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DURAN DURAN - Nottingham Ice Arena - Easter Sunday
11th April 2004
Review; Chris Richards
Pics; Baden Harrison and Hannah Fillingham
It was still light at 7.30pm as we strode through
Nottingham City Centre to meet our old friend Baden
Harrison outside the Ice Arena for the Duran Duran
concert. We were late and as we approached we could
see him puffing nervously on a cigarette, dressed
in his casual jacket and rimless spectacles. 'I didn't
think you were coming, I thought I'd been a victim
of the biggest practical joke ever he said. A Fire
Engine encircled the venue, blasting out 'Planet Earth'
and ticket touts with London tongues were everywhere
'Frant row, frant row'.
Before entering the reception area, Hannah Fillingham
not even born when Duran Duran were in their heyday,
took a photograph of us. Inside were many familiar
faces, perhaps from chance meetings in Rock City or
on the stairs down to Hardys Wine Bar twenty years
ago! Baden went to get drinks and we joked that it
was the first drink he'd ever bought us. As a 14 year
old futurist schoolboy, he'd cadged Pina Coladas and
Island Casks in Hardys Bar, and even though we were
broke at the time we rarely refused. After being banned
from going out by his parents, young Baden would put
on his Simon Le Bon suit, and slip out of his bedroom
window, escaping his Thorneywood prison for the freedom
of Notts' clubland. The rolled-up sleeping bag under
his bedsheets was a classic touch that fooled his
folks everytime.
High up in the Gods at the Ice Arena we watched the
support band Goldfrapp finish their set, occasionally
standing to let people into their seats, our knees
level with heads in the row below. Fans milled round
in the central arena like worker ants. Two middle-aged
ladies in pink 'Wild Girls' T-shirts made us laugh
as did the girl who staggered up the steep steps in
her white boots and nearly went 'arse-over-tit' on
the stone floor below. Baden in 'backstage pass mode'
kept leaving his seat to find one of his friends who
worked at the stadium, but eventually had to admit
defeat.
Duran entered to a grumbling analogue synth-wash,
the five original members lining up like 'Men In Black'
in the spotlight. Le Bon stood in the centre wearing
Baden's old white jacket! For all the tongue-in-cheek
jibes, Duran has an enviable repetoire and the hits
came thick and fast. It was good to see the band in
their old line-up. Andy Taylor effortlessly tackled
Warren Cuccurullo's guitar licks on 'Come Undone',
and 'Ordinary World'. Le Bon seemed to have slimmed
down since we last saw them in 2001, though drummer
Roger Taylor was caught on camera with blueface and
a giant white shirt to hide his gut. Was Nick Rhodes
wearing eye-liner? Of course he was! Andy looked tiny
in his black jacket and blowfly specs and 45-year
old Simon almost lost his footing on a spectacular
spin back from the drum-riser to the mike, prompting
us to laugh out loud.
'Notorious' metamorphosised into a Chic number briefly
(John Taylor's inspiration), before Simon's elastic
vocal snapped it back into the verse like a length
of knicker elastic. As Simon introduced each band
member in the time honoured fashion, the biggest cheer
was reserved for John Taylor, now with jacket discarded,
twanging his old 70s Aria Pro, the varnish now two
decades older and looking like a well-worn sideboard.
They encored with 'Girls on Film', or was it 'Boys
on Fags'? Andy Taylor having lit-up during the break.
John and Andy even managed a Chuck Berry style duckwalk
across the stage during 'Rio'.
As the final chord rang out, the whole arena went
crazy! Then half of Nottingham spilled out into the
redeveloped Lace Market with tipsy girls singing drunken
choruses, many of them still wearing the fashion disasters
of their youth.
Review; Wendy Hemmings
I too was there! In the standing bit and about ten
'rows' from the front! Fantastic show and boundless
energy (and that was just me!). I went with three
other girls, we had been drinking in town sin ce 2pm
to get us all in the mood! One of our party was eight-months
pregnant but was still prepared to stand for twohours
in the Arena waiting for Duran Duran to come on and
another two hours watching them! She was in agony
by the end of it. She too nearly went arse over bump
when we were climbing the stairs to get out (along
with loads of other people having the same problem
with the steep steps!)
During the show it got a bit hot and sweaty down
there and a girl next to us fainted, just like the
good old days eh?!
Other noteable sightings on the night:
Robert Greene - ex-Clarendon lecturer, ex-KRCS AppleCentre
Director: Seen near the Council House, walking his
dog and accompanied by his wife Anne.
Mark Whitten - ex-M&M Design Paintbox Operator:
In the Ice Arena foyer, fifteen years on, looking
as cherubic as ever.
Wayne Evans - ex-GAFFA pub-rock superstar: At the
Turf Tavern, Upper Parliament Street, now sporting
vagrant hairstyle and sea-fearing beard, enjoying
a post-gig pint...well it would have been enjoyable
if it wasn't for us knocking on the pub window!
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