Spandau Ballet

Although they embraced New Romanticism's puffs and frills, Spandau Ballet are mostly remembered for their sharp suits and smooth love songs - and the fact that they took their name from the German prison where Rudolph Hess was held. Comprised of Islington boys Gary and Martin Kemp, Tony Hadley, Jon Keeble and Steve Norman, the quintet had something for everyone: Gary Kemp (guitar) penned most of the tunes, Hadley (vocals) and Martin Kemp (bass) were tall, dark and swarthy and Norman (saxophone) had blond curtain-style hair to die for. The group had a few chart hits before hitting the big time with the True album, which included hits Lifeline, Communication and karaoke classic True. Commercial gold, the boys kept up the parade of hits with tracks like I'll Fly For You, Only When You Leave and Through The Barricades. Their success started to lose momentum in the late 1980s though and they split. Since then, there have been numerous legal wrangles, the brothers Kemp have become successful big and small-screen actors and Tony Hadley has embraced the 1980s nostalgia craze, winning 2003's reality TV show Reborn In The USA, embarking on a tour in 2004 with ABC's Martin Fry.
But was that the end of it? Not a bit. The Spands must have been running short of cash because 2009 saw them getting back together and embarking on a world tour. Turns out they were indestructable after all.
Clare Lydon
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Artist
Spandau Ballet
City
London
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