Four things to appreciate about Duran Duran

Duran Duran Appreciation Day is upon on, and there's no better time for Duranies to reflect on the many things to appreciate about our favorite band. Here are just four, one for each member of the band:

Duran is still recording new music

Though nearly four years have passed since the release of Duran's last album, "Paper Gods," signs point to the band's 15th studio album surfacing next year. The band spent time in the recording studio last year with producer Erol Alkan. Earlier this year, Duran was in the studio again, this time with Mark Ronson and likely guest musicians Graham Coxon of Blur and Lykke Li. Members of the band have said they're aiming for a 2020 album release, which would tie in nicely with Duran's forthcoming 40th anniversary.

There are always the old classics

Even when new music takes a bit longer to come out than expected, there is always the band's vast catalog to go back to. For me, the band's first two albums and "The Wedding Album" never disappoint. There's no Duran album that doesn't have its high points. And there are even older songs I may have forgotten about or might not have heard in the first place. Case in point: the "Tel Aviv" demo. Maybe I just never listened because I expected it to be another version of the instrumental from the band's debut album. But the song has lyrics and driving bass and guitar. For me, it's a lost classic.

The band can still surprise us

After years of rather staid setlists, the band broke out "The Seventh Stranger" for U.S. shows early this year. And for the recent NASA concert, Duran went with a space theme, playing "Planet Earth" and "Space Oddity" from the standard setlist, but also dusting off lesser-played tracks like "Astronaut." Duran also tried its hand at a space-themed cover song, "Walking on the Moon" by the Police. It was a magical night for the band and its fans that all started with another surprise: the band taking the stage as drones put on a light show overhead, opening with "The Universe Alone." It was a moment that proves that Duran can still elicit chills after all these years.

Duran has still got it

At the end of the day, Duran still exists as a band, and that's no small feat. In 2001, the band was hanging by a thread, its only original members Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes. The Fab Five reunion that followed was short-lived, but the band is still going strong with two of its three original Taylors. Some fans may long for a reunion with Andy Taylor (who did recently meet up with Duran collaborator Nile Rodgers). But even as a four-piece, Duran looks great, sounds great, and "there's energy there" still, as John Taylor recently put it in regards to the band's new songs.

So on Duran Duran Appreciation Day, let's raise a glass to our favorite band, and be excited about all that the future holds.

Photos by Christopher Windle

The Damned and X show their punk rock staying power in Chicago

The Damned and X, survivors from two of punk rock's original scenes, teamed up for a concert at Chicago's House of Blues on May 30.

Both bands have been going strong for more than 40 years. The Damned, from the U.K. punk class of 1976, still has three of four members from its heyday. X, a band out of the Los Angeles punk scene, boasts a lineup of four original members.

X. All photos by Christopher Windle.

X, with vocalist Exene Cervenka, bassist/vocalist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer D.J. Bonebrake, showed why it has incredible staying power. The band performed a rather lengthy setlist for an opening act, playing several of its best-known songs, sounding great, and having fun. When Exene straightened the collar and wiped the face of her onetime husband, John Doe, he playfully proclaimed, "That's true love." 

Tracks like "In This House That I Call Home," "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts," and "Nausea" offered a chance for the band to showcase its energy, an energy often lacking in bands decades younger. 

The Damned is also a band that looks and sounds younger than its years. Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible, the two original members, have long outlasted their contemporaries from the class of '76, the Sex Pistols and the Clash. 

Also onboard for the summer U.S. tour is Paul Gray, who played on the Damned's "Black Album" and "Strawberries." He also happens to be the Damned's all-time best bassist. With drummer Pinch, the two formed a rhythm section that lent an exciting intensity to the show.

This tour, the Damned is also playing its best album, "Machine Gun Etiquette," in its entirety. Though the band usually performs most of the album in its live show, this time, it delivered the songs how they were meant to be heard. 

The 35-minute, rapid-fire album provided barely a second for a breather. After the five-song opening salvo of "Love Song," "Second Time Around," "Just Can't Be Happy Today," "Melody Lee," and "Anti-Pope," Vanian donned a clown nose and unleashed some diabolical laughter on "These Hands." The other lesser-played songs, MC5 cover "Looking at You" and "Liar" (with Vanian getting an assist from a lyrics sheet), were also much appreciated by the crowd.

After zipping though "MGE," the band ventured on to a second set of well-known songs and rarities. The band played deep "Black Album" tracks like "Twisted Nerve" and "13th Floor Vendetta," as well as the "Black" B-side and Jefferson Airplane cover "White Rabbit," which closed the show.

After the concert drew to an end without a Sensible-sung track, it seemed as if the guitarist would come back out to play a solo song, but it wasn't to be.

