LONDON, (Reuters) – Twenty years ago they split. Ten years ago they took each other to court over royalties. Today, Spandau Ballet are reforming.
The group behind hit ballad “True” announced yesterday they would follow a long list of retired acts who have dusted off their guitars and drumkits to launch lucrative comebacks by touring and recording.
Tony Hadley, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble are putting past differences, and a reputation for 1980s fringes and glossy pop, behind them.
“As you can see, we’re back together again and we’re very happy boys,” lead singer Hadley told reporters in London.
“We’re embarking on a British tour in October and then on to the rest of the world and we’re all very excited. We’ve had a rehearsal which sounded a million dollars.”
He said the tour would kick off in Dublin on Oct. 13 and end in Manchester on Oct. 28.
In 1999, the High Court rejected a claim by Hadley, drummer Keeble and sax player Norman to hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties from Gary Kemp for songs he had written.
Since then, the Kemp brothers have enjoyed some success as actors, appearing together in the 1990 British gangster film “The Krays”, and Martin went on to star in hit soap opera EastEnders.
The band will be hoping to replicate the success other reformed or reborn acts have enjoyed in recent years.
Take That, a former boy band which lost its biggest star in Robbie Williams, has had sellout concerts and chart-topping singles and albums since reforming.
Police embarked on a world tour in 2007 and 2008 that grossed more than $350 million and was the biggest selling tour of 2007.
“King of pop” Michael Jackson has sold out a run of 50 concerts in London starting in July, and has a 3-1/2 year plan which the promoters say could be worth up to $400 million to the singer.
