Duran Duran - Announce Sydney Club Show

Following the announcement that pop icon's Duran Duran will be returning to Australia in early December to play three stadium shows with Robbie Williams, an arena show in Brisbane, and a date at the Metro in Melbourne, the band today confirmed their own show at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Friday, 12 December, 2003 (the night before their first Sydney show with Robbie).

Tickets for the show, go on sale 9.00 am Friday, 5 December, 2003, with a limit of four tickets per person.

The six upcoming Australian dates mark the first in this country with the original band line-up of SIMON LE BON (vocals), NICK RHODES (keyboards), JOHN TAYLOR (bass), ROGER TAYLOR (drums) and ANDY TAYLOR (guitars) for almost twenty years.

With 70 million records already sold, Duran Duran reformed eighteen months ago and started work on a new album that's slated for release early summer 2004. In between writing and recording they have played a limited number of shows around the world in celebration of their 25th anniversary and the release of two critically acclaimed compilations: The Singles '81-'85 and most recently their first video anthology 'Greatest' on DVD.

This week, the British Phonographic Industry announced that they will be honouring Duran Duran at next year's BRIT Awards on Tuesday February 17, 2004 with the 'Outstanding Contribution to Music Award'. Previous recipients of this accolade include Sting, U2, David Bowie, Eurythmics, The Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Van Morrison and The Who.

The band members' decision to play in a small, intimate venue in Sydney follows hot on the heels of a series of similar shows in the US, where the response from fans and critics has been incredible. In mid-July, after a record-breaking run of sold-out arena dates in Japan, Duran Duran left audiences breathless when they kicked off their American shows with a concert at LA's world-famous Roxy Theatre, in front of a star-studded crowd that included No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, Beck, Gavin Rossdale from Bush, Nicolas Cage, Christina Applegate, and Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray. Marking the band's return to the first venue they ever played on the West Coast, the Roxy date became the hottest ticket of the summer as fans camped outside the venue for days to buy tickets to the show.

Weeks later, the 'Fab Five' hit New York's Ritz ballroom for another spectacular performance, on the eve of the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards (where they were honoured with a prestigious 'Lifetime Achievement Award'), and were greeted by a sold out crowd of screaming fans, paparazzi and celebrities. Those in attendance included Moby, The Donnas, Ed Burns, Christy Turlington, Chloe Sevigny, Famke Janssen, Tatum O'Neal and Debbie Harry.

The New York Post said of this momentous show, "the hungry crowd ... went nuts even before the band played the first notes... As [Duran Duran] tore through hit singles ... raw rock guitars punctuated their signature dance-pop keyboards.... Together, the songs displayed Duran Duran's finesse in creating music broadly influenced by funk, rap and rock." Newsday called the show; "powerful [and] inventive." The Village Voice said on behalf of the audience "[Duran Duran] swooned us to altitudes ecclesiastic."

Tickets go on sale 9.00am Friday 5 December
Tickets available via the Enmore Theatre and Ticketek
Phonecharge (02) 9266 4800 or www.ticketek.com
Limit of 4 tickets per person, limited tickets available

Duran Duran
Enmore Theatre
130 Enmore Road, Newtown
FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER, 2003

And on tour with Robbie Williams
Aussie Stadium, Moore Park Road, Paddington
SATURDAY, 13 DECEMBER, 2003 and SUNDAY, 14 DECEMBER, 2003

Duran Duran "Greatest" CD and DVD out now through EMI Music