Rez is a troubadour, whose poetry is designed to be literally sung rather than inscribed for the discreet pleasure of the solitary read. Fluid complexity exists in the lyrics covering politics, feminism, intellectual and personal freedom. Tara fits squarely into punk avant-garde, along with artists like the Slits and Patti Smith who challenged masculine assumptions of the genre.

Pól Ó Géibheannaigh Gig Review Concorde 2 2023

Frontwoman Tara Rez's vocals are pulled in as many directions as the music itself. She can sound as elegant as Pauline Murray one minute, as exhilarating as Fay Fife the next, shriek like a banshee, or more accurately Poly Styrene, or sound as aggressive as Siouxsie Sioux herself.

Jo-Anne Green, All Music

THE DUEL present themselves as a punk band that the avant-garde movement may have predicted music to become.”

- Ben Tipple, Punktastic

The Duel is one of the UK's  purest and most sincere punk rock song writing partnership thats started when Tara Rez and Andy Thierum met 20 years ago. Andy was looking for a singer while Tara was going round with some local musicians writing songs. Tara Rez, a real passionate-punk-sound singer, auditioned for Andy with his manager present. There was an immediate connection between these two and within the first 30 minutes of meeting they started writing unique songs together.

The musical combination of Tara and Andy was by far thrilling and a bit unpredictable at first, but after working on some sound adjustments, The Duel was born. The Duel began gigging in 2001 supporting acts such as; Utah Saints Also played at some Garrisons, after a song called ‘No Fury’ was play listed on BBC World Service by the late John Peel.

The Duel Debut Album “Let's Finish What We Started” was released on their own label FFR UK in 2007. The band gained a well deserved recognition with many new fans jumping on board and some great reviews in the music press. However, the music scene was not just a five stars hotel stay for The Duel over the years. Their first steps started in times where it was hard to get a gig, they barely got paid and had many challenges as the music scene was going bust -  But it’s always the music what really matters for them and so they pursued eith their DIY ethics, making music they believed in, which gratefully, had a phenomenal response from the global online audience starting from the MySpace days.

Now armed with seven albums, new song 'Rule The World' to be released alongside a tour. 

THE DUEL  Live Line Up 2024

The Duel is bringing the noise with a powerful mix of live guitar and sequenced layers. Tara Rez steps up solo, leading an intense, stripped-back experience with electronic elements that bring depth to the sound. It’s The Duel in raw form—direct, DIY, and unstoppable.

THE DUEL 'Live Line Up 2023 - August 2024:

Tara Rez - VOX

Paul Laventhol - Guitars

Shows with Paul Lavethol 

Discography
The Duel has a rich catalog of music, much of it still unreleased, reflecting their "no rules" approach. The band’s vision is rooted in freedom, with punk rock as the driving force behind their sound. Their style is “free-spirited,” blending classic punk influences with their own raw, unfiltered energy.

Notable Shows and Tours
Throughout their career, The Duel has shared stages with icons like Angie Bowie, Buzzcocks, The Slits, UK Subs, Sham 69, The Vibrators, The Adicts, and many more legends of the punk scene. Highlights include performances at iconic venues like New York’s CBGB and shows alongside acts such as The Red Alert, Business, Menace, and Angelic Upstarts.

They’ve headlined memorable events like the Polystyrene (X-Ray Spex) Aftershow in 2008, the British Music Awards in 2009, and the Skunk Anansie Aftershow in 2010. For the past four years, they’ve been a mainstay at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool 2004 - 2017 , 2020 Online , & 2024  with shows across Europe, from Vienna and Venice to Amsterdam.

Global Reach
The Duel has taken their raw punk sound worldwide many times, with international tours through the U.S., Finland, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, and more. Each performance earned them acclaim and built a dedicated following, whether playing gritty punk clubs or larger festival stages.

Influences
The Duel draws inspiration from the greats: The Ramones, Dead Boys, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Blondie, Iggy & The Stooges, Patti Smith, and The Damned, to name a few. Their music echoes the raw energy of these icons while bringing a fresh, relentless edge to every track.

Albums

"LET’S FINISH WHAT WE STARTED" (2007)

"CHILDISH BEHAVIOUR" (2009)

"ALL ABOARD THE CRAZY TRAIN" (2011)

"SOUNDTRACK TO THE END OF THE WORLD (STORY OF ZAK SPLASH)" (2012)

"Waging War" (2016)

"Let’s Finally Finish What We Started" (2020)

"Soundtrack To The End Of The World (2022 Version)"

Rule The World Single 

In Their Own Words
Despite a challenging start, The Duel has gained respect and admiration, receiving praise from fans when they became viral on MySpace and punk publications like Viva Le Rock , PunkGlobe Magazine and Big Cheese. The band’s message is timeless and clear:

"Forget yesterday and tomorrow – live each moment now. Embrace who you are, reject pretense, and stay rooted in your identity. Stay free."