new romantic

Livestream Preview: Midge Ure @ Patreon, 9/19/20

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Midge-Ure-Event 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.

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My Favorite Artist: Duran Duran

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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.

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Live Review: Midge Ure @ City Winery — 2/5/20

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WMmidgeure02052012 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.

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Live Review: Bryan Ferry @ The Anthem — 8/13/19

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BryanFerry14 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.

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Interview: Gary Kemp (of Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets) (@DAR Constitution Hall, 4/22/19)

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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.

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Live Review: Duran Duran @ The Fillmore New Orleans — 2/19/19

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DuranDuran15 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.

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Preview: China Crisis @ City Winery, 12/6/18

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China Crisis (Photo courtesy the artist)

UK sophistipop duo China Crisis has made fantastic music, much of which I personally relate to the English New Romantics and their passionate style of forward-looking lyrics with rousing synthpop.

While they’ve been consistently active since their days on the charts, the band’s visits to the United States have been rare until recently. And now, China Crisis performs at City Winery on Thursday, Dec. 6.

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