Release Athens 2024 / Duran Duran

The iconic British rock band, Duran Duran, has been unveiled as the headliners for the 2024 edition of the Release Athens festival. The announcement comes off the heels of the band’s critically acclaimed new gothic-themed album, DANSE MACABRE (Tape Modern / BMG Rights Management).

The band is set to take the main stage at one of the most important summer music events in Greece, hosted mainly in Plateia Nerou, a beautiful open-air venue, right by the sea, within minutes of downtown Athens, on Thursday July 18. Tickets for the festival will be available for purchase starting Monday, January 15 at 12:00.
A further line-up announcement coming soon!

With extroversion and optimism as its main mottos, against the turbulent times where the festival took its form, Release Athens rejuvenated the local entertainment scene, believing in the liberating power of music – from which, after all, it took its name — providing the perfect stage for Duran Duran to showcase their ground-breaking sound and style, both of which have consistently pushed the boundaries of music, fashion, and art throughout their illustrious career.
Duran Duran’s latest album DANSE MACABRE sees the band unearth bright melodies from the darkness, with 13 tracks threading together new songs, themed covers, and newly reimagined versions of their classics and favorites.
The album has been met with a rapturous response from fans and critics alike, described as “great ghoulish fun” by the Evening Standard, “a treat” by The Independent, “a stylish, warm-hearted album with a sense of humor” by The Line of Best Fit, “damn good fun” by The Telegraph, whilst The Sun praised “energy and excitement”.
In addition to current single ‘Black Moonlight’, and title track ‘Danse Macabre’, the music video for which is powered by cutting- edge AI techniques and has been described by Rolling Stone as “a graveyard smash”, fans are enjoying a third new song in epic album closer, ‘Confession In The Afterlife’. Elsewhere gothic-tinged covers of Billie Eilish’s ‘Bury A Friend’, The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’, the Rick James-inspired ‘Super Lonely Freak’, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ ‘Spellbound’, Cerrone’s ‘Supernature’ and The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’ reveal the darker side of Duran Duran.
As well as Victoria De Angelis of Måneskin providing guest bass and vocals on ‘Psycho Killer’, the album features special collaborations with former Duran Duran band members Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo, Nile Rodgers, producers Josh Blair, Mr Hudson, and long-time touring guitarist Dom Brown.
DANSE MACABRE follows a wave of landmark achievements for Duran Duran. Their 2022 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame marked yet another career peak with the year already having seen the band headline London’s Hyde Park, perform at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, close the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in their home town of Birmingham, and a headline tour across North America which included sold out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden and three nights at the Hollywood Bowl.
Duran Duran has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, in addition to scoring 21 Top 20 UK hits. Their numerous awards and accolades include eight Lifetime Achievement Awards, two GRAMMY® Awards, two Ivor Novellos, two BRIT Awards (including “Outstanding Contribution to Music” in 2004), and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They penned the only James Bond theme to reach #1 in the US, while David Lynch directed their outstanding concert film (“Duran Duran: Unstaged”) in 2014.
You can hear their music sampled in songs by everyone from The Notorious B.I.G. to 5 Seconds of Summer and in reverent covers by Muse, Deftones, and more. “Rio” has claimed spots on Q’s “100 Greatest British Albums,” NME’s “100 Greatest Albums of All Time,” and Pitchfork’s “Top 100 Albums of the 1980s.” Summing up their enduring impact, Vanity Fair proclaimed, “Duran Duran’s always been about constant innovation and the ‘new’.” Given a penchant and flair for fashion, rock music never looked the same after their emergence either. Their impact as style icons has been well-documented.
The Release Athens announcement follows a huge year of live activity for Duran Duran, including sold-out arena shows across the UK, Ireland, North America and Canada. The performances continued the band’s acclaimed FUTURE PAST tour and were feverishly received, described as at “royalty status” by The Times, “decadent and bombastic” by The Telegraph, “a first-class and commanding performance” by CLASH, and “national treasures” by The Spectator.