Spandau Ballet are an English new wave/synthpop band from the 1980’s that are most known for their hits such as ‘True’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Through the Barricades’. Formed in 1979, they have been massively successful, winning multiple awards and selling millions of albums worldwide.
But where did they get their name from?
The answer is quite a strange one. The name was inspired by a Berlin prison called Spandau Prison.
The prison was located in a district of Berlin called Spandau, hence the reason for the name. The prison was notorious for holding high profile Nazi war criminals such as Rudolf Hess, who was held there until his death in 1987.
It is said that the band’s name was inspired by a newspaper article which talked about how Hess had been moved to another part of Spandau Prison due to his ill health. This sparked off some creative thinking in the minds of the members of Spandau Ballet and they decided to use it as their name.
What is interesting is that even though they took their name from a rather dark place, they managed to turn it into something positive and make it into something that people could connect with and be proud of. They even managed to bring some lightness to a very dark period in history.
In conclusion, Spandau Ballet got their name from Spandau Prison located in Berlin, Germany. The prison had been home to some high profile Nazi war criminals and when one of them was moved due to ill health, it sparked off an idea for a band name from the members of what was soon to become one of the biggest bands of the 80’s.