Originating as a punk band called The Makers back in 1976, school friends Tony Hadley (lead vocals), John Keeble (drums), Steve Norman (saxophone, guitar), Gary Kemp (guitar) and his younger brother Martin Kemp (bass) changed their name to Spandau Ballet in 1979 and embarked upon a career that would see them become one of the most famous pop acts of their generation.
They went on to have ten top-ten singles in the UK, with hits such as ‘Through the Barricades’, ‘True’ (which reached number one), and of course their decade-defining classic, ‘Gold’. Their albums ‘True’, ‘Parade’ and ‘Through the Barricades’ all achieved platinum status in their home country, whilst their earlier works, ‘Journeys to Glory’ and ‘Diamond’ were certified gold. Their sleek sound and devotion to fashion led them (along with their contemporaries Duran Duran, Sade and Ultravox), to be heralded as the pioneers of the New Romantic movement, and during the height of their fame they were asked to perform at Live Aid - the biggest concert the world has ever seen. Throughout the 1980s, they could do no wrong.
Unfortunately, underlying tensions between the band came to a head in 1990 and led to a bitter break-up, and after a failed lawsuit in January 1999 against Gary Kemp by Hadley, Keeble and Norman, relationships between the old friends seemed irretrievably damaged. Instead they would each focus on their solo projects; the Kemp brothers embarked on successful acting careers, Steve Norman began performing with various house music producers in Ibiza, whilst John Keeble played drums for Tony Hadley, who released three solo albums.
However, on the 25th March 2009, the band invited the press on board the HMS Belfast (an old naval cruiser permanently moored next to Tower Bridge, London, UK, and the undeniably cool venue of an early Spandau gig) and officially announced their reunion. The response from their fans was overwhelming - an evening scheduled for the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena in London, UK, had to be extended into a three-night event after tickets sold out in 20 minutes. These first reunion shows were so well-received that the band was awarded Best Comeback of 2009 in the Virgin Media Awards.
They have since played throughout Australia with New Wave stars Tears for Fears, appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival in June 2010, and plan to play more UK arenas in the future.
Spandeau Ballet's 2009 Reformation Tour in London really delivered to the fans who came to see them at the O2 Arena. Men and women hung on every word of Tony Hadley, lead singer, and on every chord the band skillfully played on their instruments.
The evening was 80s magic, with a raised stage backdrop of a dark sky with thousands of stars, only matched by the thousands of audience members in attendance. Tony Hadley, the star of the show, and ever the British gentleman, wore an impressive three piece suit for the event, like he was on a date to an 80s prom.
The audience was so large that the screen behind the band was perhaps the only way that many concert-goers could get a glimpse of the beloved band. When Hadley sang 'I know this much is true," ladies in the audience could be seen wistfully tilting their heads and waving their arms back and forth with the gentle tune. Virtually everyone lip-synched or sang along with Hadley.Seeing Spandeau Ballet in concert is a worthy event because they are a class act that not only delivers a memorable set, but engages fans to join in on the singing fun to make their night complete.
Duran Duran is my ultimate favourite band since 2006. They are the perfect mixture of rock,pop and glamour. Also this band is a great survivor, since they went through the splitting of the band and had band members quit, but still they managed to come back and make music. I need to admit not many bands can keep going for so long as Duran Duran. I attended two shows on the 2012 All you need is now World Tour. One in Vienna, Austria and one in Budapest, Hungary. Both shows had epic openings, and had great setlists. The song selections were a mixture of powerful and fast; and slow emotional songs. The guys sounded better than ever. On stage they are like a band of brothers that live for music and if the audience parties then they party even more. Duran Duran went through many things in their career but with the All you need is now album they showed that they live in the now, they can still make fantastic music and they got rid of the dirt of the past and with renewed power they run towards the future.
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