'Duran Duran On Track': A real-life extraordinary world

Welcome to an occasional series counting down to the release of my first book, Duran Duran On Track! I’ll be sharing stories behind the music which are touched on in the book but that I will explore further here.

When I learned that Duran Duran weren’t represented in the On Track series, one that includes over 100 books about musical artists ranging from AC/DC to Frank Zappa, I decided to write this book. As part of the research, writing and fact-checking process for my 55,000-word book exploring “every album, every song” by the band, I took some deeper dives into areas that are only mentioned in passing in the final product. 

One of those involved a stop at The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, during a trip to that state. Because the gorgeous gardens were the site of Duran Duran’s video for “Ordinary World,” my favorite track from my favorite album, a visit was planned to capture some photos for the book.

Photos by Christopher Windle 

The Huntington is arguably the most famous site of a Duran Duran video in the United States. The filming of the clip, directed by Nick Egan, took place in The Huntington’s themed gardens, including the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden and the Desert Garden. As shared on the Duran Duran Message Board in 2024, Egan described the cacti-filled garden as a place that “looked like another planet. I thought it was a great play on the idea of an ordinary world, which is anything but ordinary, in fact extraordinary, and those gardens were certainly that.”

Even on a fall day, the majesty of The Huntington can’t be denied. Our visit took place in late November, which was apt because the video itself was filmed late in the year, in December of 1992. 

The first of the featured gardens we visited was the Japanese Garden, where the four Wedding Album-era band members walked barefoot through the Zen Court at the end of the video. The garden, with its koi ponds, moon bridge and charming teahouse, was a tranquil place to start our visit. 

Though not quite in full bloom, the Rose Garden was a beautiful spot reminiscent of the English countryside. It was a bit surreal to walk the same winding path as the bride did in the iconic video. 

Chris with ‘Old Man of the Andes.’
Photo by Karen Windle

But the Desert Garden was the highlight of our visit. Among the seemingly otherworldly succulents was a fascinating cactus called “Old Man of the Andes.” Another sight that caught our eye was the towering Queensland kauri, the oldest planted tree in the gardens.

In Duran Duran On Track (Sonicbond Publishing), I examine the band’s 16 studio albums and key standalone singles, offering my take on each. This project was a key focus for me for the better part of a year, and I hope it offers something for everyone. 

The book is slated to be released on 31 July in the UK and September 26 in the US. Check out Linktree for preorder links. It can also be preordered from other major retailers, including Amazon, and I’ll have signed copies available for purchase closer to the release date!

The Damned go back to 'Black' in Dallas

The Damned brought their “Black Album tour” to Dallas for an exhilarating show at the Granada Theater on May 18.

Although they aren’t playing their 1980 masterwork in its entirety, they do have all four members from the album’s lineup on board, including drummer Rat Scabies, who recently rejoined the band after too long a time away.

The Damned, along with TV Smith’s The Adverts, transported concertgoers back to the early days of UK punk. The opening band got the crowd riled up from the get-go with tracks like “No Time to Be 21” and “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes.”

Sensible and Gray. All photos by Christopher Windle.

But The Damned were a sight to behold, with sound to match, of course. Guitarist Captain Sensible was all smiles from the start, kicking his leg high into the air alongside early ’80s bandmate Paul Gray on bass. Vocalist Dave Vanian prowled the stage dressed in garb reminiscent of a mortician’s. Any longtime fan would expect nothing less.

Their set began with “Love Song” and its indelible bass line, not written by Gray but played with aplomb. The energy didn’t let up with “Machine Gun Etiquette,” the one-two punch from their punk masterpiece of the same name. Then it was on to The Black Album with “Wait for the Blackout,” “Lively Arts” and “The History of the World (Part 1).”

The Damned made room for deeper tracks, including “Is It a Dream” off the gothic Phantasmagoria, “Limit Club” (from the Friday 13th EP) and two from their latest album, Darkadelic, “Beware of the Clown” and “The Invisible Man.”

But they were truly in their element with their early ’80s material, including “Stranger on the Town” and “Ignite” as they were meant to be played as well as “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Vanian melting hearts with his croon. The singer gave plenty of attention to those in the front, dropping to his knees toward the end of the band’s smash cover of “Eloise” and encouraging the crowd to sing the trumpet part to “Alone Again Or.” The two tracks were among three covers in a set list of more than 20 songs. They also played “White Rabbit” during the encore, though another early ’80s track, such as “Under the Floor Again,” would have perhaps been better.

They added a tasteful tribute to founding guitarist Brian James, who passed away earlier this year, playing three tracks from debut LP Damned Damned Damned: “Fan Club,” “Neat Neat Neat” and “New Rose,” following a truncated version of “Curtain Call."

By the time they ended the show with “Smash It Up (Parts 1 and 2),” it was clear that the band is still at their best. Despite hints on social media that this tour could be among their last, it’s hard to believe that they’re ready to give up the road entirely. Sensible and Gray displayed the energy of much younger men, Scabies appeared to be truly touched by the warm welcome back from fans and, well, Vanian just seems to be ever-ageless. Rounded out by the energetic Monty Oxymoron on keys, they don’t appear to be ready to hang it up just yet.

Indeed, days after planning our trip to Dallas, The Damned announced more tour dates later in the year, including a stop in Omaha, so watch this space for the review!

The Faint bring homegrown tour to Omaha, Des Moines

The Faint, a band instrumental in putting Omaha on the musical map, swung through the Midwest to close out their first U.S. headlining tour in years with a show at Wooly’s in Des Moines on April 5.

