Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp masterclass at the British Music Experience

Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp will be doing a masterclass at the British Music Experience under London’s O2 Dome on 28 Mar, which will including the acoustic performance classic films and a Q & a session with the man himself.

Gary will also read excerpts from his 2009 autobiography ‘I Know This Much: From Soho to Spandau’.

Gary said, “Songwriting in the UK is something we should be proud of, to get the chance to talk at the BME amongst the years of history gathered there will be a very proud moment. The exhibition shows the history of British music, something that I am very honoured to have been a part of for well over thirty years”.

Spandau Ballet pictures gallery

Spandau's Tony Hadley wins Gold in his home city

Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley has been honoured for his contribution to music in a celebration of what makes London great to visit.
Hadley, 49, who reunited with his bandmates after a solo career of nearly 20 years, last night won the outstanding achievement award at the BT Visit London Awards.
The singer, who lives in Muswell Hill, said it was an honour to win his first personal award in his home city. He added: “I've lived in London all my life, I love London and it's still great and excites me.
“As a Londoner born and bred I'm thrilled to be receiving this award. London has been a tremendous influencing force in my career.
“In the 80's Spandau Ballet were a formative part of the new romantic scene that had its beginnings here.
“Today London continues to be one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world, at the forefront of music and fashion and it's an honour to be recognised as part of its rich heritage.”
The award, previously given to Dame Helen Mirren, is voted for by the public. Musical Wicked won the Evening Standard award for best family fun.
The Natural History Museum took the Standard's award for best free day out. Visit London named Emma de Souza the capital's first London Hero for organising Kids Week which encourages children to visit theatres.
People's Choice Awards
Evening Standard's Best Family Fun Award Wicked the Musical
Evening Standard's Best London for Free Experience Natural History Museum
Kiss 100's Hottest Music Event West End Live
Magic 105.4's London's Hero Emma De Souza

Spandau Ballet: It's Gold for Spandau's Steve

As Spandau Ballet get return on the road for the first time since the 1980s, guitarist Steve Norman will find even less time to watch his beloved Spurs.
And there's no doubt that he will be receiving a load of 'stick' from his fellow band members after Saturday's result at the Emirates!
He laughs: "Unfortunately for me, the rest of the band are all Gooners!
"It has made for endless banter in the past and getting back together with a lot of history to catch up on has only reinforced that."
Speaking in hotspur magazine, Norman reveals that it was his uncle who introduced him to Spurs - despite the fact that Steve grew up in a block of flats overlooking Highbury!
"My uncle, thankfully, took me to a few games at White Hart Lane in the mid to late 70s...and I was hooked instantly, watching tremendous players such as Alan Gilzean, Martin Peters, Jimmy Greaves, Jimmy Neighbour and others. Martin Chivers was my ultimate hero."
Read the full interview in the November issue of our official monthly magazine, hotspur. It actually takes you behind the scenes and is a ‘must' for all Spurs fans.

Spandau Ballet Supportive stars

Spandau Ballet helped Gary and Martin Kemp cope with the death of their parents. The brothers say their bandmates – Tony Hadley, John Keeble and Steve Norman – became their "second family" after their parents died within 48 hours of each other in January.Guitarist Gary said: "I think I coped and my brother did too because of the band. It was like having another family to catch us. I think they understood what we were going through."They knew our parents very well. They were moved by it and they supported us."Eileen Kemp was undergoing heart surgery at Bournemouth hospital when her husband Frank had a fatal heart attack. Eileen died shortly afterwards. Bassist Martin told Britain’s Hello! magazine: "It came as a tremendous shock. They spent 50 years of their lives together. My dad wouldn't even go down to the pub with me because he wouldn't leave my mother on her own."That's how close their marriage was. The fact that they went together was in some ways comforting. Like it was meant to be. That's how I came to see it and that helped me deal with the loss."The group – who officially reunited in March this year – split up in 1989 and spent the next 20 years in bitter conflict, with Tony, John and Steve suing Gary over royalty payments in 1999.They eventually reconciled and kicked off their reunion tour in Dublin earlier this month.

Go back on the road Spandau Ballet

After 20 years away, Spandau Ballet are about to kick off their world tour. The reformed 1980s band are back on the road, opening in Dublin on Tuesday night.
They say they cannot wait for fans to look the show.
Tony Hadley said: "We just want to get our there. We're fully rehearsed, we're just fixing the lights and the backdrop, which looks a million dollars."
Steve Norman added: "We need an audience now, we need to step up."
The group are also releasing their first album in two decades. Once More is out on October 19.

