What I will say, er…type…is that John tweeted the big news yesterday, and Duran Duran followed up with their own announcement a short while later. And, true to form – Duran fans everywhere had no trouble coming up with quick opinions regarding the announcement, this Duranie included.
To begin with, I shouldn’t think it was a surprise to many that this name was one we hadn’t heard before. First of all, in my case I’m not from the UK anyway, and this artist hasn’t made any headway into the US as of yet. It’s a tough nut to crack (the US), and I don’t hold that against her at all. It is what it is. In addition, I think the point with an opening act (for DD anyway), is to expose their audience to something new and different. (I’ll get back to the “different” part later…) They tend to choose support acts that don’t have airplay, that don’t seem to have much of a fan base, and in the case of previous opening acts – don’t mind not getting paid.
I think it’s fair to say that Cocknbullkid is relatively new. As I perused her website yesterday, I saw that her first album is due out on May 23, so this tour with Duran Duran is timely. She’s a fledgling act, and she’s just beginning to form her chops – which is made clear when you see her video for Asthma Attack. If the name of the song isn’t enough, give it a good listen. Her voice is clear and sweet, but there’s not a ton of substance there yet.
Many within the community immediately began complaining that the opener is a no-name act. I have to laugh because it was just this past weekend when we were complaining that Take That had the audacity to ask Duran Duran to open for them. Now we want a bigger name opening for Duran Duran. (No, we are never happy. Is that really a surprise??) The reasons for the band not wanting a big name are solid though, and worth considering. First of all, bigger names require a bigger budget. Our band is a touring band. They make a decent living doing shows. The same probably cannot be said for selling records at the moment. (and in all fairness, I think it’s a select few within the industry that CAN say they make a great amount of money selling records right now!) If they went with a larger name as a support, that would cost the band significantly in many ways. First of all, monetarily speaking, their profits would go down. Secondly, there’s always the problem of competing with the opening band for the fans. I myself have gone to shows and been more interested in seeing the opening band than I have the headliner – and Duran Duran doesn’t strike me as the type of band that is necessarily comfortable with the possibility of that scenario taking place. I can’t really blame them, either. Lastly, and perhaps least in priority to some extent, I do believe the band really does want to expose their audience to new music.
All of that taken into account, I really have to wonder what made them choose Cocknbullkid. In the past, we’ve gotten bands like Clear Static, Goldfrapp, Scissor Sisters, along with a host of others. They haven’t always been bands that their audiences would have chosen, but they’ve usually been very unique, and very complimentary to the band. In this case, I’m not finding that with Cocknbullkid. Her style is very different from the band, embracing much more of a top 40 pop type feel than even a remote hint of anything alternative or experimental…and with that top 40 style there’s zero feel for uniqueness. Maybe UK audiences prefer that style, though. I must remember that I’m not seeing the band in the US this time around, and maybe the UK likes their pop more than I like my alternative. That said, the very vanilla style is evident throughout what I’ve seen and heard from her so far. Take her song and video for Asthma Attack for example. The lyrics are juvenile, and the video is anything but original and/or thought provoking. All of that taken into account, she’s not horrible. She’s not controversial, and she won’t piss people off. She also won’t convince me to get to a venue early. Judging from the comments on the boards yesterday – I’m not in the minority. There’s nothing about her that grabs me and makes me want to listen. In the past, they’ve had some mild success with choosing openers that convince the audience to grab their seats early – and I’m sure a lot of this just has to do with luck. Sometimes they’ll pick someone that is well liked, and sometimes, not so much. As most fans say: we’re there for the headliner, not the opener. All is not lost.
Then again, perhaps Cocknbullkid will surprise me. It wouldn’t be the first time.
-R
