Up the red carpet outside the Lyceum Theatre, where Duran Duran last played 25 years ago, came the famous and fashionable – Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, the designers Philip Treacy and Julien Macdonald and, bizarrely, Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, from Formula One motor racing. Inside, Bob Geldof hid behind his hair.

That Duran Duran can still cause a stir by simply playing a show has more to do with the current credibility of comebacks than the fact that, last month, they released Red Carpet Massacre, a new album part-produced by Timbaland. Yet the album has presented the four remaining members of the original lineup with an opportunity to extend the revival they launched in 2003 – last month they played a nine-night stand off Broadway and the London show was filmed for broadcast by VH1.

Red Carpet Massacre has been mutedly received by both critics and fans; backing every track with bassy techno beats was bold, but the results are largely bland. Sadly, that didn’t stop Duran Duran playing the album in its entirety.

Clad in black suit jackets and jeans – the former emblazoned with a silver D in the case of singer Simon Le Bon and so tight on his barrel chest that the buttons began to pop off – aided by glossy visuals on different-sized screens and accompanied by a backing singer in a PVC minidress, they struggled to muster a memorable tune from a barrage of beats.

There were exceptions. The title track had a hummable chorus, albeit one with appalling lyrics (but then Le Bon’s always were), the single Falling Down was slick synthetic pop and Skindivers had lovely, eerie atmospherics, but was spoilt by having to be played twice for filming purposes. At least half, however, was simply dreadful.

After an interval, the four returned in satin jackets for a ludicrous electro set that was a homage to Kraftwerk – they stood in a line behind keyboards on stands and covered the German pioneers’ Showroom Dummies and the Normal’s synth oddity Warm Leatherette, delivered robotic rap-style by Le Bon, while the audience stifled their sniggers.

More than two hours in, Duran Duran finally delivered a run of classic tracks and the Lyceum erupted. Rio, Notorious, Planet Earth and Girls on Film had been only modestly updated, but sounded surprisingly fresh. In a rhinestone-studded shirt, Le Bon finally relaxed. Full marks for trying to move on, but looking back was far better.

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