Everything you need to know about 'Gold' hitmakers Spandau Ballet
They gave us hits like 'True' and many more...
Spandau Ballet are one of the most successful bands to have emerged from the New Romantic era, helping to define the 80s with a succession of smash hit singles like 'True', 'Gold', 'Through the Barricades' and their debut single, 'To Cut A Long Story Short'.
The band formed back in 1979 with the classic line-up of brothers Gary and Martin Kemp, Tony Hadley, Steve Norman, and John Keeble. Although the group was hugely popular in the 80s with a resurgence in 2009, Spandau Ballet has been inactive since 2019 after singer Tony Hadley and then his replacement Ross William Wild left the band.
Here we look at who the band Spandau Ballet are (and were), the hits they've had and what they're up to now... Here's everything you need to know about Spandau Ballet.
Who were Spandau Ballet?
Spandau Ballet formed in North London in 1979 after being inspired by the likes of David Bowie, Kraftwerk and Chic. Their line-up was made up of brothers Gary and Martin Kemp on guitar and bass respectively, singer Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.
Having become integral figures at the Blitz club in London, the band moved away from its punk roots to provide the New Romantics with up-to-date music. They formed their own label, Reformation, and following a bidding war, Spandau Ballet licensed their releases to Chrysalis.
Are Martin and Gary Kemp related?
They are. Martin and Gary are brothers who worked alongside each other for many years as part of Spandau Ballet. Martin spoke about what it was like to work with his brother and explained: "Gary and I were like the pressure cooker, the release valve. When pressure in the band built up, Gary and I would go off and argue. Our arguments would sometimes turn into fights, but we were brothers, we knew that our love went beyond the fight and we would get it out of our systems.
"If there were problems in the band, I could talk about it to Gary, whereas the other guys couldn't because it would probably mean an end to the band."
Where does the name Spandau Ballet come from?
Having worked through several band names including Roots and The Cut, the group finally settled on Spandau Ballet in 1979.
The band was christened by music journalist Robert Elms who saw the words scrawled on a wall in Berlin. There are several stories about what the band's name means, and although the group has never confirmed what it means for them, it's thought to be linked to a phrase used during World War I or II.
Who wrote Spandau Ballet’s songs?
Guitarist Gary Kemp was the band’s principle songwriter, although this was to prove contentious further down the line. In 1999, he was sued by his bandmates Tony Hadley, Steve Norman and John Keeble who claimed that they had an agreement in place that guaranteed them a share of the songwriting royalties. The trio lost their case.
As for Gary Kemp’s songwriting, his hit-making prowess was recognised with an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection.
Which was Spandau Ballet's first single?
It’s fair to say that they didn’t hang about when it came to setting the charts on fire. Their first single, ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’ was reportedly released 10 days after it was recorded and shot into the Top 5 in 1980. This was swiftly followed by ‘The Freeze’ and ‘Musclebound’. Released in 1981, the parent album, ‘Journeys To Glory’, peaked at Number 5 and went Gold in the UK.
Their second album, ‘Diamond’, was released a year later. As evidenced by the hits ‘Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)’ (No. 3) and ‘Instinction’ (No. 10), Spandau Ballet left the more electronic influences of their debut album behind for an altogether funkier sound.
WATCH: The music video for 'To Cut A Long Story Short':
Did Spandau Ballet have a Number 1 hit?
They did indeed with ‘True’. And not just any old Number 1, but a proper bona fide global smash. The third single from the album of the same name, ‘True’ topped the charts in the UK, Canada and Ireland.
It went Top 5 in the US, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland, and Top 10 pretty much everywhere else. It hit Number 1 in the US when hip-hop group PM Dawn sampled the track for their 1991 hit, ‘Set Adrift On Memory Bliss’.
It’s follow-up, ‘Gold’, didn’t go quite as far, but hitting Number 2 is hardly a disgrace, is it?
WATCH: The music video to 'Gold':
Was Spandau Ballet in Band Aid?
On 25th November 1984, Bob Geldof achieved two incredible feats. One was getting pop stars out of bed before midday, and the second was assembling them at SARM West Studios in Notting Hill to record the fundraising single, ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’.
Spandau Ballet were among the artists taking part. These also included New Romantic rivals Duran Duran, Wham!’s George Michael, Bono from U2, Bananarama and many more. Spandau Ballet also played Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on 13th July 1985.
'Through The Barricades'
Spandau Ballet hit the UK Top 10 for the last time with the ballad, ‘Through The Barricades’ in 1986, which peaked at Number 6. Inspired by the trouble in Northern Ireland, it spent 10 weeks in the charts.
Martin commented that this song is his favourite the band ever made, saying: "My favourite song was always ‘Through the Barricades', I thought it was the best song Gary ever wrote. It started off as a song about The Troubles but it turned into everyone’s song, and then we turned it into our song when we got back together after 15 years. So that’s always special."
WATCH: The music video for 'Through the Barricades':
Did Spandau Ballet split up?
The group split up in 1990, following a disagreement over songwriting royalties. Tony, Steve and John continued to tour as a trio for a while after the split before pursuing other projects. To fans' surprise and delight, all five members reunited in 2009 and announced a world tour.
