News : Tony Hadley on the chances of a Spandau Ballet reunion

Tony Hadley has opened up about the possibility of Spandau Ballet reuniting for one final tour in the future.

The singer last performed live with the New Romantic band in 2017, with that tour being cut short when Hadley quit due to “circumstances beyond my control”. The remainder of the group – Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble – did briefly continue without him, playing their final dates in 2019.

Shortly after Hadley quit, the band went on Good Morning Britain and explained that the door would not be open for him to return, but in an interview with NME earlier this year, Gary Kemp appeared to suggest that the tensions between the parties had eased.

When asked about the chance of a reunion, Kemp said: “I can’t say there won’t be. Tony and I aren’t in conversation right now and we’ve always had our issues over the years. We were never friends, more workmates. We never hung out, but we’ve always been nice to each other – apart from when we’ve got lawyers involved! [Laughs]”

“Do I think there will be a Spandau reunion? I hope so, because some of my children have never seen us and I’d like to do it for them. It meant so much to me. We soundtracked people’s lives, and to come together at least another time as the original members to play that music for those fans would be a great thing to do, so I’m open to all conversations.”

Now, Hadley has given an interview to Classic Pop magazine, who responds to Kemp’s comments by saying: “Really? That’s news to me.”

“I don’t think it would work. I haven’t seen Gary, Martin or John in eight years. Steve is the only one I’m vaguely in contact with. We had some good times, but unfortunately there were some bad times as well. That’s just life. We had some good laughs on the last tour, then unfortunately John fell ill and it wasn’t the same without him. That was difficult.”

“I wish Gary, Martin and John well, but I’m happy doing what I’m doing,” he added. “I love the freedom I have now, the fact I can go from a bit of swing to a bit of rock. You can’t do that within the confines of a band.”

Hadley also spoke to NME in 2021 about his split from the band. “I’ll never say what happened and it’s up to them [the rest of Spandau] to tell the real story and tell the truth,” he said. “Resigning from the band wasn’t something I wanted to do and we could have been looking at an anniversary show which would have been great.”

Last year, Martin Kemp suggested that he may just have “10 years” left to live after a series of health scares, while in 2023, Hadley was rushed to hospital just before a gig in Northern Ireland.