Spandau Ballet Tony’s a glass act

IF the SPANDAU BALLET doesn't return work out, TONY HADLEY is lining up a nice little fallback.
The Gold singer is eyeing up a vineyard in France and wants to launch his own wine.
He is also talks about a range of chocolate and food.
Tony, who already produces a beer called Hadley's Gold, says: "I've found a vineyard run by a British bloke who is looking to get into the UK market.
"I've tasted the wine and it's fantastic. The only trouble is, I'll likely drink most of it."
Spandau will go head to head with the likes of LEONA LEWIS and ALEXANDRA BURKE when they release their new single and album Once More later this month. But MARTIN KEMP isn't impressed by the competition.
He said: "There's no individuality in shows like X Factor. The people who go into them want success on a plate and when they win, just become SIMON COWELL's puppets."

Once More Spandau Ballet's

This is the first new material the band have recorded since they tear up in 1989.
Following much speculation, they announced their comeback Reformation Tour on board HMS Belfast in March 2009.
Starting in October, they are playing eight dates across UK and Ireland, including the O2 Arena in London.
Tickets for the O2 show sold out within 20 minutes of going on sale and an extra 2 dates were added.
Singer Tony Hadley says: “When we got back together and the tour dates went on sale, none of us could believe the fantastic reaction we got from fans and the press alike. When the chance came to get into a studio and play music together, we couldn’t pass it up.
Gary Kemp continues: “The band gelled instantly and we instantly played better than we did even back in the day. The new song was a way for us to gig that Spandau Ballet are back, not just to play the hits on tour but also to take on our contemporaries in the pop charts.”

Spandau Ballet Offer Free Download of New Song Release

(PR) Spandau Ballet's official site had this update on Friday: Spandau Ballet appeared on GMTV this morning to make the surprise announcement that they are releasing a new single "Once More" and a new album of the same name on Mercury Records this November.
Featuring reworkings of classic Spandau Ballet tracks, alongside two brand new tracks, the album is available to pre-order now from or from the Spandau Ballet store. Pre-orders from the official store qualify for competitions to win signed numbered canvas prints of the artwork, and pre orders from either retailer qualify for the opportunity one of 400 albums signed by the band.
Spandau Ballet are also giving spandauballet.com visitors a very articular preview of the album by giving you the opportunity to download the incredible new version of "Only When You Leave" when you register. If you have previously registered, don't worry, you will be emailed a link to download the track on Monday.
Speaking earlier of the new recordings singer Tony Hadley said: "When we got back together and the tour dates went on sale, none of us could believe the fantastic reaction we got from fans and the press alike. When the chance came to get into a studio and play music together, we couldn't pass it up.
Gary Kemp continued: "The band gelled instantly and we instantly played better than we did even back in the day. The new song was a way for us to gig that Spandau Ballet are back, not just to play the hits on tour but also to take on our contemporaries in the pop charts!"

First single in 20 years to Spandau Ballet to release

Spandau Ballet are set to release their first single in nearly two decades. Once More will be released on 9 November, 20 years to the month that the so called New Romantics released their debut single Crashed Into Love.
The band, best known for a string of 80s hits including True and Gold, reunited in March of this year. They split under resultedly acrimonious circumstances in 1990. Singer Tony Hadley told the BBC: "We got back together and the tour dates went on sale, none of us could believe the fantastic reaction we got from fans."
He continued: "When the chance came to get into a studio and play music together, we couldn't pass it up."
Tickets for their comeback show at the O2 Arena in London sold out in less than 20 minutes, when they went on sale earlier this year. The success of their comeback appears to have eased communication between the band. Guitarist Gary Kemp said the band had "gelled" this time around.
Kemp said: "The new song was a way for us to show that Spandau Ballet are back, not just to play the hits on tour, but also to take on our generation in the pop charts."
Once More is taken from an album of the same name, which features reworked versions of some of the band's past hits. A release date for the album has not yet been announced.

Spandau Ballet see to tickets

celebrate the launch of the newly refurbished LG Arena at The NEC we have got the fantastic prize of a groups of tickets to see Spandau Ballet at LG Arena on Sunday, October 25, along with a wonderful Entertainment Zone hospitality package.
This includes a car park pass, welcome glass of champagne and a fantastic pre gig four course meal.
The LG Arena, Birmingham opens it doors this October after a £29 million facelift. There is a brand new pre and post gig entertainment space forumLIVE that boasts over 100 LG digital screens and a singular LG surprise.
There are also brand new exclusive hospitality bars and restaurants, including a spectacular show deck which looks out over the whole arena bowl and has a private bar and facilities for 100 inner ticket holders every night.
Marking the official launch of the LG Arena, a stellar line-up of 20 bands and artists have been confirmed for the opening season, running from October 7 to December 31.
Performers include teen diva Miley Cyrus, rockers Green Day, James Morrison and 80s superstars Depeche Mode, as well as Spandau Ballet.
The new LG Arena: where life’s good live!To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer this question using the form below:

newly refurbished LG Arena is located at which venue? Is it:
A) ICC
B) The NEC
C) Symphony Hall?

