Duran Duran's top moments of 2023

Duran Duran dansed into 2023 energized by the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the previous year, connecting with old friends and its fans alike with live shows and a new album.

It all started with a promotional radio channel, the announcement of a North American tour with Chic and Bastille, and rumblings about a Halloween-themed project.

Future Past Radio

Duran added yet another accolade to its collection of honors with the debut of a radio channel dedicated solely to the band on Sirius XM. Duran Duran Future Past Radio started streaming on the Sirius app in May and was briefly part of the satellite station’s on-air lineup. The channel, meant to promote the Future Past U.S. tour, was extended into July after a campaign by Duranies to make it a permanent fixture.

DuranLive

In late August, Duran’s tour landed at Red Rocks Amphitheater outside Denver, which singer Simon Le Bon calls his favorite concert venue in the world. Monday’s show was fantastic and a true feat given the weather—rain followed by a drop in temperatures and fierce wind. Tuesday’s concert was very much a repeat performance, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind that the set list was the same. Read the review here.

‘Danse Macabre’

Two months later, there were plenty of surprises in store with the release of the album “Danse Macabre,” which arrived about two years after previous release “Future Past.” The band held listening parties across the U.S. for the album, which debuted at No. 4 in the the U.K. The new album features a confident-sounding band—one mature enough to invite both former guitarists back into the fold. The ambitious effort, featuring Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo, manages to make a collection of covers, reworkings of Duran classics, and new songs sound surprisingly cohesive. Read the review here. 

The Future

As another new year dawns, more new Duran releases loom, though it’s likely they’ll be from the vaults. Chief among them is “Reportage,” the lost Duran album shelved in favor of what became “Red Carpet Massacre.” Talk of finally releasing the band’s last full studio album with Taylor has been bandied about since he came back into the picture after Duran’s Rock Hall induction. A deluxe reissue of “The Wedding Album” and unreleased songs from the ’80s have also been mentioned. 

Amid the holiday season, Duran demos from 1980 surfaced online, suggesting that if the band doesn’t release the old music itself, there are always unofficial channels available.

At top, Duran wowed at Red Rocks in Denver 
on its Future Past U.S. tour.
Photo by Christopher Windle

Review: Duran Duran delivers a Halloween album for any season with 'Danse Macabre'

Duran Duran revisits some of the darker songs in its catalog, conjures up some inspiring covers of other artists’ work, and adds three tantalizing original tracks on “Danse Macabre” (Tape Modern/BMG).

Twenty-eight years have passed since the band’s first covers effort, the ill-fated “Thank You,” and much has changed. Duran has had a late-career renaissance: After its rise back to the charts with “The Wedding Album,” the band began a commercial dip with “Thank You,” reunited its Fab Five lineup, and has now had a return to prominence—culminating in its induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. While “Thank You” had its moments (and was certified gold on the back of “The Wedding Album’s” success), the 1995 album was harshly panned by critics and is considered a mixed bag by fans. 

In 2023, Duran has mostly cast aside the conventional classic rock of “Thank You” (aside from The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black”) and avoided hip-hop this time around (unless one counts Simon Le Bon’s “spoken-word” vocal on the band’s own “Danse Macabre”). The album features a confident-sounding Duran Duran, a band capable of turning around a full studio effort in under a year and mature enough to invite both former guitarists back into the fold—while finding space for its current guitarist as well as past collaborators Nile Rodgers and Mr Hudson.

“Danse Macabre” is an ambitious effort that manages to make a collection of covers and new songs sound surprisingly cohesive. From the moody “Nightboat” and the majestic “Secret Oktober 31st” (two of 10 songs to feature original guitarist Andy Taylor) to the funky “Love Voudou” featuring “comeback-era” axeman Warren Cuccurullo, the band rightfully owns the reboots of its classic songs here. Duran also dips into a diverse mix of covers, taking on disco (Cerrone’s “Supernature”), goth/post-punk (Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Spellbound”), new wave (Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer”), and more. The latter song is delightful, featuring funky guitar from Taylor and Dom Brown, “Psycho”-esque keyboard stabs by Nick Rhodes, fantastic drumming by Roger Taylor, and dual bass from John Taylor and Måneskin’s Victoria De Angelis.

