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{{Short description|English
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Spandau Ballet
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}}
'''Spandau Ballet''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|p|æ|n|d|aʊ|_|ˈ|b|æ|l|eɪ}} {{respell|SPAN|dow|_|BAL|ay}}) were an English [[pop music|pop]] band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's [[post-punk]] underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the [[Blitz Kids]], playing "European Dance Music" as "The Applause" for this new club culture's audience.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/11476894/Spandau-Ballet-O2-Arena-review-celebratory.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/11476894/Spandau-Ballet-O2-Arena-review-celebratory.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Spandau Ballet, O2 Arena, review: 'celebratory'|last=McCormick|first=Neil|journal=Daily Telegraph|date=
The band's classic lineup featured [[Gary Kemp]] on guitar, synthesiser and backing vocals
In 1990, the band played their last live show before a 19-year absence. In 1999, Hadley, Norman and Keeble launched an unsuccessful case in the High Court against Gary Kemp and his Reformation Publishing Company for a share of the band's songwriting royalties.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/332115.stm|title=Spandau court bid fails|work=BBC News|date=30 April 1999|access-date=
In 2017, Hadley left Spandau Ballet.<ref name="auto">{{cite tweet|number=881833491318673409|user=TheTonyHadley|title=A statement from Tony Hadley :- I am...|access-date=1 February 2018|date=3 July 2017}}</ref> A year later, singer and actor Ross William Wild became their new frontman for a series of European live dates and a one-off show at Eventim's [[Hammersmith Apollo]].<ref>[http://www.spandauballet.com/news/press-release-band-return-with-ross-william-wild-hammersmith-show-on-sale-t "Band Return With Ross William Wild"]. ''spandauballet.com press release'', 7 June 2018.</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://shapersofthe80s.com/2018/06/07/2018-%e2%9e%a4-dad-band-spandau-preen-with-pride-for-ross-their-newly-adopted-son/ | work=Shapersofthe80s | date=7 June 2018
==History==
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Gary Kemp and Steve Norman first decided to form a band, both playing guitar, in October 1976 after witnessing [[Sex Pistols|the Sex Pistols]] perform that summer at Islington's Screen on the Green.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho to Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|location=London|page=71}}</ref> Close friends and school mates at [[Dame Alice Owen's School|Dame Alice Owen's]] in Islington, they were joined by John Keeble on drums, Michael Ellison on bass and Tony Hadley on vocals when the school relocated to [[Potters Bar]]. They rehearsed at lunchtimes in the school's music room, playing sped-up versions of [[the Rolling Stones]]' "Silver Train",<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=10}}</ref> [[the Beatles]]' "[[I Wanna Be Your Man]]" and [[the Animals]]' "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place". They also played an original Gary Kemp composition, "I've Got Roots", which inspired their band name, Roots.<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=11}}</ref> Their first gig was a fourth-form Christmas party December 1976 in the school dining room.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=80–81}}</ref>
The band changed their name to
Inspired by London's new underground nightclub scene, which began in Autumn 1978 with a weekly Tuesday night hosted by [[Steve Strange]] and DJ [[Rusty Egan]] at [[Gargoyle Club|Billy's]] in Soho,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/13/steve-strange-a-beautiful-maverick-who-understood-the-power-of-myth|title=Steve Strange: a beautiful maverick who understood the power of myth|last=Kemp|first=Gary|date=
===''Journeys to Glory''===
A series of exclusive 'secret' gigs in 1980 at unique non-rock venues like the Scala cinema<ref>{{cite web| url=https://shapersofthe80s.com/revolution/1980-who-was-who-in-spandaus-break-out-year| title=1980, Who was who in Spandau's break-out year| publisher=Shapersofthe80s.com |date=5 June 2018
