Spandau Ballet stars chat healing rift with ex-singer Tony Hadley, energetic frontman and plans for new material
Eighties icons' new frontman Ross William Wild brings a 'younger energy' to the group, says bassist Martin Kemp
WHEN lead singer Tony Hadley quit Spandau Ballet last year, fans feared the end of the Eighties icons.
But as the band thump through their greatest hits at a secret rehearsal studio in London, along with new frontman Ross William Wild, it’s clear they are far from finished.
The group hired the vocalist — who is half his predecessor’s age — after advertising for a singer without revealing which group they were wanted for — then feared the worst after struggling to find anyone.
But after meeting Ross, they believe they sound better than ever.
Chatting after their final rehearsal, bassist Martin Kemp tells me: “If we couldn’t have found the right person to do it, we would never go out and do it for the sake of it.
“But there’s something else that Ross brings to the band, and that’s a younger energy.
“That energy brushed off on all of us and we get that excitement.
“What you’ll notice more than anything else is we’re playing better, playing with more vigour than I’ve ever heard from us, and I think that’s because of the way he sings.”
His guitarist brother Gary adds: “One of the first things we got him to play is Through the Barricades and he was living that song. He sold it to me. All of us got goose bumps listening to it.”
And drummer John Keeble quips: “He’s brought the average age down somewhat.”
Tony’s exit hit his four bandmates hard, and the depth of fury harboured by both sides was no secret.
His claim that “circumstances beyond my control” forced him to quit were labelled “bulls**t” by his former pals, whose four-decade career spawned global hits including Gold and True as well as Through the Barricades.
But fast forward 12 months and time appears to have healed the rift.
As news of his replacement leaked online, Tony took to Twitter to wish West End veteran Ross good luck with the gig, and in a newspaper interview he said he will happily chat to his former bandmates if he sees them.
And it seems the feeling is mutual. Martin adds: “I saw the interview he gave and that was quite mellow.
“It was complimentary and nice. He’s moved on, we’ve moved on.
“It’s been frustrating with Tony. He’s got to do what he’s got to do, but he left us a bit in the lurch. We’ve had the energy to keep going since 2009 when we first reformed.
“Spandau is something I want to do for the rest of my life, it’s the best hobby in the world.”
The band returned to the stage at an intimate London gig and will unveil plans for a big comeback later this year. They even plan to record new material together.
So Martin might just get his wish.
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BIZARRE COLUMN
A throbbing Ed... but he can work it out
The Beatles may have said all we needed was love.
But it was painkillers Ed Sheeran cried out for while shooting his cameo in Danny Boyle’s new comedy movie about the Fab Four.
I can reveal the superstar singer turned up to shoot scenes for his big film debut nursing a hangover.
He had got a bit carried away at a whisky distillery the day before. Ed sought some comfort later by playing bingo with the movie’s leading man, former EastEnders actor Himesh Patel, between takes in Liverpool on Tuesday.
A source said: “Ed rocked up on set with a seriously fuzzy head. Not a great start to his movie career after his unpopular cameo in Game Of Thrones.
“But he was a total pro as soon as the cameras started rolling.
“The film’s crew were all praising his acting talents and dubbed him a natural.
“He had six security guards on him at all times to try to keep the part top secret, although it’s believed he’s playing himself. "After the shoot, the movie’s leading actress, Lily James, admitted she was gutted she never got to shoot any scenes with Ed.”
Having finished his scenes for the day, Ed went to dinner with Notting Hill writer Richard Curtis.
He has written the script for the new movie, which will tell the story of a man who wakes up to find he is the only person who can remember the songs of The Beatles.
Super Spice Girls
Emma Bunton has confirmed a Spice Girls superhero film is in the works.
When asked about the rumoured animation on ITV’s This Morning, she said: “It’s something that we’re talking about.
“The opportunities we get given, it’s amazing. There is so much excitement, it’s just about making sure it’s the right thing.”
The film – which comes 21 years after the release of Spice World: The Movie – is set to feature characters voiced by all five Spices. Each hero will have a superpower to reflect their personality.
MOST READ IN BIZARRE
Turned up heat Reet?
Rita Ora’s long-awaited video to new single Girls was released – and as these shots prove, it doesn’t hold back on the raunch factor.
It shows her and Cardi B enjoying a steamy smooch and getting very handsy, while Rita is also seen writhing in the jungle surrounded by lookalikes.
The former X Factor judge is also joined by Charli XCX and Bebe Rexha, who snogs herself in a mirror.
Rita has called Girls a bisexual anthem, adding: “I have had romantic relationships with women and men throughout my life and this is my personal journey.”
I’m all for it.
Bizbits
- The US ranch where Kanye West threw a bash to launch his album Ye last week has banned future rap events. Kanye’s hundreds of guests included wife Kim Kardashian, Jonah Hill and Chris Rock.
- Hollywood A-lister Jennifer Lawrence is dating New York art gallery director Cooke Maroney. His clients include Lena Dunham’s painter father Carroll. Jen previously dated the movie director Darren Aronofsky.
- Kendall Jenner snogged her pal Gigi Hadid’s little brother Anwar at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards after-party in New York on Tuesday. She posted a pic on Instagram of their hands together too.
What the peck, Gigi?
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik have confirmed their two-year relationship is back on, less than three months after their shock split.
The supermodel posted this cuddly photo of the couple kissing in New York on her Instagram story on Tuesday.
They announced they had parted in March, making news suspiciously close to Zayn unveiling his comeback single Let Me.
Their OTT break-up statements make for cringe reading now.
Bizmeter
- Solo: A Star Wars Story spent a second weekend at the top of the box office, despite underwhelming audience numbers. The spin-off movie, starring Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, took a disappointing £3.1million but was still ahead of Deadpool 2, which brought in £2.5million in its third week.
- Nina Nesbitt has attracted a fair few celebrity fans with her new tune The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change. At a recent show in Los Angeles, Scrubs actor Zach Braff was spotted in the crowd, as well as supermodel Cindy Crawford and her daughter Kaia Gerber.
- Jared Leto is preparing to smother his face with that creepy face paint once again. Two years after playing the Joker in Suicide Squad, the actor is set to star in a stand-alone movie all about the Batman villain. He is expected to executive produce the yet untitled Warner Brothers film, too.
- Dave Grohl pranked Foo Fighters fans at a gig in Sweden by pretending to fall off the stage and break his leg – again. Performing in Gothenburg – where he busted his leg in 2015, forcing the band to pull out of headlining Glasto – Dave appeared to tumble off a gangway, but it was a stuntman.
He's cat's whiskers
Andrew Lloyd Webber will be honoured at the Classic Brit Awards this month.
At the Royal Albert Hall next Wednesday the composer will receive a Special Recognition Award for Musical Theatre and Education.
He said: “Now that I am 70 I look back and think how lucky I have been. I am doubly lucky that I not only made a living out of my passion but a hugely rewarding one.”
Andrew wrote the music for global hits including Cats, Evita and The Phantom Of The Opera.
He received a less glamorous honour recently in London from James Corden.
The TV host dressed as a string of the composer’s characters as a tribute, ahead of making four special UK episodes of his Late Late Show for Sky.
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