But the originals are the standout tracks, and perhaps as diverse as three different Duran songs can be. “Black Moonlight” is a would-be dance-floor smash featuring Rodgers and Taylor on guitar. “Danse Macabre”—aside from Le Bon’s dad-rap delivery—slaps musically, with Cuccurullo back on guitar (and additional guitar by John Taylor). And “Confession in the Afterlife” closes the album in that classic Duran fashion, harking back to Arcadia in its loveliness.

Much has been made of “Danse Macabre” being a Halloween album. But just as every day is Halloween for those of us who relish in the gothic side of life, “Danse Macabre” is a timeless effort for any season. It’s a joyful gift for Duranies that’s clearly made with love.

The Buttertones return to Omaha with classic tracks, new energy

The Buttertones are back, and the band made the Slowdown in Omaha one of the few stops on its latest run of U.S. shows on Friday night.

The band, which was nearly derailed by a slew of #MeToo allegations in 2020, has only two members from its previous incarnation left, but it still boasts all the songs that made the slick post-punk-influenced outfit what it was. After the sexual misconduct allegations set off a string of departures and cancellations for the group, singer Richard Araiza and drummer-turned-guitarist Modeste Cobián remain. 

Flash back to 2020: Araiza and Cobián, in a video that was widely viewed by fans at the time as a half-baked apology months after the fact, had pledged to return with new music, but not necessarily as the Buttertones. Yet here the band was, in town for the first time since 2018, playing to a larger crowd than at its previous two shows, perhaps combined (though the Friday night slot was likely a factor). And for most concertgoers, the band had barely missed a beat, despite the addition of only one newer song to its set list.

Shadow play: Araiza flanked by new members.
All photos by Christopher Windle

The new band members include talented bassist Karly Low, who ably and energetically replaced Sean Redman, the most problematic former member. Brandon Gold is the new drummer, and it took two musicians to replace multi-instrumentalist London Guzmán. (Carlos Sanchez is now on sax.) The other official new member, Mimi Pretend, was an aloof presence onstage (although I’ve been assured that the keyboardist and guitarist loves being onstage).

That the band replaced two male musicians with two women seems like it’s meant to be significant. Even Araiza stated during the show that “the gals keep us balanced, you know.”

But the songs are still there. Two of my favorite Buttertones tracks, “Brickhead” and “Darling, I Need Time But Don’t Really Know Why,” which I’d never had a chance to hear live before, were somewhat lacking. Still, the show was surprisingly good. 

The band opened with “Gravediggin’” and also played “Winks and Smiles,” “You and Your Knife,” and “Denial, You Win Again” before the concert really picked up steam. As the Buttertones launched into older tracks like “Rainbow Wine” and “Orpheus Under the Influence"” (with Araiza aptly singing, “I’m drunk”), the band had found its groove. A new song, “Nite Time Is My Time,” was followed by Btones classics like “A Tear for Rosie,” “Connie,” and “Baby Doll.”

“Bebop,” perhaps the biggest bop off the Buttertone’s last album, “Jazzhound,” got the audience fired up. And the energy didn’t come down as the band tore through “Baby C4,” “Two-Headed Shark,” and “Matador.” By the time the band played “Sadie’s a Sadist,” there was a pit churning. An encore of “Bad Girl” and “Dak’s Back” (spoiler: he’s still not) was just what the crowd was looking for.

Is is OK to love the Buttertones again? That’s a question that listeners must decide for themselves. But for Omaha concertgoers, whether they were unfazed by or just unaware of the past, the answer was a resounding “yes.”

At Red Rocks, Duran Duran lights up a majestic venue

As Duran Duran steered the mothership (let’s call it the HMS Night Boat) into Red Rocks, a venue that’s been likened to an ancient alien spaceship, the excitement was palpable for the two-night stand ahead.

Already, Nile Rodgers and Chic had masterfully navigated through its standard, though no less thrilling, set list. The Chic Organization is always a class act, even in pouring rain. On Monday, the band added one of Rodgers’ latest successes, Beyoncé’s “Cuff It,” to its string of hits by Chic and others who’ve been aided by the super-producer.