The band played their first US showcase in May 1981 at New York's Underground Club, on 17th and Broadway, with a fashion show by Axiom, a co-operative of the London club scene's new clothes designers including [[Sade (singer)|Sade Adu]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shapersofthe80s.com/revolution/1981-first-blitz-invasion-of-the-us/|title=1981, First Blitz invasion of the US|date=
Reflecting the rapidly evolving club scene and Soho's hippest new nightspot, Le Beat Route on Greek Street, the band changed musical directions again,<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=147–150}}</ref> releasing the [[funk]] single "[[Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)]]", which was a No. 3 hit in the UK while reaching No. 17 in the US on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine's [[Dance Club Songs|Disco Top 100]] in 1981.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|publisher=Record Research|year=2004|page=242|author-link=Joel Whitburn}}</ref> The song was championed by DJ [[Frankie Crocker]] on [[WBLS]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho to Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|location=London|page=151}}</ref>
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===1983–1989: International success===
===''True''===
The band released their third album, ''[[True (Spandau Ballet album)|True]]'', in March 1983. Produced by [[Jolley & Swain|Tony Swain and Steve Jolley]], the album featured a slicker pop sound and was recorded at [[Compass Point Studios|Compass Point]] in [[the Bahamas]]. It was at this point that Steve Norman began playing saxophone for the band.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pingitore |first=Silvia |date=
The follow-up single, "Gold", reached No. 2 in the UK and the top 5 in Belgium, Ireland and Spain. The album topped the charts internationally, spent 64 consecutive weeks in the top 100 albums chart<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=205}}</ref> and reached No. 19 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The singles "Gold" and "[[Communication (Spandau Ballet song)|Communication]]" peaked at numbers 29 and 59 respectively on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On their UK tour they were the first rock band to play [[Sadler's Wells]] and the [[Royal Festival Hall]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00732330-2|pages=192}}</ref>
===''Parade'' and Live Aid period===
The follow-up album, ''[[Parade (Spandau Ballet album)|Parade]]'', was released in June 1984, and its singles were again big successes in the charts in Europe, Oceania and Canada. The album's opening song, "[[Only When You Leave]]", became the band's last American hit. The band's first top 10 single in Italy was "[[I'll Fly for You]]", a success they repeated later with the singles "[[Fight for Ourselves]]" and "[[Through the Barricades (song)|Through the Barricades]]." At the end of 1984, the band performed on the [[Band Aid (band)|Band Aid]] charity single alongside chart rivals [[Duran Duran]], [[Culture Club]] and [[Wham!]], and in 1985 performed at [[Wembley Stadium (1924)|Wembley Stadium]] as part of [[Live Aid]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/band-aid-30-years-on-4606099 |title=Band Aid 30 years on: Where are the original stars three decades after the 1984 song was released?|author=Watts, Halina|date=11 November 2014|newspaper=Daily Mirror|access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref> to a global audience estimated at 1.9 billion. The "Spandau Ballet World Parade 84–85" was the group's biggest tour to date, spanning Europe, America, the Far East and, for the first time, Australia and New Zealand. Their UK tour ended with six record-breaking nights at Wembley Arena. During the second show at LA's Universal Amphitheatre, Steve Norman tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and the rest of the tour was cancelled.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=224–225}}</ref> This also resulted in the cancellation of a proposed summer tour of Spain and Italy and a planned six-week tour of the United States supporting [[The Power Station (band)|the Power Station.]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=215}}</ref>
During this same year, Spandau Ballet achieved platinum status with the compilation ''[[The Singles Collection (Spandau Ballet album)|The Singles Collection]]'', which kept the focus on the band between studio albums and celebrated its five years of success.
