Duran Duran and Jake Shears bring the 80’s back to Leeds!

On Thursday night I took a trip back to the 80’s with Duran Duran flexing their iconic pop muscles…

Jake Shears performed in the warm up as a solo artist, and was obviously delighted to be back supporting Duran Duran as the Scissor Sisters had done 20 years ago. I posted this picture of him from the night on Instagram and was touched that he messaged me to say that he loved the shot!

Jake Shears Support for Duran Duran 04.05.23

This picture was taken on my trusted Nikon, but for the rest of the gig I was trialing the Canon R5…

Jake Shears Support for Duran Duran 04.05.23

Jake Shears Support for Duran Duran 04.05.23

Duran Duran in Concert@LeedsArena 04.05.23 England

The R5 was great for more wide angled shots that enabled me to capture the whole band together on stage. It also has a rather nifty focal point feature that allows you to lock onto the eyes of your chosen performer, and then tracks their face wherever they move, keeping the focus crystal sharp. It was really interesting using this for the first time at a gig and I’m still getting used to what it’s capable of in a live music setting.

Duran Duran in Concert@LeedsArena 04.05.23 England

Duran Duran in Concert@LeedsArena 04.05.23 England

From a photographer’s perspective, the lighting on the night for both Jake and Duran Duran was fantastic. I was originally set at ISO1600 but was able to quickly respond and whack it down to ISO400 as the conditions meant I couldn’t fail to get good shots! I think the colour, light and clarity of the images is great!

Duran Duran in Concert@LeedsArena 04.05.23 England

Unsurprisingly, Duran Duran delivered an 80’s extravaganza with one hit after another. They have a truly vast back catalogue to draw on and the accompanying stage performance was impeccable. At first they appeared on stage as sharp silhouettes against a video in the style of 80s classic movie Blade Runner. Then throughout their performance they also had Smash Hits magazine covers from their heyday blazoned across the big screens. Their loving fans in the audience approved from beneath shoulder pads and flashing head wear! They knowingly sang along to all the hits from Wild Boys to Notorious, and even a cover of the 80s classic White Lines by Grandmaster Flash. The classic Rio was saved for the encore.

Duran Duran in Concert@LeedsArena 04.05.23 England

I confess that I too was singing along in the pit whilst taking shots and thoroughly enjoyed the trip back to the decade that everyone now has no shame in loving!