| CONBRIO | Lively, energetic music by Sting from Brasilia, the capital city in Brazil (3,4) |
| SKIFFLE | Runner primarily favouring fairly lively, energetic music |
| BENIN | Where Porto-Novo is the capital city in Africa |
| NEWYORK | City in the title of a 1988 song by Sting, An Englishman in - - (3,4) |
| SMARTED | Felt the sting from clever journalist |
| CHANSON | Song in German maybe covered by Sting? |
| HUSTLER | Lively, energetic person, or a swindler (7) |
| VIBRANT | Lively, energetic (7) |
| BOUNCER | Club employee, a lively, energetic individual! |
| VICENTE | Sao -- (island city in Brazil) |
| JANEIRO | Second-largest city in Brazil, Rio de ... |
| LUTE | Instrument popular in the Middle Ages and used by Sting in Songs From The Labyrinth (4) |
| BREATHYOUTAKE | Every ___ 1983 song written by Sting and recorded by The Police: 3 wds. |
| UNTIL | Song from the 2001 film Kate & Leopold, written and sung by Sting, that won a Golden Globe |
| FIRE | Most ants bite and spray acid on the wound but ___ ants sting (from the abdomen) and inject a toxic venom |
| ENFEEBLE | Take sting from complaint raised in middle of Henley |
| OFGOLD | 90s hit for Sting from the Ten Summoner's Tales album, Fields ... (2,4) |
| ATHENS | Capital that's in order in Belfast, Brasilia and Tashkent? (6) |
| BOGOTA | A country with capital in Brasilia turning up - South American capital! (6) |
| NEEDLE | Sting from this redundant vessel off at last? (6) |