===''Through the Barricades''===
After a bitter court case with Chrysalis, Spandau Ballet signed to [[CBS Records International|CBS Records]] for £1.5 million in 1986 and released their fifth studio album, ''Through the Barricades''. With producer [[Gary Langan]], the band moved away from their pop and soul influences to create a stadium rock sound. A dispute between [[Our Price Records]] and Sony over trading arrangements resulted in the Our Price chain and its chart return shops refusing to stock any CBS singles, which affected the record sales of their first single release, "[[Fight for Ourselves]]".<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=217}}</ref> Though it peaked at 15 in the UK, it was a top 10 hit in Italy and the Netherlands. The title track, a personal favourite of Kemp and Hadley and inspired by the killing of a friend, Thomas "Kidso" Reilly in [[Belfast]] by [[Private (rank)|Private]] Ian Thain,<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=235–237}}</ref> reached the top 10 in the UK and in Europe, as did the album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/through-the-barricades-mw0000191791|title=Spandau Ballet: Through the Barricades|author=Leroy, Dan|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref>
This was followed in 1986/87 by the band's largest European concert tour to date, "Through the Barricades – Across the Borders", with six record-breaking nights at the [[Rotterdam Ahoy|Ahoy]] Stadium in Rotterdam, another six nights at London's Wembley Arena, 80,000 at [[Casa de Campo]] in Madrid and 50,000 at an open-air concert in Treviso.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=250–251}}</ref> Hadley and Gary Kemp performed "Through the Barricades" for the Prince's Trust at Wembley Arena with the 'house band' of [[Eric Clapton]], [[Midge Ure]] and [[Phil Collins]], and "[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]" with [[George Harrison]] and [[Ringo Starr]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=254}}</ref> In 1988, the band played for the King of Spain in front of the Royal Palace in Barcelona, on the same bill as [[Freddie Mercury]] and [[Montserrat Caballé]], to launch the campaign for the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Olympics]].
===''Heart Like a Sky''===
After a hiatus from recording, the band released their next album, ''Heart Like a Sky'', initially titled ''Home'', in September 1989. For the first time, new working methods were employed, as Gary Kemp demoed his new songs programming the drums, keyboards and bass on a porta-studio with Toby Chapman, Spandau's session keyboard player, rather than rehearsing with the band.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=256–257}}</ref> The album and its singles were not successful in the UK<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18710/spandau-ballet/|title = Spandau Ballet | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company|website = [[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref> and the album was not released in the United States. Nevertheless, the band continued to have success in Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, where the singles "[[Raw (song)|Raw]]" and "[[Be Free with Your Love]]" entered the top 40.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Spandau+Ballet&titel=Raw&cat=s|title=Spandau Ballet – Raw|author=Steffen Hung|publisher=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=20 October 2011}}</ref> The album included "Motivator", the first song written by Steve Norman for the band since The Makers.
===1990–1999: Break-up and solo projects===
On Tuesday 6 March 1990, the band played the final date of their 10th anniversary tour at Edinburgh Playhouse before taking a break to pursue other acting and musical solo projects.
Gary and Martin Kemp took the leading roles as notorious East End gangster twins [[Ronald and Reginald Kray]] in [[The Krays (film)|''The Krays'']]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/22/martin-gary-kemp-danny-dyer|title=Kemp brothers to reunite on the big screen 22 years on from The Krays|author=Child, Ben|date=22 August 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref> which premiered in London in April 1990. The film won two [[Evening Standard British Film Awards]] for Best Film and Most Promising Newcomer (writer [[Philip Ridley]]). Tony Hadley recorded his first solo album in Los Angeles produced by [[Ron Nevison]]. Steve Norman moved to Ibiza to collaborate on chilled out Balearic records with local producers. John Keeble continued as drummer with Tony Hadley and formed his own band, 69 Daze, with former [[Sigue Sigue Sputnik]] guitarist Neal X, followed by 99 shows across Europe with The Herbs and Pacific with guitarist [[John McGeoch]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.premier-percussion.com/artists/john-keeble|title=Artists – John Keeble|website=Premier-percussion.com|access-date=
Gary Kemp enjoyed further acting success, moving to Hollywood with actor wife [[Sadie Frost]], to film both [[The Bodyguard (1992 film)|''The Bodyguard'']] (with [[Whitney Houston]] and [[Kevin Costner]]) and ''[[Killing Zoe]]'', directed by Academy Award winner [[Roger Avary]], produced by [[Quentin Tarantino]]. In 1995 Gary released his solo album, ''Little Bruises''.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
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After successful surgery for the removal of two brain tumours in the mid-Nineties, Martin Kemp joined ''[[EastEnders]]'' in 1998 as one of the British soap's most popular bad boy characters, [[Steve Owen (EastEnders)|Steve Owen]], winning Most Popular Actor at the 2000 [[National Television Awards]] and numerous Best Actor and Villain of the Year awards for the [[The British Soap Awards|British Soap Awards]], [[Inside Soap Awards|''Inside Soap'' Awards]] and [[TV Quick Awards]]. He left EastEnders in 2002 for a golden handcuff deal with ITV drama and wrote his best-selling autobiography, ''True''. He also wrote and directed his first film, ''Martin Kemp's Stalker''.
