True Spandau Ballet was a British new wave and synth-pop group formed in London in 1979. The group achieved mainstream success in the early 1980s and enjoyed a string of Top 10 hits, including the Grammy Award-nominated single “Gold”.
The band was led by singer Tony Hadley and featured Gary Kemp, John Keeble, Steve Norman, and Martin Kemp.
The band’s story began in 1976 when Gary and Steve, who had grown up together in the Islington area of London, formed a soul/funk band called The Cut with school friends. When the original line-up split, Tony Hadley joined the group as lead singer. John Keeble then completed the line-up in 1979 when he joined as drummer.
The band released their debut single “To Cut a Long Story Short” in 1980 which reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart.
This was followed by their first studio album Journeys to Glory which was met with critical praise and chart success. True Spandau Ballet went on to release nine albums over the course of their career, including True (1982) which was certified platinum in the UK.
The band’s popularity grew throughout Europe and they were invited to perform at Live Aid as well as other prestigious events such as Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday concert. They also toured extensively throughout Europe, Japan and Australia.
Who Wrote True Spandau Ballet?
True Spandau Ballet was written primarily by Gary Kemp who wrote all of the music for the group’s albums and singles. He also wrote most of their lyrics along with his brother Martin Kemp who joined the band on bass guitar from 1981 onwards.
Conclusion
True Spandau Ballet were one of Britain’s most successful bands during the 1980s with their string of hit singles and albums. The majority of their material was written by Gary Kemp who is considered to be one of Britain’s foremost songwriters.