Duran Duran

When you’ve been a Duranie all your life, you’d think it would be hard to suitably impress someone who has been to numerous Duran Duran gigs over the years.

But the BST Hyde Park concert on Sunday did just that – in fact it blew me away. Two years after the concert was due to take place, and three rescheduled dates later, the Duran 40th anniversary gig in Hyde Park finally took place, and wow what a show.

On one of the hottest days of the year, the Great Oak stage formed a formidable backdrop to a glorious sky and balmy conditions, as the mammoth crowd was treated to hit after hit from the Duran boys.

Dressed in bright fluroscent clothes, the band wore a mix of silver trousers, red jackets and a particularly striking Nick Rhodes illuminated in his neon-fest of bright yellow and pink. The band stood out like 80s fashion gods on the huge stage, making for a colourful spectacle as the crowd stretched back as far as the eye could see,
“London, we are Duran Duran,” called lead singer Simon Le Bon as the ever-cheeky and energetic front man launched the band into a magnificent rendition of Wild Boys. As the band walked along the gantry into the crowd mid-song, there were both wild boys AND girls as those lucky enough to be near the front lapped up being so close.
The huge stage screens danced with images, bringing the songs an even greater dimension, from nostalgic pics of the band from the 80s during the performance of Hold Back The Rain to a James Bond/Roger Moore-esque vibe during A View to a Kill.

Classic song after classic song landed on Hyde Park with hysteria as Duran Duran played The Reflex, Hungry Like The Wolf, Union of the Snake, Planet Earth and Girls on Film, to name but a few. It took us all firmly back into the 80s and our teenage bedrooms, and memories of the band on Top of the Pops.

But just like the title of Duran’s latest album Future Past, it was also a masterclass of fusing the songs from their amazing back catalogue to seamlessly segueing into their newer tracks that are still unmistakably Duran.

On a personal note, I think Future Past is the best album by Duran since Seven and The Ragged Tiger, and the reaction to their latest songs at Hyde Park proved as much. Invisible, Tonight United and All Of You have a real Duran vibe with a modern twist, as does Give it All Up in, which Simon was duetted by talented backing singer Rachael O’Connor.

Another of their later songs, from 2015 album Paper Gods, Pressure Off, was given the Nile Rodgers treatment as he joined the Duran boys on stage, having supported them earlier in the day.

Introducing Nile to the stage, Simon proclaimed him an “honorary member of Duran Duran” as he announced: “Without him, there would not be a Duran Duran today”, a nod to the fact that Chic have long been heralded as their key defining influence, particularly noticeable in John Taylor’s funky rhythmic bass-playing.

After having witnessed Chic’s mega hit-laden set, that had been electric in the heat of the Sunday afternoon sun, fans were treated to not one but two collaborations with Duran Duran, as Nile also performed Notorious, a song that he had produced for the band back in the day.

While the tempo dropped for a couple of songs, the mood certainly didn’t. There was a real sense of magic in Hyde Park that night as the sensual Come Undone and the anthemic Save a Prayer echoed through west London.

When the band played their 1993 hit Ordinary World, which is actually their second most streamed song ever, they did so as the sun went down, to a backdrop of the Ukranian flag. Simon told the crowd: “Whatever we go through, whatever we’re going through in this place, they are going through unimaginable hardship and suffering. We wish them peace in their country and happy lives. This song is about not giving up hope, about when things are really hard, still holding on to your faith in the world and in humanity.”

The Duran set also included two covers, songs which non-regular Duran concert-goers might not realise are now staple covers for Duran – Calvin Harris’ Acceptable in the 80s, mixed into Girls on Film, and also Grandmaster Flash’s White Lines (Don’t Do It).

To close the show, there could be no better way to end than with the summer sizzler Rio, with its saxophone hook and its good feel vibe. There aren’t many songs that sound as 80s as Rio, and with the iconic Rio album sleeve adorning the big screens, it was a huge celebration of the amazing band Duran became in the 80s, and still are.
As the band waved goodbye to huge cheers, Simon affectionately shouted: “London Town, you couldn’t have been better. Greatest City in the World!” – neatly said, by undoubtedly one of the greatest bands in the world.