Spandau Ballet: This much is true

I bought a ticket to the world

But now I’ve come back again

Why do I find it hard to write the next line?

Oh, I want the truth to be said…

I know this much is true,

I know this much is true!

— from True

That song, the quintet’s most popular hit, speaks volumes about Spandau Ballet, the English new-wave band formed in London in the late ’70s and whose songs have endured, sung even by the new generation of music-lovers. Described as “one of the most successful groups to emerge during the New Romantic Era,” the band has retained its members: The Kemp brothers Gary (guitar) and Martin (bass), Tony Hadley (vocalist), Steve Norman (saxophonist) and John Keeble (drummer).

Wouldn’t it be a great experience to listen to the band perform “live” its well-loved hits during its one-night-only concert on Sept. 21 at the Mall Of Asia (MOA) Arena? You know (aside from True), among others: Gold, Through the Barricades, I’ll Fly For You, Lifeline, Round and Round, Communication, Highly Strung and Only When You Leave.

Ovation Productions, in association with Dainty Group Asia, is mounting the musical event in Manila as part of the Asian leg of the band’s world tour dubbed Soul Boys of The Western World Live! and in support of the band’s documentary film of the same title. The tour is taking the Spandau Ballet to major cities in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Australia before making stops in Asia for shows in, aside from Manila, Singapore and Hong Kong.

During the band’s Manila concert, the front act will be Fra Lippo Lippi’s vocalist Per Sorensen who was also front act for Ovation Productions’ Tears For Fears concert in 2012. The band will be guesting and performing live in ASAP’s special London show at the SSE Wembley Arena today (Sept. 6), to be aired in Manila next Sunday, Sept. 13.

As required, Conversations watched the documentary prior to the exclusive phone interview with Martin Kemp who was in London. The docu focuses on the milestones in the life of the band, highlighted by their hit concerts around the world.

You changed the band’s name twice, from The Cut in 1976 when you started to The Makers the same year. How did you finally settle for Spandau Ballet; where did you get that name?

Martin: It was our journalist friend who gave us that name. He saw it on the wall of a toilet in Germany.” (According to Wikipedia, Spandau Ballet was a slang used by Allied troops in the trenches in the World War I, “referring to the twitching of the corpses hanging on the barbed wire and repeatedly bit by Spandau machine gunfire from the German lines…and to Spandau Prison and the many hangings there, especially in the 1945-46 of Nazi war criminals when the victims would twitch and jump at the end of a rope.”)

How do you keep your group together? (The band broke up in 1990 but re-grouped several years later.)

“Yes, we did break up but only once. Each of us went on to do separate projects. And we did get back together again in 2009, after 19 years.” (Martin and his brother Gary appeared in the movie The Krays. Then, Martin starred in the UK soap EastEnders while Gary did a supporting role in The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, and recorded a solo album called Little Bruises. Tony unsuccessfully tried to go solo.)

In the documentary, you mentioned about a “healing” within the band. What was it that needed to be healed?

“You know, the band is no different from anybody else. Most people in a relationship are either friends, or family, or lovers, or whoever. You fall out and hopefully you get back together again. What I’m really proud of the band is that the guys managed to do that. In some way, especially on this tour, the experience helped make the guys closer to one another. I think the audience could relate to the band even better because, like everybody else, they went through problems like anybody else and they survived it.”

You also mentioned that you are a cancer survivor.

“That’s right. I had two brain tumors, both benign, and they were taken out.”

How did that ailment affect the way you look at life?

“Obviously, you know, you start looking at life in a different way. But quickly, things came down to normal. Thank God, they did. But the people around you seemed to be much more affected than you really were. You come back to normal but the people around you are still worried.”

All five members have their own families now, right?

“Tony has three children, Gary has four and John has one.”

And how many do you have?

“I have three, one of them is 25 and one is 22.”

Any of your children following in your footsteps into music?

“Not musicians. They are in entertainment. One is a radio disc jockey in London, one is a TV presenter and my girl is a fashion photographer.”

Your Filipino fans would love to listen to your old songs, especially True which is a top favorite. I hope you include them in your repertoire.

“Yes, we will do the old songs; that’s what people want to hear. They will come to the show because of the Spandau Ballet sound. I promise you that the concert will be a Spandau Ballet celebration.”

That should make your first Manila concert memorable.

 “You can be sure of that.”

Incidentally, which of your songs do you want to be remembered for?

“All of them. Different songs mean different things to different people. Everybody has his favorite Spandau Ballet song. Each song marks a different moment in different people’s lives. We want to be remembered for having our songs made a difference in many people’s lives.”

(Soul Boys Of The Western World Live! is presented in Manila by Ovation Productions in association with Dainty Group Asia. The Philippine STAR is among its supporters, also including Fox, National Geographic, StarWorld, Manila Bulletin, Business World, City Of Dreams and Nobu Hotel, plus 96.3 Easy Rock, Retro 105.9 DCG FM, 103.5 KLite, Wish 107.5, 97.9 Home Radio, ABS-CBN, MYX and Optima Sign Solutions. Ticket prices are P6,750; P5,750; P4,750; P3,750; and P2,750, plus applicable charges. Call 470-2222.)

Always slipping from my hands

Sand’s a time of its own

Take your seaside arms and write the next line

Oh, I want the truth to be known.

— also from True

Martin: Our Manila concert (on Sept. 21 at MOA) will be a Spadau Ballet celebration. It will be memorable for everybody.

 

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