Duran Duran guitarist on his 'emotional' Exeter homecoming gig

BBC News

3 days ago

As Duran Duran prepare to take the stage at Powderham Castle in Devon, lead guitarist Dom Brown is experiencing more than just pre-show excitement, he is coming home."I lived here from the age of four to 12," Brown says, standing in Bull Meadow Park, Exeter, a place still vivid in his memory."This hill, we used to sledge down it when it snowed and I had a den in those bushes over there.Now based in London, Brown's return to Exeter has stirred a wave of nostalgia. "We'd sneak into a derelict building by the cemetery. It was just kids messing about, but those memories are strong."
Earlier in the day, he visited his childhood home."I wasn't expecting to go back inside," he said. "But walking through that door, it hit me."The pine floorboards were exactly as I remembered, the layout hadn't changed."My old bedroom still faced the garden, of course, everything seemed bigger when I was a kid, but it was all there. It was emotional."Exeter was where his love of music was born. He recalls a pivotal moment at school, thanks to an unconventional PE teacher."Mr Newell, he was an ex-hippie, I think, used to play music before class."One day he put on Pink Floyd's Welcome to the Machine. I remember lying on the mat, listening, and just being completely transfixed."That was it, that was the moment I knew I had to do something with music."Brown also spent hours in a local record shop, Pitts, where he would queue up to sit in the listening booths."It was like a padded white cell," he laughs."You'd go in, pick a song, and just sit there, soaking it in until someone kicked you out. Those experiences were foundational."
Brown's early influences were steeped in classic rock: Pink Floyd, Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Queen, and, later, blues legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan. His parents' record collection, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, also left a mark.Fast forward to 21 years ago, and Brown found himself stepping into the world of Duran Duran.
Brown became Duran Duran's guitarist after filling in for Andy Taylor in 2004, initially as a temporary replacement and then as a full-time touring member in 2006."It was a whirlwind," he said. "I got a call on a Wednesday from their tour manager, asking if I could play with them that Friday."I met John and Roger Taylor that night, jammed with them in a studio. They were testing me playing riffs, seeing if I could keep up."John Taylor handed him a stack of CDs, nine or 10 albums' worth of material, with about 20 songs marked up."I stayed up most of the night learning them," Brown recalled."The next day, I was back in the studio with John and Roger, running through everything. Nick and Simon were in Europe doing promo, so there weren't even any vocals."Then I met them in Tunbridge Wells, we ran through the set once and then we did the show. It was an absolute whirlwind."
Since then, Brown has become a core part of the band's sound, recording on several albums, co-writing songs, and touring the world."There've been so many highlights," he said. "Playing Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl, the Concert for Diana in 2007 and Live 8 in 2005."But the standout for me was headlining BST Hyde Park in 2022, 75,000 people in my now home town. That was unforgettable."And now, another special moment awaits."Playing Powderham Castle, here in Exeter, where it all began, it's going to be emotional," he said."I'm trying not to put too much pressure on it, but I know there'll be a special energy in the air. I can already feel it."
Despite his global career, Brown still feels a deep connection to Exeter."These were my formative years," he says. "At that age, a year feels like a lifetime. So spending eight years here, it's a major part of who I am."When he's not touring with Duran Duran, Brown keeps busy in London, where he runs his own studio and performs with his covers band, Uncovered: The Electric Rock Experience."We play the music I grew up with, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Bowie. It's a joy."As the lights go up tonight at Powderham Castle later, Brown will not just be playing another show.