Duran Duran's bassist John Taylor says the band love playing festivals

Duran Duran's bassist said they have had to learn the art of performing at music festivals, which "weren't really the thing in the 80s".

The band, which formed in 1978, were announced as headliners for the 2024 Latitude festival at Henham Park, Suffolk.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, Taylor said when the band reformed "almost 20 years ago, the landscape had changed, particularly with the festival thing."

"We love it," he added.

"We love being around other artists, and we love getting the opportunity to play to people that perhaps wouldn't come and see us in a concert situation.

"We've had to learn in a way - how do you put your show over in that situation?," he added.

He said Duran Duran's experience in the 1980s was mostly playing indoors.

"We went from nightclubs to arenas quite quickly," he said.

Taylor said the band's appeal had broadened over the years, bringing new audiences on board.

"For a while, Duran were like a girls' band - we were very much associated as being a particular type of band," he said.

He said when they "came back together", they received a flurry of lifetime achievement awards.

"We got a Brit award and an MTV award, and that definitely had an effect on the audiences. It was almost as if a lot of people were kind of awoken and they were able to come and enjoy us," he said.

"That change meant that really anybody could come and have a good time at a Duran show. We've written a lot of songs over the years and our songs have found their way into people's lives."

Taylor also shared his experience of leaving and rejoining the band, saying he had suffered "a kind of identity crisis".

"I left the band about 25 years ago, thinking I was done. I didn't know who I was outside of the band and I felt the need to sort of figure out who I was.

"One thing led to another and I came back, but I came back as a fan, and I think that was important. I came back with a pride that somehow along the road I'd lost.

"You've got to love what you do. You've got to be your own advocate. We feel good about who we are and what we've done - and continue to do, actually."

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