Gary Kemp wrote songs with Paul Stratham, who had written songs for [[Dido (singer)|Dido]], continued acting on stage, in film and in television, and wrote music and additional lyrics with [[Guy Pratt]] for ''Bedbug'' at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in 2004 and ''A Terrible Beauty'', with Guy Pratt and [[Shane Connaughton]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://connections.nationaltheatre.org.uk/plays/bedbug|title=Bedbug|publisher=National Theatre|access-date=6 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022002942/http://connections.nationaltheatre.org.uk/plays/bedbug|archive-date=22 October 2015|url-status=dead
Steve Norman formed chilled lounge band Cloudfish with Rafa Peletey and [[Shelley Preston]] in 2001. Tony Hadley released three studio albums. He played Billy Flynn in the West End production of [[Chicago (musical)|Chicago]] and won the ITV reality show, [[Reborn in the USA]] in 2003 singing "Through the Barricades" to beat Michelle Gayle in the final. He appeared as a guest vocalist on the [[Alan Parsons]] album [[The Time Machine (Alan Parsons album)|The Time Machine]], performing lead vocals on the song "Out of the Blue".
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Spandau Ballet went on tour in Australia during April 2010 with [[Tears For Fears]] as part of a world tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spandauballet.com/news/sb-to-tour-australia-with-tea/ |title=SB To Tour Australia With Tears For Fears |publisher=Spandauballet.com |access-date=3 August 2014}}</ref> After a headline set at the [[Isle of Wight Festival 2010|Isle of Wight Festival]] on the same bill as [[Paul McCartney]], [[The Strokes]], [[Jay-Z]] and [[Pink (singer)|Pink]], the group played their last UK show of the Reformation Tour at [[Newmarket Racecourse]] on 25 June 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spandauballet.com/news/sb-to-play-isle-of-wight-fest/ |title=Isle of Wight Festival Appearance Announced |publisher=Spandauballet.com |access-date=3 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spandauballet.com/news/df649a356c992d374f9d3d1301a37d7a/ |title=See Spandau Live for the Last Time This Year! |publisher=Spandauballet.com |access-date=3 August 2010}}</ref>
In 2014, all five played live again with an anthology world tour to promote a critically acclaimed feature-length archive-only documentary of the band's story and the pop cultural history of the Eighties, ''Soul Boys of the Western World.''<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3636326| title=Soul Boys of the Western World| publisher=iMDB | date=2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smoothradio.com/news/spandau-ballet-add-second-o2-arena-date/|title=Spandau Ballet Add Second O2 Arena Date|website=Smooth|language=en|access-date=
It was confirmed on 31 July 2014, that Spandau Ballet were working on new material in the studio with [[Trevor Horn]].
The band embarked on another world tour in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1717915/watch-spandau-ballet-make-their-first-u-s-tv-appearance-in-almost-30-years-on-kimmel/video/|title=Watch Spandau Ballet Make Their First U.S. TV Appearance in Almost 30 Years on Kimmel|work=Stereogum|date=11 November 2014}}</ref> In January 2015, they appeared on ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|The Today Show]]'', performing "True".<ref>{{cite news |title=Spandau Ballet performs hit song 'True' |url=http://www.today.com/popculture/spandau-ballet-performs-hit-song-true-1D80436333 |access-date=28 April 2015 |work=Today |date=20 January 2015}}</ref> They also appeared on ''The Talk'' on 27 July 2015 to perform "True".
