HUGE concert marking the start of the London 2012 Olympics will feature four artists, each representing a United Kingdom country.

So far, so good.

I love the idea of a representative of each of the four nations uniting us in song.

They are Stereophonics (Wales), Snow Patrol (Northern Ireland) and Paolo Nutini (Scotland).

Even better. They’re all excellent live acts, which are diverse enough to give a good account of the nation on an international stage.

But couldn’t England do any better than Duran Duran?

At the risk of upsetting all the band’s avid fans, I would have just hoped for something a bit more current and a bit more exciting.

Don’t get me wrong, I like their music and I know they sold out an arena tour this year, but I’m just not sure they represent 21st-Century England.

How about our thriving contemporary music scene which is making waves across the world?

Any number of artists would be more relevant and still mainstream enough for a mass audience. Adele, Jessie J, Professor Green, Florence and the Machine, Kasabian to name just a few.

Oh well, I guess it’s back to the 80s for the climax of the Olympics concert with John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes, the band who formed in 1978, the year I was born.

Altogether now, her name is Rio…..

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