They had also played other select cities, including their hometown, where they put on a sold-out concert at the Waiting Room on April 3. They capped a roster that also included fellow Nebraskans Plack Blague and Jeff in Leather.

Although the Omaha show was a sight to behold, the Des Moines concert was the standout of the two. The musicians played off the energy of a crowd of diehard fans who were there simply to enjoy the music.

Jeff in Leather, also of Omaha, kicked off the show with a set of hard-hitting dance tracks. He’s an enigmatic presence onstage, looking a little like a young Iggy Pop accompanied by a laser light straight show off a ’70s soft rock album cover.

Plack Blague in Omaha and The Faint in Des Moines, at top.
All photos by Christopher Windle.

Plack Blague—“America’s Leather Band,” hailing from Lincoln—followed, putting on a display of metal-tinged industrial music mixed with performance art. Raws Schlesinger was pure energy, dancing and posing on his onstage platform. He stripped off his leather shorts to perform the closing tracks in a jock strap, thrilling the crowd with anthems like “Man on Man” and “Feels So Good.”

The Faint were truly on fire. The band has played mainly festivals—including 2024’s Cruel World, along with Duran Duran—since their last U.S. tour. But frontman Todd Fink finally emerged from his home in Joshua Tree, where he runs the RECAPITATE hattery, for a 12-date headlining stint. He was joined by bassist/guitarist Dapose, keyboardist Graham Ulicny and drummer Clark Baechle, his brother.

The occasion? A celebration of the release of deluxe vinyl versions of two of their albums, Blank-Wave Arcade and Wet From Birth. They dusted off gems like set opener “The Passives” and “Victim Convenience,” as well as all the big tracks from those groundbreaking LPs. The energy kept rising throughout their set, especially from the midpoint, when the band delivered their opus, “The Conductor,” shrouded in fog. (Frustratingly, the fog machine was on the fritz during part of their Omaha show.)

Despite showcasing songs from the newly rereleased albums, the set list also drew heavily on the band’s biggest LP, Danse Macabre. (They beat Duran Duran to the punch of using that album title by over two decades.) For the encore, The Faint played two songs from the LP, “Let the Poison Spill From Your Throat” and “Glass Danse.” In between the two, they launched into the Blank-Wave Arcade track “Worked Up So Sexual,” joined onstage by backup dancers Schlesinger and Jeff in Leather. 

The Faint, in addition to being an Omaha treasure, are a bit of a hidden gem in the indie music scene. They rose alongside fellow Saddle Creek Records acts Bright Eyes, Cursive and Rilo Kiley in the early to mid-2000s but never quite made the big time. But no matter: In the U.S. Midwest, they’re appreciated as trailblazers in a scene that drew on new wave and synth pop to help revive those genres for a new generation. The Faint released their debut album, Media, three years before The Strokes’ Is This It—and without becoming the indie rock sensation that the latter band did.

But the concertgoers in Omaha and Des Moines just knew—truly appreciating all that The Faint has given us—and hopefully will keep on offering in the years to come.

ABC and Howard Jones put on the feel good concert of the season

Eighties hitmakers ABC and Howard Jones offered a cure for the winter blues and hope for brighter days ahead at their concert at Steelhouse Omaha on February 19.

The concert venue, not yet two years old, was also the site of an intimate Duran Duran show last May. The connection was noted by Richard Blade, the SiriusXM and KROQ DJ, who “opened“ for each band by regaling the audience with stories about the music of the decade and snippets of its famous songs. Those tracks included “Rio” and “The Reflex,” and Duran Duran were also featured on a list of 1st Wave listeners’ top six favorite bands, as detailed by Blade. 

While the DJ provided some light entertainment between sets, essentially a time used for stage setup, the crowd was there for the bands themselves, of course. And ABC was in top form, playing their biggest hits, with an emphasis on their U.K. chart-topping debut album, The Lexicon of Love. Those songs included “Show Me,” “Poison Arrow” and “Valentine’s Day.” ABC are led by original member and golden-voiced frontman Martin Fry, who struck a debonaire pose in his sparkly blazer and impossibly shiny shoes. He’s the rare vocalist who still sounds nearly as good as he did in his band’s heyday. 

ABC opened the show with their biggest U.S. hit, “When Smokey Sings,” dedicated to the legendary Smokey Robinson on his birthday. Other highlights included fellow smash singles “(How to Be a) Millionaire” and encore closer “The Look of Love.” But the real magic came when the band played the tender duo “All of My Heart” and “Be Near Me” back to back to end their main set.

ABC was hard to top, but Howard Jones immediately enthralled the audience with his keytar and colorful clothing. He and his band didn’t shy away from the ’80s references either, even bringing to mind Revenge of the Nerds and its talent show scene.

Jones and his band, which included Kajagoogoo bassist Nick Beggs, played that group’s U.K. number one single, “Too Shy” (co-produced by Nick Rhodes) in addition to his own slew of hits. It was impossible not to sing and dance along as Jones and the band offered a shot of positivity, playing everything from “New Song” and “What Is Love?” to “No One Is to Blame” and “Everlasting Love.” 

But the evening might be best summed up by its closing track, “Things Can Only Get Better,” which could very well be a theme song for these trying times. 

What’s clear is that ABC and Howard Jones easily delivered the feel good show of the winter—and possibly the entire year.

ABC photo by Karen Duran Windle. Howard Jones photos by Christopher Windle.