Storm clouds loomed over Red Rocks on Monday,
but Duran held back the rain for its set.
All photos by Christopher Windle.

Bastille followed, with singer Dan Smith seemingly humbled by the band’s spot on the bill between two legendary acts. The group had been sidelined for the previous show in Las Vegas but managed to admirably perform its dance-rock hits at a venue it had headlined a few years ago.

Then, there was Duran, landing at the amphitheater outside Denver, Colorado, that singer Simon Le Bon calls his favorite concert venue in the world. The band took the stage amid adoring roars from the crowd as “Velvet Newton” played, along with a video of their avatars controlling a spaceship landing in a “Bladerunner”-esque world. The opening song, a sublime reworking of “Night Boat,” couldn’t have been more perfect and gave Le Bon a chance to warm up his voice.

“The Wild Boys,” a spectacular opener for last year’s U.S. tour, followed, and then an array of huge hits: “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “A View to a Kill,” and “Notorious.” On this “Future Past” tour, only two songs from the album made the cut, “Give It All Up” and “Anniversary,” which sounded surprisingly good, even as the band bundled up against the cold wind and Le Bon swathed his neck in a scarf.

Looming amid all the excitement of the Red Rocks shows was the pending announcement of Duran’s new studio album, a Halloween-flavored effort titled “Danse Macabre.” The first single of the same name had just enjoyed its premier days after most fans had already heard the prematurely released/leaked song. Duran teased the opening of the song between bands and was even selling “Danse Macabre” T-shirts. 

But the new song wasn’t played live. Aside from “Night Boat,” the only song from the forthcoming album was “Super Lonely Freak.” The creepy singing doll and freaky dancing skeleton visuals certainly set a Halloween-time mood (and the weather was a bit fall-like, too).

The reworked “Rio”-era ballad ushered in the highlights of the show. “Is There Something I Should Know?” made its triumphant return to the set list, with teen magazine visuals to match. The aforementioned “Anniversary” was followed by “Friends of Mine” and “Careless Memories,” two of Duran’s best live songs, hands down.

Le Bon dedicated “Ordinary World” to the people of Ukraine and Maui, which was followed by fellow “Wedding Album” smash “Come Undone.” Then it was “Planet Earth” and “White Lines” (or for me, a chance to beat the line to the restroom). “The Reflex” and “Girls on Film” closed out the main set list. So many hits, so little time.

During the encore, thousands of cellphones lit up the majestic venue for “Save a Prayer,” a sight to behold. And “Rio” was the closing number that the vast majority of concertgoers came for.

Le Bon in silhouette. At top, “Save a Prayer.”

Monday’s show was fantastic and a true feat given the weather, rain followed by a drop in temperatures and fierce wind. I’d imagine that few in the crowd left unsatisfied.

And on Tuesday, it was a case of deja vu. There were a few differences. Chic and Bastille switched slots. Le Bon, bassist John Taylor, and drummer Roger Taylor wore different shirts. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes went all out, dressed in a sparkly suit and donning a shiny conductor’s cap for the encore.

But the set list was exactly the same as at Monday’s show. There were a lot of repeat customers who likely noticed the similarities, too. It was the first time I opted to leave a Duran show early, joining the others who also wanted to beat traffic out of the venue. 

If there was any way to make two shows in a standout venue even more special, adding or swapping out a song would have done the trick.

It seems the only surprises in store will be those in the new music: a madcap single featuring guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, of all people. An album release two years after the last (Durantime be damned!). And the re-emergence of Andy Taylor in the Duraniverse. 

Still, it would have been nice to hear a new song.

Duran Duran Future Past Radio’s run extended. Are Duranies making a difference?

Duran Duran Future Past Radio will be available for at least another month on the Sirius XM app.

The channel was originally slated to end its run on the app on June 2 and had also been added to the satellite radio station’s on-air lineup for a week in May. Future Past Radio will now be available on the SXM App through July 4.

The channel is a celebration of Duran’s ongoing U.S. tour. Highlights so far have included three episodes of “Celeb Fan Takeover,” featuring Nile Rodgers, “The Goldbergs” actress Wendi McLendon Covey, and Bastille, an opening act on Duran’s summer tour along with Rodger’s Chic. The streaming channel has also been playing a mix of band and fan favorites, hits, and remixes, including Erol Alkan’s reworking of “All Of You.”

