DC’s top blog for live concert reviews
Culture Club (Photo courtesy Ticketmaster)
New wave icons Culture Club sound better than ever, and you can hear and see for yourself when they take to the stage at SSE Arena, Wembley, on Saturday, Dec. 19, for a special livestream performance, Rainbow in the Dark!
Midge Ure (Photo courtesy Erika Tooker)
The brilliantly talented Midge Ure inaugurated his Backstage Lockdown Club — a series of live performances, presentations, and chat — via his Patreon site over the last few months. The gregarious singer-songwriter takes requests, performs acoustically, shares tales, greets guests, and more several times a month for a very reasonable subscription fee! In a time of very few concerts due to the pandemic, Midge has thrown us a live music lifeline, and it’s an absolute pleasure to be greeted in song or story by his distinctive Scottish vocal.
During the concert series, Midge performs songs from his solo back catalogue as well as covers and selections from his other bands, including of course Ultravox, the influential New Romantic band he fronted from 1979-1988 (and again circa 2008-2013). Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter caught up with Midge via Skype to chat about Backstage Lockdown Club, the 40th anniversary of Ultravox’s breakthrough album Vienna, and more.
Midge Ure (Photo courtesy the artist)
Midge Ure has launched his Backstage Lockdown Club! And Midge has scheduled his next livestream show for Patreon supporters on Saturday, Sept. 19.
The Backstage Lockdown Club gives the viewer exclusive, regular access to a series of intimate, musical events on a monthly subscription basis. Every month there will be at least one (for a minimum of 45 minutes) Club Event with the opportunity to make musical requests, Q+A sessions, acoustic songs, and just generally chat with Midge, all live from his Environment Studio.
Duran Duran performs at The Fillmore New Orleans on Feb. 19, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Editor’s Note: Parklife DC asked its contributors to write essays about their favorite bands. These essays appear in an occasional series, My Favorite Artist, and provide our readers with insights into our bloggers, their motivations, and their approach to covering concerts.
To my ear, music is at its best when it motivates and inspires. Popular music provides a forum for catharsis, surely, but I am most excited when I hear something that stirs my soul, lifts my head, and moves my feet.
Cue Duran Duran.
Midge Ure performs at City Winery DC on Feb. 5, 2020. (Photo by Nalinee Darmrong)
Midge Ure, the gregarious former frontman of Ultravox, answered questions and performed tunes from his solo career, Visage, Ultravox, and even the Rich Kids, in a recent evening of story and song at City Winery in Washington, DC.
Midge Ure (Photo courtesy Erika Tooker)
Midge Ure returns to DC with his open and honest Songs, Questions and Answers Tour 2020, which lands at City Winery on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The show is sold out, but here are some things to know before you go!
Bryan Ferry performs at The Anthem on Aug. 13, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
In March, Roxy Music was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In a speech formally presenting the honor, Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon recalled how Roxy’s first single “Virginia Plain” was a pop culture bomb to the British public.
Spandau Ballet with Gary Kemp (far right) (Photo by Denis O’Regan)
Is there any more versatile performer than Gary Kemp? The charismatic musician and actor can play stadiums with his band Spandau Ballet and then light up the stage in London Theatreland. The creative genius today is on a US tour as a guitarist and vocalist for Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, supporting the legendary drummer of Pink Floyd in a performance of the seminal psychedelic band’s early material. The supergroup will perform in DC at DAR Constitution Hall on Monday, April 22.
Mickey McCarter of Parklife DC chatted with Gary Kemp about Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets and Spandau Ballet to discuss the future of both bands and what they mean to him. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) For more information on Nick Mason, visit the website of Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets.
Adam Ant (Photo courtesy Chrome PR)
Pop icon Adam Ant performs his landmark, solo album Friend or Foe for the first time, live in its entirety, throughout the USA from Sept. 4 to October 1. The tour includes a stop at the Lincoln Theatre on Monday, Sept. 23.
Simon LeBon fronts Duran Duran at The Fillmore New Orleans on Feb. 19, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
When I was a young lad in the early ’80s on the search for good music, Duran Duran struck as a revelation. They’ve remained as powerful and interesting today as they were then, and their talent, chemistry, and sophistication were on full display at a pair of shows in newly opened The Fillmore New Orleans this week.