A Sensible solo song may have been the only thing the show lacked. The band played 22 tracks spanning from "New Rose" (with a manic dance from keyboardist Monty Oxymoron) and "Neat Neat Neat" off the band's debut, "Damned Damned Damned," to recent single "Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow." The Damned also played two encores, Sensible threw his trademark beret into the crowd, and he and Vanian even jousted with microphone stands. 

It's rare to see not one, but two, bands that have been around for more than 40 years. To see two such bands that are still going strong and appear to be having a blast doing it, well, that's pretty amazing.

The Faint displays the best of Omaha at the Waiting Room

The Faint proved that it's not only Omaha's best live band, but Omaha's best band, at a packed Friday night show May 24 at the Waiting Room.

In the eyes of some, The Faint may no longer be an Omaha band, with two of its members now living elsewhere. But the Faint still records in the city, so it could still be considered the band's home base.

Closeness, Faint frontman Todd Fink's group with his wife, Orenda Fink, was the first band to warm up the audience, playing several songs written ahead of the tour. The new tracks included one inspired by the California desert where the Finks now live. The band has a big, dynamic sound, especially for one made up only of two singers, a guitar, bass, and synths.

Closeness. All photos by Christopher Windle.

The crowd, growing in number by the moment as the time drew near for The Faint to take the stage, also seemed to appreciate the melancholy, '80s inspired sound of the second opening band, Choir Boy.

The Waiting Room seemed at or close to capacity as the headliners stormed onstage, opening with "Quench the Flame" off new album "Egowerk." It's quite an experience to watch the band from near front-row center. I was surrounded by fans whose arms flailed along with Fink's, and heads that banged just like guitarist Dapose's and keyboardist Graham Ulicny's.

The Faint followed with "The Geeks Were Right" and "Desperate Guys," displaying the best of a band with seven studio albums. There was little room for a breather through the first several songs; I decided to retreat away from the stage for the rest of the show.

The band relied heavily on its back catalog, playing only four songs from "Egowerk." But "Chameleon Nights" and "Child Asleep," an intense way to start the show's encore, were definite highlights. The band has been playing the other "new" song, "Young & Realistic," for about three years.

But when a band has as impressive a catalog of songs as The Faint, it's hard the skip the career high points: the majestic "The Conductor," "Worked Up So Sexual," and "Glass Danse," which closed the show.

Though Omaha may not exactly be The Faint's hometown anymore, the "ex-hometown" crowd certainly embraced the band as its own, sing-shouting along to songs like "Paranoiattack" and "Agenda Suicide."

And I wouldn't be surprised if many in the audience came back for The Faint's encore performance the following night.

Reflecting on Duran Duran’s ‘A View to a Kill’

With the Bond film “A View to a Kill” opening 34 years ago, it’s a good time to look back at Duran Duran's contribution to the musical side of the franchise. To this day, Duran’s "A View to a Kill" remains the only Bond theme song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The combination of James Bond and Duran during the peak of the British band's commercial success may be why that chart record still stands.

The five original members of Duran Duran joined with legendary Bond composer John Barry to write "AVTAK," which in addition to its chart success, also scored a Golden Globe nomination.

The song melded together the best of the Fab Five: sharp keyboard and guitar riffs and a driving rhythm section, topped by Simon Le Bon's incomparable vocals. It was the last time Taylor/Taylor/Taylor/Rhodes/Le Bon would all record together until reuniting 16 years later.

The video for "AVTAK" also was a hit, featuring footage of the Durans and film stars Roger Moore and Grace Jones at the Eiffel Tower.

Duran still plays "AVTAK" live and even added a Mark Ronson-arranged orchestral intro in tribute to the late Barry, who Le Bon once referred to as "virtually a sixth member of the group."

The song lives on as a musical highlight of the Bond film franchise.

The Psychedelic Furs at the Truman

The Psychedelic Furs' touring machine roared into Kansas City for a fun-filled Friday night show at the Truman on May 10.

The Furs have been touring pretty much nonstop over the past several years. Since 2013, we have seen them twice in Nebraska, another time in Kansas City, once in Denver, and once in Iowa. That's not a bad record for tour stops in and near the Midwest.

At the most recent Kansas City date, the band was supported by Royston Langdon of Spacehog fame. (Soon the Furs will be heading back out on the road with James.) Alone onstage, Langdon played an introspective acoustic set featuring songs like his band's big hit, "In the Meantime,” and David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes."

Good, Williams, Paul Garisto, and Tim Butler. At top, the brothers Butler.
Photos by Christopher Windle.

In contrast, it was clear that the Furs were there to show the crowd a good time. Singer Richard Butler and his band, somewhat resembling a group of merry pirates with their shaggy hair, bounded onstage to "Heartbeat" and kept the energy high from there on.

