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. However, that all changed in 2017 when Tony announced he would be leaving the group, and in June 2018 a replacement singer was revealed as Ross William Wild.
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.
What does Spandau Ballet mean?
The band was christened by music journalist Robert Elms who saw the words scrawled on a wall in Berlin. Other sources claim that the name comes from the jerking movements of Nazi war criminals as they were hanged in Spandau prison after the Second World War.
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':
Were 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.
What happened next for Spandau Ballet?
Spandau Ballet hit the UK Top 10 for the last time with the ballad, ‘Through The Barricades’, 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."
Gary and Martin's acting career
It was pretty much over for Spandau Ballet when Gary and Martin took the lead roles in the 1990 gangster flick, The Krays. Martin would go on to act in EastEnders and Gary found a part in Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard.
Did Spandau Ballet get back together?
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 where 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.
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 that while it is 'intimidating', he knows "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 over 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.'
The other members have since said that Spandau Ballet 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."
You can hear Spandau Ballet's music on Scala Radio.