The Synth-Pop Pioneers: The Musical Legacy of Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet is an English New Romantic band formed in London in 1979. The band’s original line-up consisted of Gary Kemp (guitar and vocals), Martin Kemp (bass guitar), Tony Hadley (lead vocals), Steve Norman (saxophone, percussion and guitar) and John Keeble (drums). They emerged as one of the leading acts of the New Romantic movement, along with bands like Duran Duran and Ultravox.

Spandau Ballet’s early music was influenced by soul, funk and jazz and they became known for their blend of stylish visuals and sophisticated sound. Their debut single “To Cut a Long Story Short” was a hit in the UK in 1980, reaching number five on the charts, and this was followed by several other successful releases including “The Freeze”, “Musclebound”, and “Chant No. 1”. The band’s popularity continued to grow throughout the 1980s with the release of several hit albums, including “Journeys to Glory” (1981), “Diamond” (1982) and “True” (1983).

The band’s biggest success came with the release of the album “True” in 1983, which featured the hit single “True”, which reached number one in the UK charts and stayed there for four weeks. The album also included the hit singles “Gold” and “Lifeline” and became one of the best-selling albums of the year in the UK.

Spandau Ballet’s popularity was at its peak in the mid-1980s, and they were one of the most successful bands of the era, with numerous hit singles and albums. However, despite their success, the band experienced internal tensions, and Gary Kemp and Tony Hadley had several disagreements over the direction of the band’s music. This led to Hadley leaving the band in 1990, effectively ending Spandau Ballet.

The band reformed in 2009, with all of the original members except for Gary Kemp, and went on a successful tour. However, they were not able to replicate their past success and the band dissolved once again in 2017, following a legal dispute between the members.

Spandau Ballet was one of the leading acts of the New Romantic movement in the 1980s, and was known for their stylish visuals, sophisticated sound and numerous hit albums and singles. Despite their success, the band experienced internal tensions, which led to their eventual dissolution, but they remain a significant part of popular music history and continue to have a loyal fan base.

#1 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#2 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#3 Spandau Ballet; John Keeble, 1964.

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#4 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#5 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#6 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#7 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#8 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#9 Spandau Ballet, 1964.

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#10 Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#11 Tony Hadley and Spandau Ballet; Tony Hadley performing live on stage, 1980.

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#12 Gary Kemp and Spandau Ballet and Martin Kemp and Tony Hadley; L-R: Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp, Tony Hadley, Steve Norman, John Keeble, 1980.

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#13 Spandau Ballet pictured in the Daily Mirror studio, 1980.

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#14 Gary Kemp and Spandau Ballet; Gary Kemp, 1980.

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#15 Tony Hadley and Spandau Ballet; Tony Hadley, 1980.

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#16 Martin Kemp and Spandau Ballet; Martin Kemp, 1980.

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#17 Tony Hadley and Spandau Ballet; Tony Hadley performing on HMS Belfast, 1980.

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#18 Spandau Ballet perform live aboard HMS Belfast, 1980.

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#19 New Romantics fans watch Spandau Ballet performing at their HMS Belfast gig, 1980.

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#20 Rusty Egan DJ’s at a Spandau Ballet performance on HMS Belfast, 1980.

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#21 Boy George and a friend with fellow New Romantics watch Spandau Ballet perform live on HMS Belfast, 1980.

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#22 Spandau Ballet posed in the Ritz Hotel, London, 1980.

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#23 Spandau Ballet posed in the Ritz Hotel, London, 1980.

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#24 Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#25 Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#26 Tony Hadley and Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#27 John Keeble of Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#28 Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#29 Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#30 Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#31 Martin Kemp and Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet performing at The London Dungeon for their first single “To Cut A Long Story Short”, 1980.

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#32 Spandau Ballet at Heaven club, 1980.

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#33 Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#34 Spandau Ballet; Martin Kemp, 1980.

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#35 Tony Hadley and Spandau Ballet and Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp; L-R: John Keeble, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman, Gary Kemp, Tony Hadley, 1980.

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#36 Members of Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#37 Tony Hadley and Spandau Ballet and Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp; L-R: John Keeble, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman, Gary Kemp, Tony Hadley, 1980.

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#38 Members of Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#39 Members of Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#40 Members of Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#41 Members of Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#42 Spandau Ballet, 1980.

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#43 Gary Kemp performing with Spandau Ballet at the Sundown Theatre, 1981.

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#44 Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet on location in the Lake District during the shooting of a promotional film for their third single “Musclebound”, 1981.

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#45 John Keeble of Spandau Ballet performs on stage at the Sundown Theatre, 1981.

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#46 Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet on location in the Lake District during the shooting of a promotional film for their third single “Musclebound”, 1981.

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#47 Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet on location in the Lake District during the shooting of a promotional film for their third single “Musclebound”, 1981.

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#48 Members of Spandau Ballet on location in the Lake District during the shooting of a promotional film for their third single “Musclebound”, 1981.

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#49 Members of Spandau Ballet on location in the Lake District during the shooting of a promotional film for their third single “Musclebound”, 1981.

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#50 Members of Spandau Ballet on location in the Lake District during the shooting of a promotional film for their third single “Musclebound”, 1981.

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#51 Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet on location in the Lake District during the shooting of a promotional film for their third single “Musclebound”, 1981.

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#52 Spandau Ballet performing with English pop group Spandau Ballet, USA, 1981.

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#53 Tony Hadley of New Romantic band Spandau Ballet at a party in London, 1982.

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#54 Members of Spandau Ballet, 1982.

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#55 Pop Group Spandau Ballet in the Bahamas recording their new album, 1982.

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#56 Spandau Ballet performing onstage in Los Angeles, 1983.

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#57 Percussionist Steve Norman and other members of Spandau Ballet sign autographs, 1983.

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#58 Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet during the making of a promotional film for their single ‘Communication’, 1983.

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#59 Members of Spandau Ballet, 1983.

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#60 Spandau Ballet, circa 1970.

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#61 Members of Spandau Ballet, New Orleans, 1984.

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#62 Members of Spandau Ballet filming the ‘Highly Strung’ music video in Hong Kong, 1984.

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#63 Six young ladies meet Spandau Ballet at Wembley Arena, 1984.

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#64 Tony Hadley and Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet perform on stage on the ‘Parade’ tour, 1984.

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#65 Members of Spandau Ballet wave farewell to the audience at the end of their concert, 1984.

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#66 Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran recording Christmas Special of BBC ‘Pop Quiz’ TV show, 1984.

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#67 British New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, circa 1985.

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#68 Gary Kemp, Steve Norman, and Martin Kemp of British pop group Spandau Ballet performing on stage, 1985.

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#69 Members of Spandau Ballet wave farewell to the crowd after performing at Live Aid, 1985.

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#70 John Keeble of Spandau Ballet, 1986.

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#71 Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet, 1986.

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#72 Actors and real-life brothers Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp during the filming of “The Krays” (1990), 1989.

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#73 Brothers Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp promote the movie ‘The Krays’, 1990.

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#74 Former Spandau Ballet singer Martin Kemp and Tamzin Outhwaite during a photocall on the set of EastEnders, 1990.

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