It’s not known whether further episodes of “Celeb Fan Takeover” are planned. And it’s also unclear whether a grassroots campaign by Duranies played a role in the monthlong extension for the channel. Fans have been clamoring for Sirius to make Future Past Radio a permanent part of its lineup.

Sirius subscribers can send feedback directly via the app. Or send your positive feedback via the link here! There are handy drop-down menu options. Just select “Music,” Rock,” and “Duran Duran Future Past” before submitting your message.

Photo by Christopher Windle

Duran Duran’s ‘spontaneous’ new project starts to take shape

Duran Duran’s latest studio effort, described as a Halloween-themed project, is taking shape.

Members of the band say the project will include old and new Duran songs, as well as covers, according to recent media interviews. The idea for the project was sparked by the band’s successful show last Halloween.

In Las Vegas on Oct. 31, the Durans donned costumes and played songs a bit on the spooky side, including “Night Boat,” “Secret Oktober,” and a medley of “Lonely In Your Nightmare” and “Super Freak.” The band has since added the latter to its set list.

Duran also played covers at the show, including the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” and Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Spellbound.” In a short interview on Duran Duran Future Past Radio, Nick Rhodes revealed that the band has recorded a version of “Spellbound” that would be out in a bit. Guitarist Andy Taylor, who features on the project, has called the Siouxie cover “particularly great.”

Other covers reportedly in the mix: the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” The Specials’ “Ghost Town,” and Cerrone’s “Supernature.”

Also on the band’s Sirius XM channel, producer Nile Rodgers said he and Duran had just wrote a couple of songs together. In addition, the band spent time in the studio with “Paper Gods” producer Mr. Hudson, John Taylor says. The new songs, three in total, may or may not make the finished product, according to Taylor.

The project is “spontaneous,” Simon Le Bon told the NME, and the Halloween theme behind the new music is one that the singer says he had to be talked into.

Le Bon also spoke about his working relationship with Andy Taylor. Le Bon traveled to Ibiza this year to work with the guitarist, who has Stage 4 cancer. “Music is the king” in the room when the two are together, Le Bon said.

The fact that the band booked studio time before heading out on a summer tour bodes well for a planned Halloween 2023 release—though the specter of “Durantime” always looms.

The band’s North American tour kicks off this week in California with a performance at BottleRock Napa Valley and runs through September. Highlights along the way include two nights at Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado, and a closing show at Forest Hills Stadium in New York.

At top: Le Bon wore a “Queen Sioux” T-shirt onstage in Dallas last year. Now, Duran Duran has recorded a cover of a Siouxsie and the Banshees song.

Photo by Christopher Windle

Duran Duran Future Past Radio takes Sirius XM by storm

Duran Duran added yet another accolade to its collection with the debut of a radio channel dedicated solely to the band on Sirius XM.

Duran Duran Future Past Radio has been streaming on the Sirius app for a couple of weeks, but it was officially added to the satellite radio airwaves on May 18.

In honor of the channel’s first day on the air, Duran producer and superfan Nile Rodgers staged a celeb fan takeover. Rodgers, who described himself as “like the other dude in Duran Duran,” got the party started by playing Duran favorites and sharing stories from his more than 40 years as a friend of the band.

The streaming channel has been playing a slew of Duran fan favorites and rarities, songs as varied as “Winter Marches On” (played by its producer, Rodgers), “Ball of Confusion,” and even “Fragment” (a “Pop Trash” instrumental). Duran members’ faves are played as well; an atmospheric remix of Tame Impala’s “Is It True” worked particularly well before Duran’s own “Mediterranea.” Of course, all of the band’s biggest hits are represented, too.

Meantime, a grassroots campaign is brewing to make Future Past Radio a permanent fixture on Sirius. If you’re a Sirius subscriber, you can send feedback directly via the app. 

As one longtime Duranie says, “Let’s do a RRHOF fan vote and tell Sirius to make Future Past Radio permanent.” Last year, Duranies made a huge difference by scoring Duran a decisive first-place finish in the fan poll and helping propel the band into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.

So send your positive feedback via the app or the link here!