Duran Duran - Red Carpet Massacre UK shows + Arctic Monkeys, Mark Ronson collaborations

With their 'Red Carpet Massacre World Tour' now underway, in support of the release of their 12th studio album, musical innovators Duran Duran have announced details of four special UK shows that will form part of an extensive 30 date European summer run.

Taking in Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham and London, the four original members of Duran Duran: Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor and John Taylor will be bringing a spectacular new production to British shores that will showcase their latest record, alongside all of the fan-favourites from their vast catalogue of hits.

This will be the first time that the band have performed at some of these venues - namely, their first outing in the O2 Arena in London, the Liverpool Echo Arena and the NIA in Birmingham.

The four Duran Duran 2008 UK shows are:

(Check local venue websites and www.duranduran.com for the most up to date information)

3 July O2 Arena, London 08444 775 775 or www.aeglive.co.uk
5 July Liverpool Echo Arena 08448 000 400 or www.accliverpool.com
6 July Nottingham Arena 08444 775 775 or www.aeglive.co.uk
7 July Birmingham NIA 08444 775 775 or www.aeglive.co.uk

Tickets for all of the shows on this upcoming UK run will go on sale to the general public on Friday 11th April, 2008 at 9.00 am GMT.

Prior to that, Duran Duran's fan community will be offering both exclusive pre-sale opportunities and VIP packages for members starting at 2.00 pm GMT on Wednesday 9th April, 2008.

Members should visit www.duranduranmusic.com

This upcoming leg of the tour will see the group's first performances in the UK since the release of 'Red Carpet Massacre' (Epic Records), which the band launched late last year with an unprecedented two-week Broadway residency in New York, and a one-night-only engagement, that was filmed for television at the Lyceum Theatre in London.

In a bold move, Duran Duran performed their new record in its entirety to sold-out houses in both the UK and US, prior to the album's global launch. Encouraged by the enthusiastic response from fans and critics alike, the band are now taking a specially tailored version of this three-act show on the road around the world, starting in Australia and New Zealand, headlining the V Festival series, alongside their own shows.

'Red Carpet Massacre' marks an all-time creative high for the band members, who wrote and recorded this ground-breaking album with producers Timbaland and Nate 'Danja' Hills, alongside today's reigning king of pop, Justin Timberlake.

Duran Duran have also confirmed that the critically acclaimed Sheffield indie band the Arctic Monkeys have remixed the bands second single "Skin Divers". The track remixed by Arctic Monkey's drummer Matt Helders is also rumoured to feature sampled vocals by Helders and lead singer Alex Turner.

The Arctic's association with the eighties pop legends extends to the bands last album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' in which they pay homage to several Duran Duran tracks on "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" where the band use the lyrics "Your name isn't Rio, but I don't care for sand" and on the acclaimed "Teddy Picker" which contains the lyrics "I don't want your prayer, save it for the morning after". Duran Duran's John Taylor is one of their biggest fans. "I love them, they are one of the best bands to have come out in the last five years, probably the best."

The band are also teaming up with Grammy award winning artist, producer and re-mixer Mark Ronson in the Summer.

Duran Duran's spokesman said: "I can't confirm any specific details at the moment, other than to say that they are definitely discussing working on some material together and a possible live collaboration for the Summer of this year, there is a mutual respect and admiration of each other's work." Ronson has also made no secret that he is a fan of Duran Duran, "I have a soft spot for some of that 1980s production and I love great bands from that era such as Duran Duran."

Garnering them some of their best reviews to date, RCM has been described as:

"... their best album since Notorious" by British dance music bible, MIXMAG

"another promising sign of the creative and commercial rebirth in the 21st Century of Duran Duran...without doubt the strongest thing they have put out since their 1992 comeback (The Wedding Album)" by the Sunday Times Culture

Writing for the Saturday Times Magazine, revered music critic Craig Mclean remarked: "'Red Carpet Massacre' is a collection of super catchy tunes that deftly marry the band's proven way with a melody, with edgy hip hop and R&B influenced production from Timbaland."

Marie Claire magazine adds that it's "a guilty pleasure indeed"

During an illustrious career spanning three decades, Duran Duran have remained at the forefront of popular music, consistently pushing the creative envelope and breaking new ground. Since their inception, the band have sold over 70 million albums, recorded countless hit records, received numerous accolades, and have been presented with no fewer than five prestigious "Lifetime Achievement" awards since 2002 (MTV Video Music Award, Q Magazine, The BRITS, Ivor Novello, Spanish Ondas).

Speaking backstage from their concert in Perth, Australia, Duran Duran front-man Simon LeBon said how much they were looking forward to performing again in England with a new production. "These are going to be extremely exciting shows for us", he said, "taking a very different format to the last world tour we did in 2006. We are introducing a lot of new elements into the mix - both musically and in terms of the staging. We have been working on completely different arrangements for some of the older material and will be integrating a lot of our latest record into the performances. We need to keep things fresh - not only for ourselves, but also for our audiences, who can be assured of a lot of surprises with this new production."

Duran Duran - Red Carpet Massacre (CD/DVD) on amazon.co.uk

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