The Furs played to a crowd that hadn't seen the band in their city for almost three years. The talents of guitarist Rich Good on tracks like "Mr. Jones" and saxophonist Mars Williams, adding a flourish of horns to songs including "Like a Stranger," impressed the audience. There were sing-alongs to "Love My Way," "Pretty in Pink," and the band's biggest-charting hit, "Heartbreak Beat," which closed the show.

Though the band got a bit political with the ever-precient "President Gas," the show was mainly a time to party. Like the best first wave '80s artists, the Furs offer music that fans can escape to. And the world could use an escape right now.

So the Furs delivered, with a shimmering piece of "Heaven," the '80s movie anthem "Pretty in Pink," and the driving post-punk of "India."

The Furs are one of the most consistent touring acts, with an impressive back catalog to draw from for its setlists. The only room for improvement would be the addition of new music to the show. Here's hoping a long-awaited next album is finally on the way.

Duran Duran and Roxy Music

There is perhaps no band on planet Earth that has influenced Duran Duran as much as Roxy Music.

Nick Rhodes and John Taylor were Roxy fan boys before they formed a band themselves. Taylor wrote about those heady days of glam-rock fandom in his autobiography, "In the Pleasure Groove," telling readers how he once kept hold of a Champagne cork that Roxy's driver fetched for him from the band's limo.

Therefore, it's quite fitting that Taylor and Simon Le Bon will induct Roxy Music into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 29. Though the news hasn't been confirmed by the hall, Taylor spilled the beans on a recent episode of "Jonesy's Jukebox."

Taylor's love for the band is longstanding: In 1999, he spearheaded a Roxy tribute album, "Dream Home Heartaches: Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music." The album featured Taylor performing "Just Another High" (a song he was born to sing), David Gahan of Depeche Mode covering "A Song for Europe," and Melissa Etheridge singing backing vocals.

Roxy's original members, including Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno, were true glam-rock innovators. It's high time that the band was inducted into the rock hall.

Roxy was a band before its time, sounding a lot like Duran would sound a decade or more later. The influence on Duran can be heard on tracks like "Both Ends Burning." It's all there: the affected vocals, the galloping bass, the keyboards, the sax.

It's hard to believe that Duran only covered Roxy once, playing "Virginia Plain" live to segue into "Rio." Maybe Roxy is just that untouchable.

At month's end, Taylor and Le Bon will be there as their influencers are finally recognized. Though Duran has also been overlooked by the rock hall, it makes sense that the musicians that had the biggest impact on the band get their due before Duran itself.

Duran's biggest champion, Nile Rodgers, no doubt played a role in the decision to induct Roxy Music, and Duran could follow soon.

In the meantime, Duranies can enjoy seeing Taylor and Le Bon share in the joy of honoring their musical heroes with the rest of the rock community.

At top: Duran Duran takes a Roxy Music stance in an "Astronaut"-era photo. (Epic)

Seeing from so far: Duran Duran's winter 2019 tour

When Duran Duran announced another U.S. tour in 2019, I didn't think for a minute of going. The band has been performing the standard "Paper Gods" tour setlist for years, and I'd already seen a few shows.

But when the band made its 2019 debut in Miami last week, there was a moment when I was thinking of dropping everything and going to tonight's show in New Orleans.

That moment: when I saw Duran was performing "The Seventh Stranger," one of my favorites, for the first time since 1984. The fan-recorded videos on YouTube did it justice. Although Simon mangled a few lines, it was an honest-to-goodness passionate take on the song. In the backdrop: video from the "Sing Blue Silver" tour, with Andy Taylor and everything.

There were other highlights in that show's setlist: the band opened with "New Religion," played "Friends of Mine," and even dropped in a track from "Red Carpet Massacre," "Tempted." Although there could have been more songs in the 15-song set, or different ones ("White Lines" doesn't even sound good to my ears anymore), it was a show I would have loved to see.

Then came Kaaboo, in the Cayman Islands. After catching a glimpse of all the clips from Miami, and photos taken by John Taylor's famous fashion designer wife, Gela, of the band members' arrival, I was excited to see what would be played.

It was the more standard festival setlist. The band opened with "Paper Gods," and played "The Chauffeur," and perhaps inexplicably, "Last Night in the City." There were no rarities added or songs added for that matter. My enthusiasm was dampened.

Last night, the band returned to the Miami setlist for its first show in New Orleans. Tonight, it's the band's second there, the one I would have attended. Conventional wisdom points to Duran playing the Kaboo setlist, or at least not "The Seventh Stranger" for a second night.

But one never knows. Just like Duran did when it played the song a week ago, the band could pull out a surprise that makes me think, "What if." If not, there will always be the 40th anniversary tour, and more chances to dust off gems like "The Seventh Stranger."