Duran Duran's pop Massacre

11 months ago 08th Dec 08:15

Back in an era style forgot, when leg warmers, puffball skirts and crimped hair were the height of fashion, one band were plastered on every teenage girl's bedroom wall and held warmly in the hearts of housewives everywhere.

Duran Duran - made up of lead vocalist Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor - were the pop heartthrobs of the 80s, known as much for their honed style and good looks, as for being responsible for bringing the New Romantic musical genre to the mainstream.

But while the band's gorgeous looks may have helped prick the interest of teeny boppers eager to spend their cash on their pin-ups, it was Duran Duran's sexy fusion of rock and pop that secured them their place in history as one of the most successful UK acts of the past four decades.

And now, the "prettiest boys in pop", are back with a new album, 'Red Carpet Massacre', a new sound, and a new commitment to being at the cutting edge of 'cool'.

The Duran Duran story started 29 years ago in Birmingham, when John and Nick, inspired by 'Barbarella' villain 'Dr. Durand Durand', started jamming together under the name.

By 1981, the two-piece had become a fivesome, with Simon, Andy and Roger, and the group had a top five UK hit with their third single 'Girls on Film'.

But it was the release of the song's erotic music video, featuring topless women mud-wrestling and clips of stylised sexual fetishes, that really got them noticed.

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