The legendary UK band’s primary songwriter, Gary Kemp, is open to a Spandau Ballet reunion.
Comprised of Gary, Tony Hadley, John Keeble, Steve Norman and Martin Kemp, in the 1980s Spandau Ballet was at the forefront of the New Romantic movement, topping international charts with such hit songs as ‘Through the Barricades’, ‘True’ and ‘Gold’.
After Hadley quit the band in July 2017, insisting he wanted nothing to do with the group, Spandau briefly toured with the since-disgraced singer/actor Ross William Wild, who quit in 2019, and was subsequently found guilty of rape, sexual assault and voyeurism.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph to promote his new solo LP ‘This Destination’, Gary Kemp admitted he would be willing to discuss getting the group back together should should Hadley give him a call, stating “I mean, it’s not like a kind of Johnny Marr-Morrissey thing where one person’s gone mad… If Tony phoned me. I’d definitely talk about it.”
On the other hand, however, in a 2023 interview with The Mirror, Hadley (who regularly tours solo,) said “You could offer me all the tea in China and I wouldn’t get back with them.”
Now 65-years old, Kemp claims that he only ever had a working relationship with the 64-year old lead singer and that he never saw him as a friend outside of the band, adding “People said, but you used to be such great friends. Well, actually, we were just workmates, really, because, you know, he was the only bloke who played drums. He was the only bloke we knew who could sing.”
As the former lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for Spandau, Gary understands that his solo repertoire will never do as well as his former group, but he relishes the opportunity to pen “serious music” for himself, noting “I can’t write pop songs for Spandau Ballet, but I can write serious music for myself. I mean, it’s not going to sell as much but, you know, I’m prouder of it.”
In 1990, Spandau Ballet acrimoniously went their separate ways and were locked in a High Court battle over royalties, which saw Tony, Steve and John launch an unsuccessful court case against Gary for a share of his songwriting royalties.
Formed in 1979, the new wave icons made a comeback in 2009 with a world tour, before parting ways again in 2019.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Peter.Wetter