The frontrunners of 1980s new wave music, Spandau Ballet (Martin Kemp, far right), are back together and touring the world.
The frontrunners of 1980s new wave music, Spandau Ballet (Martin Kemp, far right), are back together and touring the world.
Spandau Ballet dreamboat Martin Kemp chats to Paula Yeoman
When Tony Hadley and Martin Kemp visited New Zealand late last year for the launch of the Spandau Ballet documentary, Soul Boys of the Western World, snaps of middle-aged Kiwis with beaming smiles standing alongside their 80s heroes flooded Facebook and Instagram. We couldn't get enough of the legends ofnew wave.
"It was an amazing trip. You could absolutely feel the love," says Kemp, who joined his brother Gary's band as bassist back when the band was known as The Gentry. And he agrees last year's wonderfully warm response bodes well for Spandau Ballet's return to Auckland's Vector Arena next Sunday.
This world tour, which takes its name from the documentary, is far longer than any the band has ever done before. "There aren't many places we're not going to. But we've got a year and we're going to make the most of it. You know, touring is the most fun part of being in a band, by a long shot, so why not?" says Kemp.
He does concede that touring as a man in his 50s is very different from how it once was. "When we were younger, everything was about what was going to happen after the show, is there going to be a party? Will we go to a nightclub? And nowadays it's just about what's going to happen on stage and that's where the excitement is. I think, for that reason, you're a lot more professional. The band is a lot better; the musicianship is a lot better."
Kemp describes the show as more theatrical than anything the band has ever done. "In some ways it's based on the film. It's going to be a lot of fun, rather than just a straightforward gig." The group are one of many revival bands on the circuit and fans, particularly ones who saw them in their heyday, are right to wonder if they'll witness the same magic so many years on.
Reassuringly, Kemp says they're guaranteed a fantastic night. "It's essentially the same band but I think we're a lot better. Every time you play those old songs it's like playing them for the first time. The song challenges you every single time. And that's how it has to be, otherwise the audience is just getting some rehashed thing.
"It's always a buzz when you play and you look out and you can see the audience and how much it's affecting them. Everyone has a different favourite Spandau Ballet song, whether it's To Cut A Long Story Short, Through The Barricades, Gold or True. Those songs are theme songs to poignant moments in those people's lives. That's what gives you the thrill."
• Spandau Ballet play Vector Arena in Auckland on May 10.
