To cut a long story short Tony’s in town
AFTER nearly four decades in the music industry, singer Tony Hadley still has the same zest for the performing life. While touring can take its toll on musicians, Hadley – who still gigs everywhere from Ireland to Australia – has not let the passage of years dim his desire to put on a great show.
Hadley, of course, shot to fame in the 1980s as a member of one of the original new romantic bands Spandau Ballet, along with brothers Martin and Gary Kemp.
The London group’s hits, including To Cut A Long Story Short, Gold and True remain dance floor fillers to this day, harking back to the group’s musical heyday.
Spandau Ballet had their fair share of make-ups and break-ups but in 2017 Hadley permanently severed all ties with the group that he formed when he was just a teenager.
A consummate performer, Hadley is still a stage regular, belting out Spandau classics hits along with some of his own new tracks. And Hadley is bound for Killarney later this week, where he will take to the stage in the NEC along with a host of other well-known 1980s throwback acts at the Forever Young Winterfest.
‘I wouldn’t still do it if I didn’t still enjoy it. When I was on a plane recently on the way home from Australia I watched the [INXS singer] Michael Hutchence film and in it he said, “the rest of it’s rubbish really; the bit you live for is the few hours on-stage at night”.
‘I’m happy to chat with people, I’m quite a chatty person but the travelling was the one thing that gets to you after a while, that’s the stuff that wears you down. But once you get on stage you’re buzzing, you have a great time,’ he tells me.
London-born Hadley has found fame and fortune, and a job he loves, in the entertainment industry. But, as a youngster, he harboured dreams of becoming a surgeon. A family trip to a holiday camp altered his career course.
‘When I was younger I wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon but I wasn’t good enough at the maths and the physics and chemistry just wasn’t for me. Then
I discovered music.
He says: ‘As a young kid we used to go to Pontins Holiday camp with my mam and dad. I sang in some of the competitions and I won.’
From summer singing competitions a star was born and Hadley then went on to set up Spandau Ballet with the handsome Kemp brothers. Superstardom beckoned the trio.
‘From there we formed the band when I was 16 at school. We had a few names before and then we became Spandau Ballet and signed a record deal at the age of 20.’
During his time with Spandau Ballet the band had a stint living in Dublin where he fondly recalls rock ‘n’ roll days of hanging out in Robbie Fox’s Pink Elephant nightclub and of bar crawls along Leeson Street.
‘I lived in Dublin in Donnybrook for about seven months. I had a lot of fun in Dublin; a lot of drinking went on,’ he remembers.
‘We used to hang out in the Pink Elephant, my mate Robbie used to run it. And we would be drinking along Lesson Street.
‘The last time we were in Dublin we went along to his restaurant and caught up on old times. He is a very funny guy.’
Now he is back on Irish shores with what promises to be a nonstop music throwback treat packed with nostalgia as the likes of Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw, Go West and Andrew Strong take to the stage.
‘I am really looking forward to Killarney. I am so looking forward to the concert. It will be good fun. The question I get asked a lot because I resigned from
Spandau Ballet is: “Am I going to be singing Gold and True?” and the answer is “yes, I am”,’ he said.
‘We will be doing all of the classic hits and throwing in some new songs as well.
‘We always do a Queen song because Freddie Mercury was a
‘Travelling gets to you, but once you get on stage you’re buzzing – you have a great time’
great friend and mentor; he was such a lovely man.
‘It will be a mixed bag and will bring back a lot of lovely memories for people and that’s what’s important.’
Forever Young Winterfest. Two-day weekend festival, NEC Killarney, December 6 and 7.