Spandau Ballet

Aye, they're pretty shite with the exception of 'To Cut A Long Story Short' which is a perfect electro moment.

Having read the bold Tony Hadley's autobiography though I have to say that todays reunion announcement was quite a surprise to say the least. He gives Kemp both barrels in that book calling him basically a thief a liar and a conman. Really lays into the dude and with good reason too, him and the other two blokes were proper shafted. And what money he did earn from Spandau Ballet all went on court costs when they lost the case.

The unlikeliest reunion of all time?

true

It's TRUE, they're now THROUGH THE BARRICADES. TO CUT A LONG STORY SHORT they're doing it earn GOLD. They've been thrown a LIFELINE. I like Spandau, and if they gig abroad, I'd tell Tony "I'LL FLY FOR YOU."

I need to get out more

I need to get out more

Funny, most people reading that would think "fuck I hope she stays in more".

;)

just bouled onto the ballet's site... £60 a pop for a canny seat, ne standing as well, fuck that then

Andrew Sayer wrote: just bouled onto the ballet's site... £60 a pop for a canny seat, ne standing as well, fuck that then

Cheeky cunts,man.

What next? Wayne Sleep Ballet with pie n pies?

Yeah goodnight out,but 30 bob tops.. Fuckin recession on ere!

Fuck it,put another dime in the dukebox baby!

El Jarvo wrote: I spent most of my 20's dating a berd 10 years my senior who had been mates with them during the heady days of the Blitz club, and all that bollocks. Sounded quite an interesting time. Robert Elms used to arrange coach-trips to dead bizarre places (castles in Wales and suchlike) and a load of Londoners would pile on for a 'secret' Spandau gig. She always referred to the band as the 'Islington Boys' when she talked about them, though. Apparently they were a small part of a much bigger gang of lads who used to knock around together.

We were in Sainsbury's on Liverpool Road N1 one time and that Steve one out of the band (the sax player?) came bounding up to my ex to say Hello and she didn't recognise him. He went, "It's Steve, out of ...." and I so wanted to jump in and go, "It's Spandau Ballet! It's Spandau Ballet!" but I didn't, and he went, "... Steve, out of the Islington Boys."

True dat.

"To Cut A Long Story Short," "Musclebound," "Chant No.1" were all ace tracks when I was young 'un, but Spandau went all 'boy band' after that, didn't they.

Steve Norman you're refering to. Do you know how he's been earning a crust of late? Playing saxophone alongside house deejays at those awful Hed Kandi themed nights that tour around provincial nightclubs. I saw his name on a poster for a night in Cheltenham. Hed Kandi in massive letters, 'featuring noname DJ' in letters about 25% of the size and in tiny print "accompanied by Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet) on live Sax'.

I love Hed Kandi, I must have about 30 CD's.

Does that make me a bad person? :(

Geriatric Jem wrote: I love Hed Kandi, I must have about 30 CD's.

Does that make me a bad person? :(

What is Hed Kandi though? It's a brand of compilation CD like 'K-Tel' or 'Now That's What I Call Music'. Most of their CD's are actually very good, especially the 'Back To Love's'. What I don't understand is why clubs and punters pay BIG money to bring/see a two bob DJ you've never heard of before plus a shed-load of Hed Kandi banners, drapes, inflatables, novelty keyrings etc etc and pass it off as entertainment. The nights are just a big advert for their branded CD's, man-bags, hair straightners (yep, they exist) etc etc and the clubs and punters are paying them to do this. The world's gone mad blah blah blah.

Anyway, here's the Graeme Park remix of Brand New Heavie's Back To Love which features on the very first Hed Kandi compilation and which still totally rocks. I almost wore a hole in this when it came out (in '94) I played it so much . A massive tune for about 2/3 years.

GlasVegas wrote:

What I don't understand is why clubs and punters pay BIG money to bring/see a two bob DJ you've never heard of before plus a shed-load of Hed Kandi banners, drapes, inflatables, novelty keyrings etc etc and pass it off as entertainment. The nights are just a big advert for their branded CD's, man-bags, hair straightners (yep, they exist) etc etc and the clubs and punters are paying them to do this.

Sounds familliar.

GlasVegas wrote:

Geriatric Jem wrote: I love Hed Kandi, I must have about 30 CD's.

Does that make me a bad person? :(

What is Hed Kandi though? It's a brand of compilation CD like 'K-Tel' or 'Now That's What I Call Music'. Most of their CD's are actually very good, especially the 'Back To Love's'. What I don't understand is why clubs and punters pay BIG money to bring/see a two bob DJ you've never heard of before plus a shed-load of Hed Kandi banners, drapes, inflatables, novelty keyrings etc etc and pass it off as entertainment. The nights are just a big advert for their branded CD's, man-bags, hair straightners (yep, they exist) etc etc and the clubs and punters are paying them to do this. The world's gone mad blah blah blah.

Anyway, here's the Graeme Park remix of Brand New Heavie's Back To Love which features on the very first Hed Kandi compilation and which still totally rocks. I almost wore a hole in this when it came out (in '94) I played it so much . A massive tune for about 2/3 years.

I always thought Hed Kandi was a collection of very good DJ's. I went to one of their nights in Ibiza years ago, it was fantastic. But admittedly I have seen loads of these nights advertised locally. I'd expect one in Manchester but not in Bolton and Wigan.

Nope. Hed Kandi was a not particularly busy or high profile night that ran in London with a rotating pool of DJs and a very loose music policy. Now it's the very definition of a 'lifestyle brand' and fair play to them, they've done it well. When you book a 'Hed Kandi" night you will get one of their pool of DJ's (and Steve Norman on sax if you're lucky!) but it'll be some bloke you've never heard of. That bloke will probably be very good but the point I'm making is that the quality of the DJ/saxplayer/'Hed Kandi dancers' is less important to Hed Kandi than getting their branding all over the venue, the venue's flyers, their website, their bar staff (branded t-shirts), local press etc. They need this exposure as they've hair straightners to sell!!!

I've just been on Wiki...

The Hed Kandi label has branched out extensively since its debut in 1999 and now includes a clothing and fragrance franchise. It has also partnered with Monarch Airlines to offer flights to Ibiza under the FlyKandi brand, created by the Hed Kandi team

Well I never. Although, to be honest, I'm only bothered about the music. I've never had a bad HK cd yet. The only thing that does bug me is when they bring out a mix cd, which is basically 75% of the previous album mixed in a different order. I won't be buying one of those again.