Four decades after their first
historic performance in Italy, at the Sanremo song festival in
1985, British synth-pop band Duran Duran are set to sing again
at the annual music event, its presenter and artistic director
Carlo Conti has announced.
"We have just closed" the deal and "we have the final OK because
after 40 years the Duran Duran will return to the Ariston"
theatre with a performance scheduled in the evening of February
13, said Conti, describing the group as a "timeless band" and
"extremely appreciated international guests" who will surprise
the public "with special effects".
The 75th edition of the Sanremo festival is scheduled to take
place on February 11-15.
Florence-born Conti, 63, takes over from Ravenna-born Amadeus,
61, who stepped down after five highly successful years
following the 2024 edition of the much-loved TV jamboree and
song contest.
Sanremo is a national institution that inspired Eurovision and
helped launch the careers of many of Italy's top music stars
including Eros Ramazzotti, Laura Pausini, Mengoni, Mahmood and
Maneskin.
The Duran Duran are also set to perform again in three Italian
cities in June.
The pop group that rose to fame in the early 1980s through a
series of flashy music videos that portrayed its young members
will hold concerts at Rome's Circus Maximus on June 15-16, at
Bari's Fiera del Levante on June 18 and at the I-DAYS Milan at
the Ippodromo Snai San Siro on June 20.
The band, who celebrated their long-awaited induction into the
'Rock & Roll Hall of Fame' in 2022, have sold over 100 million
records throughout their career.
With 18 singles making the top US charts, 21 Top 20 hits in the
UK and several hits in Italy, the Duran Duran consolidated their
spot as one of the most influential and enduring bands in the
history of music.
They also wrote "A view to a kill", the only James Bond theme
song to have topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and worked with
creatives in film including David Lynch, who directed one of
their most successful film-concert.
Formed in Birmingham in 1978, the Duran Duran boast timeless
hits including "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Ordinary World", "Rio",
"Girls on Film", "The Wild Boys", "The Reflex", "Ordinary
World", "Come Undone".
Their performances in Italy are set to include songs from their
latest album "Danse Macabre" released in October 2023.
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