Duran Duran send crowd wild at BST Hyde Park festival

Joined by Nile Rodgers and Chic for part of the show, the band belted out their greatest hits on the Great Oak stage as festival-goers enjoyed the sunny weather.

The gig marked Duran Duran’s BST debut and is part of their 40th anniversary celebration tour, while also being their only London show for 2022.

Made up of singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor, the band opened with their 1980s hit The Wild Boys.

Le Bon shouted to the crowd: “Good old London town, how are you doing? We are Duran Duran.”

The band, which formed in Birmingham in 1978, also played Hungry Like the Wolf, Girls on Film, Notorious, The Reflex and the Bond theme, A View To A Kill.

They also included material from their recent album, Future Past, which is their 15th studio album. Songs included Anniversary and All Of You.

Presenting Nile Rodgers to the crowd, Le Bon said Duran Duran first worked with the musician and producer in the 1980s.

“Without him, there would not be a Duran Duran today,” he said.

“Today, this man becomes an honorary member of Duran Duran.”

Le Bon later dedicated the song Ordinary World to the people of Ukraine.

He told fans: “Spare a thought for our brothers and sisters out in Ukraine.

“They are going through unimaginable suffering and hardship.

“We wish them peace in their own country… and happy lives.”

Duran Duran closed the show with their world-famous hit Rio.

Later this year, the band will be honoured as inductees into the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, after selling over 100 million records.

Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora and acclaimed Mercury Prize nominee Laura Mvula also played on Sunday at the BST festival.

Last month, Rodgers and Chic performed with Duran Duran at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Party At The Palace, watched by an average of nearly 12 million people in the UK.

Other stars to have appeared at the BST festival include the Rolling Stones, Sam Fender and Stereophonics.