Music performers from London have repeatedly conquered audiences and demonstrated their talent in different parts of the world. Spandau Ballet is one of the most popular bands of the end of the 20th century. What are the defining features of their work? Why did the band become so famous even beyond Great Britain? How did the long break affect the band’s creative activity? Learn more at londonski.
The history of creation and the way to recognition
The history of the band’s foundation began with bright emotions and inspiration. In the summer of 1976, Steve Norman and Gary Kemp experienced incredible feelings at a concert of the British band The Sex Pistols, which was very popular at that time. Later, those two friends, who were quite good at playing the guitar, decided to try to present their talent to the public. They were students back then, so the boys had to play in their free time between classes. A little later, three more young musicians joined the band. Tony Hadley became the vocalist, John Keeble played the drums and Michael Ellison was on bass. Their rehearsals in the music class during lunch breaks eventually brought results. Although their first performance took place at an ordinary school Christmas concert, they also presented their talent in quite unique locations in 1980. One of them was the Scala cinema. The band signed to Chrysalis Records and released their To Cut a Long Story Short single. Subsequently, they gained popularity in Ireland, Spain and Australia. However, the path to such success wasn’t easy at all. Firstly, the group changed its composition several times. Secondly, the musicians couldn’t decide on the name of the band (it also underwent changes). Despite some misunderstandings and difficulties, the group still managed to succeed. Their debut album Journeys to Glory was released in 1981. It became very popular and musicians got the opportunity to present their talent in the USA.
The group was developing quite quickly. Its representatives constantly released new songs and came up with original ideas. In 1982, the world saw their second album, Diamond, which was later certified gold by the BPI. Although the band’s tracks decreased in many British ratings, musicians released the third album, True, the following year. It took one of the first places in the ratings of various countries. In general, the Spandau Ballet created songs in such directions as synth-pop, new pop music and new wave. However, they added new features, such as the description of the dark side of romance, the introduction of extreme motifs and the extensive use of the synthesiser. The group’s fourth album, Parade, was released in June 1984. In the process of its creation, the musicians took into account several mistakes of previous musical works and tried to achieve an ideal result at that time. At the end of the first period of their creative activity, the band also released the albums Through the Barricades and Heart Like a Sky. Their last concert took place in 1990, which was followed by a long break.
The break and resumption of activity
A new stage of Spandau Ballet’s activity began in 2009. Then all its representatives reunited for a world tour. In the same year, they released a new album with the very symbolic name Once More. Although the reunion involved just a series of concerts with old songs, the development of the band’s creative potential didn’t stop for another ten years. The band stopped giving concerts in 2019 after one of its members left the group.