Europe will take to the stage at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in high spirits on Friday night. Their latest world tour has brought them not just to the UAE for the first time but to other territories as well.
“It has been an amazing tour,” says the band’s singer Joey Tempest. “We did Mexico, which has been great. Generally I feel that we managed to re-establish the band and created new interest, which we are very happy about.”
The source of the new-found attention is Europe’s latest album Bag of Bones. Released last year, their ninth album finds them moving away from their trademark majestic rock towards a dirtier blues sound.
Tempest explains the album is meant to sound deliberately grubby. “It is more of a touring band’s record,” he says. “We went to an old studio in Stockholm that was full of old gear and we managed to record it quite quickly. I feel the album has now brought us to the classic rock and blues community, so in the live shows we now get a nice mix of the young and old.”
Tempest also credits Bag of Bones for cementing Europe as a bona fide recording act.
The band have released four albums since their reformation in 2003, but Tempest says Bag of Bones has the band recapturing their mojo: “The first few albums was us trying to find our feet again. With this album we just wanted to do something real and that was very honest. I am happy that we can produce something like this – a band from Sweden producing this kind of blues and soul expression.”
Away from pop
Formed in 1979 in Stockholm, Europe immediately turned heads by producing a heavier sound far from the saccharine pop emerging from Scandinavia at the time.
“We never listened to the Swedish music scene,” Tempest says. “When people were listening to Abba we were into Deep Purple. We always wanted to be a rock band and I think that with our success, we probably became the first band to open the doors for other rock groups from Sweden.”
After the first two albums won some minor regional success, Europe hit the big time with their 1986 release The Final Countdown. The third album, also called The Final Countdown, was also home to the chart successes Carrie and Rock the Night.
While the latter two remain live favourites, The Final Countdown took on a life of its own, becoming a staple of live sporting events and covered by the likes of the pop singer Dannii Minogue and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Behind the beat
Tempest says the song’s signature synth-riff came from him dabbling on a borrowed keyboard.
“When I was in high school I borrowed a keyboard and I wrote that riff on a synthesiser. I put it aside for a few years and when we worked on our third album I brought that riff into this song which had this nice galloping beat,” he recalls.
“The lyrics were influenced by David Bowie because, like him, I was also fascinated with space. We also wanted an opening song to our show and this one worked well for that. We knew the song sounded different and unique but never thought it would cross over to such a level.”
The Final Countdown remains the gift that keeps on giving. Its latest pop-culture reincarnation was in the hit American comedy series Arrested Development where it served as the theme song for the illusions of the character Gob Bluth (played by Will Arnett).
While Tempest didn’t spot Arrested Development T-shirts in the mosh pit, he praises the show’s use of the track. “The way Arrested Development used Final Countdown was really good,” he says. “It’s quite fun actually to watch it and if they use the song like that then it’s great because it actually strengthens the show.”
Say cheese
The Final Countdown couldn’t escape the mandatory cheesy dance remix, however. A few weeks before the millennium, Final Countdown 2000 was released to a tepid response.
Remixed by the British producer Brian Rawling (responsible for Cher’s Believe), the track – meant to be a New Year’s Eve anthem – sank without a trace, with both fans and the band deriding the version. Their drummer Ian Haugland went as far as reportedly stating he “wouldn’t pass water on it if it was on fire”.
Tempest takes a more diplomatic approach. “The band were not happy with it. We were trying to get some other people to do the remix and it just didn’t pan out so it ended up becoming a last-minute thing,” he says.
• To find out about Europe’s 1980s rivalry with Bon Jovi, head to our Scene&Heard blog for an extended interview with the frontman Joey Tempest. Europe perform on Friday night at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. Tickets begin from Dh200 and are available from mpremiere.com. Doors open at 7pm. Visit www.europetheband.com for more information
sasaeed@thenational.ae
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)
AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)
Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Sunday
Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)
Roma v Brescia (6pm)
Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)
Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)
Monday
SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
BMW%20M4%20Competition
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0%20twin-turbo%20inline%20six-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20eight-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E503hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20600Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20Dh617%2C600%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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