Background music and the Olympics opening ceremony
With only 78 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympics, we’ve been eagerly anticipating news on which British acts will be taking part in the opening ceremony for the event on July 27. But, while details on the performances during the event itself are still a closely guarded secret, information has been released regarding a special concert, due to take place on the same day of the beginning of the Olympics.
The special Olympics concert, which will be hosted in Hyde Park, will feature a number of bands, each designed to represent a country within the United Kingdom. Duran Duran, Snow Patrol, Paolo Nutini and Sterephonics are playing on behalf of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, respectively.
“Performing to so many people on the most exciting day in sport will be one of the highlights of the last decade for us,” said Simon Le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran. “We have been invited to represent England for this show, and we couldn’t be more proud. Seeing the torch being lit on the big screens before hitting the stage in this iconic location will be a great experience.”
Here at Soundnet, we believe that the Olympics concert should have featured both Coldplay and Adele; both are the biggest acts in the world right now. The news that Duran Duran are representing our country, particularly when the aforementioned acts are so popular, raised a few eyebrows in the Soundnet office.
In other Olympics-related music news, it has also been revealed that Blur, New Order and The Specials will be headlining a gig celebrating the end of the games on 12 August.
Although news of the acts performing at the actual opening ceremony have been kept under wraps, the background music team at Soundnet have a few ideas for Danny Boyle, creative organiser behind the event. Here are just three of our suggestions:
The Spice Girls
The iconic girl group are background music favourite in pubs across the country. Victoria Beckham’s sporting ties and Gerri Halliwell’s Union Jack dress make the band the perfect act for the ceremony.
Tom Jones
The legendary Welsh singer has been enjoying a comeback of late with BBC’s The Voice. A spot at the Olympic ceremony wouldn’t be too hard to imagine for this popular artist.
Van Morrison
Arguably Northern Ireland’s finest act, Van Morrison would be the perfect representative for the Olympics ceremony. ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ and ‘Moondance’; are still popular background music choices for customers in bars and pubs throughout the UK.
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