Spandau Ballet Reunion Complete – It’s ‘True’

It’s not April Fools Day quite yet, and no, I’m not fooling you with this story. It’s True, (pun nicked from every tabloid newspaper) Spandau Ballet have re-formed, 20 years after they originally split in 1989.

This is one of those reunions that no-one thought would ever happen – and I’m sure many people were quite happy as long as it didn’t – but for New Romantics everywhere, this must feel like a dream come true.

The original line-up comprising Tony Hadley, Gary and Martin Kemp, Steve Norman, and John Keeble are all back together and planning to head off on a world tour. A set of dates in the UK will begin the retro onslaught, before the group head off to other parts of the world.

UK Dates:-

October 13 – The O2, Dublin
October 14 – Odyssey Arena, Belfast
October 16 – Sheffield Arena
October 17 – Glasgow SECC
October 20 – London O2 Arena
October 24 – Birmingham NEC
October 26 – Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
October 28 – Manchester MEN Arena

Spandau Ballet originally formed in 1979 and achieved great success in the 1980s, initially with their distinct brand of New Romanticism, and then later with a more electro-pop sound. Their biggest hits are Gold and True.

The dream eventually ended in 1989 when the Kemps became actors in The Krays. The other three toured as a trio for a while before moving on to other projects themselves. There was also a nasty legal case between some of the members and Gary Kemp, the former claiming the latter owed them a large share of songwriting royalties. They lost the case.

Any nastiness seems to have been forgotten and Spandau Ballet are now back. Talk of the legal case has been branded off-topic and the group are even contemplating releasing some new material.

The only question remains is whether they’ll don the outrageous outfits once again for the tour. If so, they’ll surely frighten small children.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]