30”, he joked to the British edition of OK! magazine. “They’re brought into the dressing room wearing chiffon...”

Roger – who is the band’s drummer – says Simon has a more realistic ritual before heading onto the stage. The 50-year-old revealed Simon’s warm-up always signals the start of a show.

“Simon always does a particular vocal warm-up and as soon as I arrive at the venue and hear that sound, I think, ‘OK, it’s gig time!’ It’s kind of the signal,” he added.