the unkindest cut of all and now

WITH the benefit of 20:20 hindsight, I can pinpoint the exact moment today when things went phut.
Due to a looming manuscript deadline and a neighbour with a vast collection of Bob Marley routinely played at Stadium Australia volume, I currently decided to ditch my London existence for a weekend away. In a quest for a geography that would invigorate me I headed ''up north''. Specifically to that part of England where the road signs stop listing town names and simply say "the north" and "the south"; where people say hello to you on the streets, and where articles in sentences are optional. This, however, is not the aforementioned moment.
After discovering that my four star hotel didn't have WiFi, my plans of writing all weekend took a slight detour. However, in an uncharacteristic glass-half-full moment, I decided to use the time fruitfully and so booked in to get my hair done at a local salon.
Upon comer at said salon a slight young thing, with hair that would not have been out of place on a member of Spandau Ballet, sat me down and started asking me the standard questions.
We agreed on what I wanted. Or so I thought. This, still, is not the moment.
She went off to mix the colours and I settled in to read a five-year-old copy of a magazine providing useful tips on decoupage and baking.
She came back and we began the small talk challenge, where she asked questions to which she had no interest in hearing the answers and I provided answers in the hope of shutting down the conversation.
About half way into the challenge, accordingly with my head half covered in aluminium foil, she mentioned that until two weeks ago her hair had been waist long. Given it was now cut in an homage to the New Romantics, this piqued my interest. ''Really?'' I say. ''Did you get it done here?''
She laughed out loud and said ''No!'' with such force that the foil strips tinkled in the breeze.
Faced with the prospect of asking her to stop half way through, I reasoned that clearly she didn't do her own hair so she was probably the talented one and I would be fine.
And that, dear reader, is the moment when, instead of getting a selection of autumnal low lights and a trim, I ended up looking like David Bowie as the Goblin King in Labyrinth.

Spandau Ballet reunion

Johnny Marr has mocked his '80s pop rivals Spandau Ballet's "chicken-in-the-basket" reunion.
The former Smiths guitarist claimed that he would be happy if someone paid the new romantic band £20 million to cancel their upcoming live shows.
"I can't bear the thought of a Spandau Ballet style comeback. What's the point? Spandau are reforming, so they put on a big chicken in the basket event, which is all they amounted to in the first place," he told the Daily Mail.
"Maybe someone should pay them £20 million not to reform. purportedly we were offered $10 million [£6.2 million] to play a handful of Smiths gigs in 2007, and I wasn't remotely tempted."
Marr, who is recently promoting his new Ignore, The Ignorant LP with The Cribs, insisted that he is too busy to consider a Smiths reunion anytime soon.
He added: "I can't speak for Morrissey, but I know that I'm too busy right now to get The Smiths on the road again. Is that likely to change? Who knows?"

Spandau Ballet are back!

Fans may think this reunion has been long delated but anterior man Tony Hadley, who after leaving the band went solo, explains the band came together again naturally, when the timing felt right.

Spandau Ballet, leading provider of the New Romantic sound, well and truly achieved the 80s achieving ten Top Ten singles and four Top Ten UK albums in that most effete of decades.
They fragmented after the release of Heart Like a Sky, which failed to make a real impact on the charts, and went their different ways.
But now with a new album being recorded and a sell out stadium tour about to begin the Spandau Ballet boys are back.
“It took a long time, from the first inkling it took four years before we sat down, had a pint and asked do you think we can make this work? We had a lettle words and said let’s put this substantial behind us and let’s be grown up about it.”
Fans may think this reunion has been long belated but front man Tony Hadley, who after leaving the band went solo, explains the band came together again naturally, when the timing felt right.
“We’re actually getting on fabulously well. We’ve just been in the studio recording a new album together, having breakfast lunch and dinner together; and I think we’re getting on better now than we ever did. There’s a lot more regard for each other and we’ve all been through such a lot individually…and life’s too abrupt.”
So what can die-hard fans and eager Spandau Ballet acolytes expect from the new recordings and the reunion tour?
“On the album their will be some of the hits acoustically redistribute…and a couple of new tracks that sound really excellent.” The tour, explains Hadley, will be what many fans have been holding out for all these years. “We go on road this October and it’s going to be a greatest hits tour,it’s the tour we should have done back at the end of the 80s.”