They continued to perform together for several years and all seemed well with the group until Tony Hadley left in 2017. The band continued with Ross William Wild replacing Tony as the lead singer, but this new line-up lasted less than a year before Ross left the band. Spandau Ballet have been inactive since.
Gary and Martin's acting career
In 1990, Gary and Martin took the lead roles in gangster flick The Krays. After this, Martin went on to act in EastEnders, and films Murder Between Friends and Sugar Town, while Gary took on a part in Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard.
Spandau Ballet's reunion
Spandau Ballet reunited in 2009 and embarked on a successful world tour. Their tickets for their O2 Arena gig flew out the door so quickly that another two dates were added. Director Julien Temple also made the documentary Soul Boys Of The Western World about them, which premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014.
That year they also released a new album called: 'Once More'.
Why did Spandau Ballet fall out?
It wasn’t so much falling out, but Tony Hadley announced on Twitter in 2017 that he was leaving because of ‘circumstances beyond (his) control.'
Who was Spandau Ballet's new singer?
After Tony Hadley left Spandau Ballet, the position of lead singer was taken by Ross William Wild. Two months after announcing Ross would be joining the band, he gave his first TV interview and spoke of the band's new 'energetic' dynamic.
Ross, who is in his 30s - younger than one of the band's biggest hits, 'Gold' - said at the time that while it was 'intimidating', he knew "they've got a legacy and it's a responsibility of mine to pay homage to that legacy, but also to do it my own way."
In December 2018, Spandau Ballet tweeted a photo, reflecting on the year saying it has been 'quite the year', with some 'incredible live shows'.
When did Ross William Wild leave Spandau Ballet?
Unfortunately, Ross' reign with Spandau did not last long, and he tweeted his departure from the band in May 2019, writing, 'I have formally quit the band @SpandauBallet to pursue my own music with my band ‘Mercutio’. I’ve loved every minute of singing for Spandau and have all the respect in the world for the boys. Thank you.'
Are they getting back together?
Spandau Ballet's members have said that the group is "on hold" until Tony Hadley returns, as Martin Kemp said on This Morning: "The band stopped playing, and we thought it would be really cool if we took out Ross William Wild, who was a lovely man, and a lovely singer.
"It was great fun, but what I started to realise was what people really wanted is the five of us together, and I think what we should do, to be fair to that, is to put it into a box and let it sit there until that happens. If one day the five of us can talk and get back together then it’ll be wonderful."
He added that they wouldn't work together again "until Tony comes back – until the five of us come back."
Martin said: "It’s not just Tony, it’s all five of us. Our band is so volatile, one minute we’re the best of friends and the next minute we fall out, and it’s always been like that. I would love it to happen because it’s part of me, it’s part of my soul, and I would love it to happen and would to it tomorrow. But it means all five of us saying yes at the same time."
Where are the band members now?
As well as their time in Spandau Ballet, all five original members have pursued separate careers.
Martin Kemp
As well as being a talented musician, Martin Kemp tried his hand at acting, appearing in EastEnders as Steve Owen from 1998-2002. He has also featured on a number of films and other TV shows including The Masked Singer, Celebrity Gogglebox and Celebrity Big Brother.
The musician released an autobiography in 2000 as well as a book called Ticket To The World: My 80s Story, which looks back at his life during the 80s. It came out in November 2022.
Martin is also a presenter on Magic, where he hosts The Mix Tape with Martin Kemp on Friday evenings, playing the biggest songs of the 70s. 80s and 90s.
Gary Kemp
After Spandau Ballet's split, Gary has since pursued a solo music career, releasing two albums, 'Little Bruises' in 1995 and 'INSOLO' in 2021. In recent years, he has also toured with the group Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, with Pink Floyd members Nick Mason, Guy Pratt, Lee Harris, and Dom Beken.
Tony Hadley
Tony pursued many solo projects before and after he left the band for good in 2017, and throughout his career he has released six solo studio albums as well as six live albums.
In 2002, he took part in the reality TV series Reborn in the USA where he competed against other artists to win a recording contract with Universal Music. After winning, he released the album 'True Ballads'. His TV appearances also include I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2015, where he finished in sixth place.
He was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours in 2019 for his charitable services to Shooting Star Chase Children's Hospice Care.
In 2022, Tony completed a 40-date tour of the UK to celebrate 40 years in the music industry which was originally scheduled for 2020.
Steve Norman
Steve played saxophone, guitar, percussion and other instruments for Spandau Ballet and he has also collaborated with a number of other musicians since the group disbanded. He co-founded band Cloudfish and continues to tour with a variety of musicians. Steve has shows scheduled across the UK in February 2023 with The Sleevz, who he has been performing with since 2021.
John Keeble
After Spandau Ballet's first split, John Keeble drummed in the Tony Hadley solo band and toured with him throughout 2006.
He also has his own group called I Play Rock, in which he is a drummer and singer.
You can hear Spandau Ballet's music on Magic.
Now Read:
Martin Kemp: From Spandau Ballet to star of the screen
Martin Kemp reveals the music that made him 🎶