Duran Duran closed the legendary Isle of Wight 2021 this weekend. An unusual headliner, but therefore extra memorable. The old hits and the new singles made a fantastic set.
It is well known that the Isle of Wight festival loves older artists. In recent years, The Who, Fleetwood Mac and Depeche Mode are already headlining. But where these groups have also been seen at Belgian and Dutch events, this is not (yet) the case with Duran Duran. For the frenzied audience of the English festival, the group has proven that they can do it.
The world is knocking
The amount of great hits that Duran Duran put out in the ’80s and’ 90s is huge. Nine of the sixteen songs the band performed on the Isle of Wight reached the top 10 on the UK charts. From ‘The Reflex’ and ‘Notorious’ at the start of the set to the closing of ‘Rio’, the show was a great song. ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, the most streamed song on Spotify, hasn’t even been played.
Moreover, singer Simon Le Bon’s signature voice still sounds exactly like 40 years ago, when the first single ‘Planet Earth’ was released. Even the explosions of delicate songs like “Ordinary World” and “Save a Prayer” seemed effortless. Completed by two backing singers, a saxophonist and an additional guitarist, all regularly allowed to seek the limelight, the music was fantastic.
New music
The group also know that most visitors to the Isle of Wight have come primarily for the old hits. By mixing “Girls on Film” (from 1981) with “Acceptable in the 80s” by Calvin Harris, they handled it in a fun way. But it wasn’t just famous songs that stole the show. The new single ‘Invisible’ was a tight debut and the new single ‘Tonight United’ a true disco highlight. It bodes well for the new album Future Past, which will be released on October 22, 2021.
The show on the front page
All in all, Duran Duran made this a spectacular sight on the Isle of Wight. During the James Bond soundtrack “A View to a Kill” there was a lot of fireworks and the big screen visuals behind the band were well chosen. The young visitors to the Isle of Wight were just as enthusiastic as the more experienced ones. A typical case of “nice to both your mother and your little sister”, but ultimately also just for yourself. Hopefully soon to be admired more closely.
Duran Duran
Duran Duran is a new wave band from Birmingham, England. The group emerged at the dawn of the MTV era in the early 1980s. Singles like “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “The Reflex” and “The Wild Boys” quickly made the quartet superstars in Europe and the United States. United States. In 1985, they provided the title song to the James Bond film “A View to a Kill” and performed on Live Aid. The group’s last big international hits were “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone” in 1993. However, Duran Duran will be back in 2021 with a new album: Future Past.
Isle of Wight Festival 2021
Between 1968 and 1970, three legendary festivals took place on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Bob Dylan, among others, were in attendance. Since 2002, the Isle of Wight Festival has once again become essential in the world of English festivals, with its special story certainly not forgotten. The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and many more have climbed the huge main stage over the past 20 years. In 2021, the headliners were Liam Gallagher, David Guetta, Snow Patrol and Duran Duran.
The Isle of Wight Festival 2022 will take place from June 16 to 19 on the island of the same name in the south of England. Early bird tickets are already for sale.