Spandau Ballet Tickets, Tour Dates 2017 & Concerts – Songkick
Parr Hall Warrington, UK
Biography
Having sold millions of records worldwide, Spandau Ballet (from London, UK) remains one of the most recognizable groups from the British New Romantic era of the 1980s, with a popularity that endures to this day.
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.
Live reviews
Spandau Ballet
I've been a Spandau fan since right back in the early days, but was too young to see them in those crazy days of the early 80s. I was going to see them, for the first time, in late '88 but the gig was postponed & my mum cancelled our tickets - all because of the film The Krays! After the rescheduled gig the band split, and I believed I would never have the opportunity to see them play live. As soon as I heard the boys were touring the UK this year I snapped up a ticket, and with a mixture of nerves & excitement I eagerly counted down the days.
Finally the UK leg of their current tour started last night at Sheffield Arena, and it turned out to be a night of nostalgia & fun which actually fulfilled two desires of mine - not only did we get Spandau on stage, we had Rusty Egan DJ'ing as their support act. It was like a Blitz reunion - but sadly missing the new romantic fashion & style. With a playlist filled with electronic classics, & inspirations, and with a nice little Steel City themed section, Rusty's set had me singing along & getting into the mood.
When Spandau Ballet finally came on stage it was like I was a teenager all over again. Singing the hits & new songs the boys entertained & thrilled us. With a lovely Blitz segment, dedicated to Steve Strange, we took a headlong rush down memory lane & back again. I won't spoil things by giving away too much, but I had guessed something was going to happen yet had no idea how they would pull it off - but Steve & John having a percussion battle did the trick!
Tony's voice is as strong, clear, & beautiful as ever. And although he may not go for all those high notes anymore, he's selective & always keeps in the most important ones - and hits them perfectly. He can still hold a note for a long time too, without all that terrible wobbling current artists seem to do. Steve's sax playing has lost none of its appeal, still providing that sexy, soulful, edge to some of their most well-known hits, and the man is so talented - I'd forgotten just what a variety of instruments he plays! John's drumming never misses a beat, and literally pounded in my chest at times. Combined with Martin's bass you get the heartbeat of the band. Martin seemed to take more of a back seat in things than I'd expected, though always there keeping the music firmly grounded - perhaps I had expectations based on his acting, rather than his musicianship? Gary seems happy with his role in the band, his soaring guitar taking us to places we only visited in memories til last night. Playing acoustic as well last night we were treated to some lovely moments with him & Tony. Sadly I can't remember the name of the keyboardist with them, but he sounded like he belonged, never once was I left feeling that the synths didn't sound right.
But most importantly the guys were clearly having fun & have, finally, been able to put the past behind them & renew old friendships which never should have broken - quite telling was some of the footage from the "Soul Boys of the Western World" which interspersed the show, in which we hear Gary admit that his ego got in the way. It takes a big man to admit something like that. I just hope that now they have that better ending they all wanted. And I hope it doesn't end too soon, as I'd love to see them live again - and soon!
To anyone seeing the boys play this year, have fun & enjoy the ride. To the boys, I have one thing to say: thank you for an amazing night which finally fulfilled a dream of mine