An 80s singing legend has said he is “sad” after not seeing his Spandau Ballet bandmates in 10 years following their split.
Tony Hadley, who recently performed at the Sunshine Festival in Upton, rose to international fame as the lead singer of the new wave group, delivering iconic hits including True, Gold and Through The Barricades.
The 66-year-old is renowned for his powerful, expressive vocals and has enjoyed a successful solo career since leaving the band, whilst also pursuing stage work and radio presenting.
The singer recently joined the push to save The Rose & Thistle in Haddenham near Thame, over the Oxfordshire border in Buckinghamshire.
Villagers are aiming to reopen the historic coaching inn, which dates back to the 18th century, but closed in 2019.
Mr Hadley has urged people to buy shares to back the crowdfunding campaign and said: “It’s a fantastic little pub – I have been there many times in the past.
“We have to preserve our village and small town pubs.”
Now, the singer has opened up to the Press Association (PA) about the split and not seeing his bandmates in a decade.
After the band split in 1990, he pursued a career as a solo artist and has since released several of his own studio albums.
Although her rejoined the band in 2009, he announced his departure in 2017, saying at the time it was due to “circumstances beyond my control”.
Nearly a decade on, Mr Hadley has now revealed he has not been in contact with many of his former bandmates – which included Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble.
He told PA: “Unfortunately, the wheels came off, and we went through some pretty horrid times together.
“I saw Steve Norman at a festival in Germany recently, but I haven’t seen the rest of the guys in 11 years.
“Which is sad, but that’s life. You know, bands fall out with each other. It’s just the way it is sometimes.”
Despite the falling out, Mr Hadley said he could still look back at his time in the band with fondness.
He added: “I think it’s important. I mean, it would be really sad if what happened in recent years muddied the water in terms of what it felt in times like when True went to number one, for instance and was then in the Top 5 in America for four weeks.
“I can still sing those songs and not with any kind of angst or bad feeling. I just sing them because they’re great songs.
“They’re part of my life. They’re part of the audience’s life, and it’s important to realise that.”
After striking out on his own, Mr Hadley admitted he found the experience “bloody terrifying at first”.
He said: “It’s the scariest thing because you’ve got to remember that we were a school band and then all of a sudden you find yourself as a solo artist. It was kind of daunting, but I got used to it.”
Years later, Mr Hadley is now celebrating five decades in the music industry, which he said was a hard-fought achievement.
Hadley added: “When you sign your first record deal, you want it so much and desperately want it to last for as long as possible.
“But we all know the music business is pretty fickle and not everybody survives or lasts the course.
“But through sheer determination and hard work, I’ll always get back up no matter how many times you hit me down.
“I’ve managed to still be doing what I love 50 years on. It’s a pretty tough business, but you’ve got to roll with the punches, and I’m loving it at the moment. So, I am a lucky man to still do what I love.”
The singer, who has won a Brit Award and was made an MBE, is also marking his 50 years in the industry with The Christmas Big Band Tour 2026, which will see him perform 19 shows across the UK this winter.
The shows will see him perform timeless big band standards, swing favourites and 80s anthems including songs by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Elvis Presley, while being joined by the Fabulous TH Band and full brass section.
He also promised fans he would perform some of Spandau Ballet’s best-known songs.
“It’s musical suicide not to sing your hit songs,” he said.
“If you’re a new band that no-one’s ever heard of and you do a 40-minute set, then of course you’re playing new songs.
“But if you have all these fantastic songs like True, Gold and Through The Barricades and don’t perform them, the audience will just walk out.
“They want to hear those songs, and I think you’d be really selfish not to perform them.”
During his time back with Spandau Ballet, Mr Hadley also took part in the 2015 season of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! – in which he finished sixth.
Although he said it “served a great purpose” at the time, he has no desire to do another reality show.
Mr Hadley explained: “There’s so many reality shows now; I enjoyed that one because it was in the jungle, and I’ve done various charity jungle treks.
“So I actually love being in the jungle, but to be honest they are trying to invent celebrity this and celebrity that all over the place, and I’m kind of bored with it.
“I think I did it at the right time, but I’m not interested in anything else now.”
But when asked if he had any other projects to tick off the bucket list, he revealed there was a contemporary album in the works that he was hoping to release next year, while another goal was to perform with a big band in Las Vegas.
