One of the most successful and influential British bands of all time return this year.
All five original members of the seminal 1980s band Spandau Ballet got together for the first time in 20 years today to announce the first dates of a world tour, taking in UK and Irish arenas from October 2009.
Tony Hadley, John Keeble, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp and Steve Norman made the announcement aboard the HMS Belfast, the world famous British battleship on the banks of the River Thames and the scene of a legendary and notorious Spandau gig in 1980, from which they first set off on their global adventures.
Only Londons in-crowd supposedly knew where the show was back then, but 1,000s more turned up, even rowing from the Tower of London to try to board the ship.
They blew the electrics and their travelling retinue of London fashionistas and freaks brought debauchery to the historic naval vessel.
From their synth pop and dance pioneering early singles To Cut A Long Story Short and Chant No. 1 (I Dont Need This Pressure On), to the globe trotting smashes True and Gold, Spandau will be playing the hits once again.
With 25 million record sales, six multi-platinum albums and 23 hit singles to choose from, this is one of the most eagerly awaited reformations of the decade.
Emerging from Sohos ultra hip Blitz Club in 1979 during another economic depression, Spandau formed at school in North London before becoming the hottest unsigned band on the planet. From underground, fashion and music obsessed working class Londoners, to global superstars, the band set the pace, the styles and the sound of the 1980s.
Not only did their albums sell by the millions, but their look and style impacted on the fashion world and beyond. They created their own style, combining creativity with entrepreneurship and the can do spirit of early 80s youth at a time of crisis and upheaval eerily reminiscent of 2009. Spandau Ballet are both commercially and culturally enormous.
Tickets are available from www.spandauballet.com from 2.30pm tomorrow. General sale begins 9am on Saturday 28/3/09.
Dates:
October 2009:
13th The O2 Dublin
14th Odyssey Arena, Belfast
16th Sheffield Arena
17th Glasgow SECC
20th London O2 Arena
24th Birmingham
26th Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
28th Manchester MEN Arena