On 3 July 2017, Tony Hadley left the band due to, as he stated on [[Twitter]], circumstances beyond his control.<ref name="auto"/> The rest of the band released their own statement explaining that Hadley had made it clear to them in September 2016 that he did not want to work with the band any more and that they had now reached the decision "to move on as a band."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/frustrated-spandau-ballet-respond-tony-hadleys-departure-2098310|title='Frustrated' Spandau Ballet respond to Tony Hadley's departure|last=Andrew Trendell|date=4 July 2017
On 6 June 2018, after a lengthy audition process Spandau Ballet revealed their new lead singer, Ross William Wild, who had previously performed with Martin Kemp in the West End musical ''[[Million Dollar Quartet (musical)|Million Dollar Quartet]]''. The band played live at Subterania Club in West London, a venue they had last played 40 years earlier in 1978 as Gentry when it was called Acklam Hall.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8459930/spandau-ballet-new-singer-london-interview|title=Spandau Ballet Debuts New Singer In London: 'This Is a Rebirth of the Band'|magazine=Billboard|date=7 June 2018|access-date=
Spandau Ballet finished the year showcasing Wild with five live gigs abroad (Milan, Rome, Padova, Utrecht, Tilburg)<ref>{{cite web| url=https://shapersofthe80s.com/2018/10/24/%e2%9e%a4-milan-says-ciao-to-snazzy-ross-now-fronting-the-flash-dads-of-spandau-ballet| title=Milan says Ciao to snazzy Ross now fronting the flash dads of Spandau Ballet| publisher=Shapersofthe80s| date=24 October 2018| access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> concluding with another at the Eventim Apollo in London on 29 October, and attracted favourable reviews.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.musicattitude.it/livetune/concerti/spandau-ballet-report-foto-concerto-padova-25-ottobre-2018/171718| work=Music Attitude| date=26 October 2018| first=Nicola| last=Lucchetta| title=Spandau Ballet, il report e le foto del concerto di Padova|access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.noise11.com/news/spandau-ballet-present-news-singer-ross-william-wild-in-milan-20181106| work=Music News| date=6 November 2018| first=Danny| last=Gandolfi| title= Spandau Ballet Present News Singer Ross William Wild in Milan|access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref>
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Within five months cracks were appearing in Spandau's new line-up. In March 2019, Wild joined a new band called Mercutio, saying: "I can't wait around for Spandau! Unfortunately Gary [Kemp] has commitments, so we're waiting him to finish until we crack on."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://shapersofthe80s.com/2019/03/13/2019-%e2%9e%a4-spandau-vocalist-ross-rocks-fans-by-announcing-his-own-new-band-mercutio| title=Spandau vocalist Ross rocks fans by announcing his own new band Mercutio| work=Shapersofthe80s| date=13 March 2019| access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> One month later Gary Kemp, touring the US with Nick Mason's band Saucerful of Secrets, said in an interview: "There are no plans for Spandau going into 2020." He said he struggled to imagine Spandau Ballet without Tony Hadley, adding: "I still think that's the ultimate goal".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://parklifedc.com/2019/04/15/interview-gary-kemp-of-nick-masons-saucerful-of-secrets-dar-constitution-hall-4-22-19| work=ParkLifeDC| date=15 April 2019| first=Mickey| last=McCarter| title=Gary Kemp talks about Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets and Spandau Ballet|access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> Then on 23 May 2019, Wild tweeted at 6:15am: "I have formally quit the band @SpandauBallet to pursue my own music with my band Mercutio."<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1131549159922782209|user=RossWilliamWild|title=I have formally quit the band @SpandauBallet... |date=23 May 2019|access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> By 10:30am Martin Kemp was on ITV's ''This Morning'' confirming that Spandau would not be touring "until Tony [Hadley] comes back".<ref>{{cite web| url=https://shapersofthe80s.com/2019/05/25/2019-%e2%9e%a4-another-spandau-bombshell-kemp-brothers-drive-out-ross-their-perfect-new-singer| title=Another Spandau bombshell – Kemp Brothers drive out Ross their 'perfect' new singer| publisher=Shapersofthe80s| date=25 May 2019| access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>
