Duran Duran | Brighton Centre | 30 November 2011

A review by Gary Marlowe

Having been forced to postpone their original gig at the last moment due to Simon Le Bon’s laryngitis, Duran Duran finally rolled into Brighton some six months late. Back in May there was a lot of buzz surrounding their Mark Ronson-produced album ‘All You Need Is Now’ and many were no doubt left disappointed. So was the wait worth it? And how would Simon Le Bon’s voice hold up after a lengthy world tour?  Well, the band were as tight as you’d expect after some thirty years of playing together and the sound was noticeably funkier on stage than on record. And it was the two Taylor’s who really stood out. Hiding behind one of the biggest kits you’ll see, Roger was the epitome of the powerhouse drummer and John was clearly enjoying himself again and showing how important he is to the band’s sound and their appeal. Indeed, it was he who received by far the biggest cheer of the night. With such a rich back catalogue, this could easily have been a greatest hits show, but instead the band chose to showcase the new album. And that was no bad thing, because with songs as good as ‘Girl Panic!’ “Safe” and “Leave A Light On” it really is a return to form. Indeed, it seems to have reignited their own passion for playing and it was evident (to borrow a line from ‘All You Need Is Now’) they were enjoying themselves the way they did when they were younger. 

It was also clear that quite some effort had been put into the staging, with each song given its own distinctive look. There were screens, there were moving trusses and there were a myriad of lights.  In fact, at times there was so much flashing lights that you felt the show should have been preceded by one of those BBC warnings. When Le Bon sang “When you move into the light, you’re the greatest thing alive” it was as if he really believed he was. However, sporting a  heavy beard that at times made him resemble Elbow’s Guy Garvey, did little for his street cred. And neither did the dodgy, red tux he chose to wear. Another thing that seemed somewhat ill suited was having the audience seated rather than standing. It was a strange decision that felt at odds with what was happening on stage. And, with few exceptions, one has to say that was really rather good. Yes, we could have done without the live twitter feed on the screens and yes, the four projected ‘heads’ above the stage were naff to say the least. But those niggles apart, the wild boys were good value and they were well worth the wait.