Tony Hadley solo artist and former lead singer of Spandau Ballet.
SPANDAU BALLET – THE 80s PHENOMENON
Pioneers of the 80s Romantic movement, Spandau Ballet formed in 1978 and had numerous chart topping singles and albums all over the world, some of the most memorable being the singles “Gold”, “Only When You Leave”, “Lifeline”, the epic “Through the Barricades” and of course the international number one “True”; the latter famously sampled by PM Dawn in 1991 and featured on Paul Anka’s Rock Swings in 2005.
By the mid-80s they were world-wide superstars, however, relationships cracked and the band split in 1990. However they reformed in 2009 for the “Reformation Tour” , a worldwide tour that included three sell-out nights at London’s O2 and their first festival date at The Isle of Wight Festival.
In 2014 the band were all together again for the launch of their critically acclaimed rockumentary “Soulboys of The Western World”, which quickly became the No2 grossing film in the country and united critics from the UK broadsheets to USA’s Rolling Stone in their acclaim. The archive-only feature documentary combines newsreel footage of the time with unseen video from the band’s home movies, along with long lost material newly discovered.
With the enormous success of the film the band announced their “Soulboys of the Western World” world tour which kicked-off in January 2015 for 9 months playing at some of the biggest venues and events including the Singapore Grand Prix. The band also played in America for the first time in 30 years.
As lead singer of Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley has, over the years, earned the accolade of being one of pop music’s greatest vocalists. In addition to all the band’s songs, many will remember his prominent vocal contribution to the Band Aid UK charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas” and subsequent 1985 London appearance at Live Aid. He also performed solo at the Nelson Mandela Concert at Wembley in June 1988.
PERFORMING……..
On the live music front Tony is a regular performer, delighting audiences at home and abroad with such events as the ‘Night Of The Proms’ in Holland & Belgium, orchestral tours of Europe and South America, as well as his own UK & European solo tours.
In 2005 Tony’s contribution to the music industry was officially recognised with the award of a Gold Badge from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. In 2007 he won a new legion of fans following his critically acclaimed performance as Billy Flynn in Chicago on the West End stage. Tony’s appearances in the show gave the musical one of its most successful runs ever and earned him an invitation to perform in the 10th Anniversary Show in 2008.
In August 2011 he played his first solo shows in the US, performing Spandau Ballet songs there for the first time since 1986.
In 2013 Tony played the first of a series of sell-out Orchestra shows which culminated in a performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In October 2016 he returns there once again with his band and orchestra.
was a real honour to give something back and be asked to entertain our troops.
TV, RADIO AND PUBLISHING ……..
Tony’s talents as an artist extend beyond the stage and in recent years his profile increased dramatically in the UK. His participation in the UK reality TV show ‘Reborn In The USA’, which saw him travelling across The US in a tour bus with eight other British artists, eventually won him the public vote and the overall “crown”.
He is a successful Radio DJ, firstly at Virgin Radio and now Absolute Radio and brings his own brand of chat and music to the national airwaves every Saturday night. Tony is currently working on his own radio show to be syndicated around the world.
In May 2004 Macmillan Books released Tony’s autobiography ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’. The book charted