By Fiona Hurrell, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Iconic Eighties pop music legends Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor of British band Duran Duran, will be in Rio performing their “All You Need is Now” tour on April 30th. The powerhouse group is showcasing material from their latest studio album of the same name.
Fresh from their performance in Brasília, the band will be at Citibank Hall in Barra da Tijuca for just one night before heading to São Paulo and then on to Argentina and Chile where the group will conclude the South American leg of their world tour.
Founded in Birmingham, England in 1978, the band, who began as a self confessed “group of art school, experimental, post punk rockers” left their modest beginnings behind to become one of the most definitive bands of the Eighties.
With a number of memorable hits under their belts including “Hungry Like The Wolf” (1982), “Wild Boys” (1985), Bond theme song “View to a Kill” (1985) and “Ordinary World” (1994) the group catapulted in to success worldwide. In 1993 they cemented their popularity in Brazil after including Brazilian singer/songwriter Milton Nascimento on their seventh studio album, titled Duran Duran.
The group was renowned for creating a unique sound and for their innovative stage performances. Especially since they are considered to have been instrumental in setting the trend for using video technology in their live shows, ensuring that they remained original with their audience, something that has kept them popular over the changing years and has seen them perform no less than nineteen sell out tours.
Musician Alan Pratt who lives in Rio believes it was this innovative presence that set the band apart from the rest. He explains “Duran Duran made good use of the technology available and came up with a fairly original sound, so in that sense they encouraged a lot of music and clip producers who are making hits today.”
Their thirteenth studio album and tour focus “All You Need is Now” is the result of the groups collaboration with noted music producer Mark Ronson, famous for creating hit records with the likes of Amy Winehouse, and includes co-performances with modern day musicians such as U.S. R&B star Kelis and Canadian composer and string musician Owen Pallett.
The finished product combines both contemporary and traditional talent to create a fresh sound for their fans that went on to receive rave reviews from critics upon its release in 2009. Music journalist Crispin Kott of PopMatters even proclaimed “All You Need is Now” to be “the best album Duran Duran has released since Rio” (the groups second album released in 1982).
Unlike many Eighties pop bands, Duran Duran have managed to survive the test of time, remaining prominent with a large audience as well as being cited as influential by many modern day bands and musicians such as Gwen Stefani, Dido and Franz Ferdinand.
Furthermore, it would appear that fans of Duran Duran need little encouragement. With so much hype about their current world tour, new dates have since been added as a clear indicator of its on-going success.
Those wanting to catch the group’s performance in Rio, playing for just one night, can still purchase tickets from the Citibank hall website or from ticket sales website.