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If
someone had told me 20 years ago that I’d speak to Tony Hadley
one day, I’d probably have fainted flat on the floor, ruining
my prized Spandau Ballet t-shirt in the process! The Kemps did nothing
for me, it was the tall lead singer with the powerful voice that
was the True star!
But
now somewhat older and calmer, it was just a privilege to talk to
a man whose distinctive tones are synonymous with some of the greatest
80s anthems which were the soundtrack to many of my formative years.
As
lead singer of Spandau Ballet he staked his claim as one of popular
music’s greatest vocalists. Spandau sold over 20 million records
worldwide and reached No1 in 21 countries with the single "True".
Some
two decades further on, Tony Hadley remains proud of his past but
is also concentrating hard on developing his solo career.
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| Tony
with a mullet |
As
well as a planned new album and huge UK tour, he is taking part
in Reborn in the USA, the popular ITV series where stars who have
tasted success in the past are now bringing their talents to a whole
new audience in an eight week tour of the USA, broadcast in the
UK on a Saturday night in a reality TV stylee.
I caught
up with him as the tour reached Nashville where, in 78 degree heat,
he was suffering from a rather nasty cold that was casting some
doubt on how he was going to sing on Saturday. But the important
thing was - he was still on the bus!
The
tour hasn’t been without its problems, with certain well-publicised
spats between some of the performers, but as one who has managed
to keep out of all that, he is enjoying the experience very much.
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| Happier
days with Spandau |
"I’m
having a great time and I have had from day one" he says. "I
didn’t understand all the rest of the rubbish that was going
on at the beginning. We were in New Orleans and it was Mardi Gras
and I was just partying."
"Everyone
gets on really well now, the performers and the crew, everyone"
he adds.
Tony
is also very clear about why he decided to do the show in the first
place.
"I’d
already planned the single, (After All This Time from the TV series
Down to Earth), a new album and a tour this year, so when you’re
offered a chance to appear on prime time Saturday night TV, you
don’t turn it down" he says honestly. He also bemoans
the lack of opportunities to perform music on TV at the moment.
"There
is so little exposure for pop music these days as well, so when
it comes along you take it."
"Twenty
years ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing something like the
Des O’Connor show, and I don’t mean that in a nasty way"
he explains. "There were proper pop shows back then, and shows
like Des O’Connor and Parkinson were seen as being for a much
older audience. Now there are far fewer opportunities to appear
and people would give their right arm to be on a show like this."
"I
think it’s wrong. There should be more exposure for pop shows.
So when I was offered this, I took it."
So
has he got a favourite moment so far? "Yes" he says. "When
we were in New Orleans and it was Mardi Gras it was absolutely fantastic."
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| Tony
Hadley as Tom Marshall and Alexandra Stone as Molly in the second
series of BBC One drama Down to Earth. |
"There
was a separate procession of old hippies that broke away, playing
their instruments and I desperately wanted to join in. Then a naked
woman, who must have been in her fifties, rode by on a horse and
I just thought ‘this is so surreal’. I was just standing
there with a beer in my hand watching it all and thinking I’ll
never forget this."
Tony
is clearly enjoying himself very much in the States and can’t
really say anything that has been bad, apart of course from the
obvious.
"
I am genuinely having a really good time. But of course I miss my
family, that’s a foregone conclusion" he says.
"I
miss my dog and my car too" he laughs. "But I’m used
to touring, I’ve done it for 22 years now. I got married on
a Saturday and went off on a two month tour on the Sunday so it’s
not a new thing."
"But
the good thing about this show is that you’re in a place for
a whole week so you really get to know the towns as well."
"We
went line dancing yesterday and I was bloody useless at it, as you’ll
see on Saturday, but it was fun. And today we’re going out
to play some golf."
Continues
in Part 2 »
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