The next day Spandau thanked Wild via Twitter for "his brilliant performances with them last year and wish him every success with his band, Mercutio".<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1131899226919755776 |user=SpandauBallet|title=Spandau Ballet would like to thank Ross William Wild...|date=24 May 2019|access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> Within the next few days Wild explained further: "I'd put my whole life on hold and was sick of waiting around for them to make up their minds. I told the boys I was quitting and then never heard back from them." The band's sax player Steve Norman also said: "I was neither involved in nor informed of any discussions or decision-making regarding the future of my band, least of all Ross's position in it."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://shapersofthe80s.com/2019/05/25/2019-%e2%9e%a4-another-spandau-bombshell-kemp-brothers-drive-out-ross-their-perfect-new-singer| title=Another Spandau bombshell – Kemp Brothers drive out Ross their 'perfect' new singer| publisher=Shapersofthe80s| date=25 May 2019| access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> Wild was subsequently arrested in March 2021 and charged (under his real name, Ross Davidson) with a series of sex offences dating back to 2013. He was convicted in 2024 of voyeurism, raping a woman and sexually assaulting two others.<ref name=gecsoyler>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/25/sadistic-and-manipulative-ex-spandau-ballet-singer-guilty-of|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=‘Sadistic and manipulative’ ex-Spandau Ballet singer guilty of rape|first=Sammy|last=Gecsoyler|date=25 July 2024|access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref>
==In popular culture==
The song "True" has been sampled in many songs including [[P.M. Dawn|PM Dawn]]'s "[[Set Adrift on Memory Bliss]]" (1991), [[Queen Pen]]'s "It's True" (1998), [[Nelly]]'s "[[
▲The song "True" has been sampled in many songs including [[P.M. Dawn|PM Dawn]]'s "[[Set Adrift on Memory Bliss]]" (1991), [[Queen Pen]]'s "It's True" (1998), [[Nelly]]'s "[['N' Dey Say]]" (2004) and [[Lloyd (singer)|Lloyd]]'s "[[You (Lloyd song)|You]]" (2006). It has also been covered by the [[Black Eyed Peas]], [[Rui da Silva (DJ)|Rui da Silva]] and [[Paul Anka]], among others.
"To Cut a Long Story Short" was sampled by [[Shakka (singer)|Shakka]] on his 2015 single, "[[Say Nada]]".
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Actor [[Edward Norton]] appeared on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] sitcom ''[[Modern Family]]'' as Izzy LaFontaine, a fictional bass player/backup vocalist for Spandau Ballet ("between Richard Miller and Martin Kemp"), in the episode "[[Great Expectations (Modern Family)|Great Expectations]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/modern-family/great-expectations-1302482/cast/ |title=Modern Family: Great Expectations Cast & Crew |publisher=TV.com |access-date=20 October 2013 |archive-date=2 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102221853/http://www.tv.com/shows/modern-family/great-expectations-1302482/cast/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
DJ Paul Oakenfold, a close friend of the band, created a special 12-inch remix of "Gold" for the 2012 Olympics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.urbanjunkies.com/london/ibiza/spandau-ballet/|title=SPANDAU BALLET|publisher=Urban Junkies|language=en-US|access-date=
==Members==
* [[John Keeble]] – drums, percussion, backing vocals <small>(1979–1990, 2009–2019)</small>
* [[Gary Kemp]] –
* [[Martin Kemp]] – bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals <small>(1979–1990, 2009–2019)</small>
* [[Steve Norman]] – saxophones, wind synthesizer, guitar, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals <small>(1979–1990, 2009–2019)</small>
* [[Tony Hadley]] – lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion <small>(1979–1990, 2009–2017)</small>
* Ross William Wild – lead vocals <small>(
==Discography==
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