Martin Kemp addresses making 'worst mistake of our lives' in candid confession

Edinburgh Live

30-04-2025

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Live Aid was a monumental event in rock history, not only for its humanitarian impact but also for its effect on the careers of many musicians. But Martin Kemp has recently confessed how his band made "the worst mistake of their lives" during their performance as part of the unrepeatable Wembley line-up.
Martin, known both for his role as Steve Owen in EastEnders and as a member of Spandau Ballet alongside his brother Gary and Tony Hadley, shared a candid moment with his son Roman on their podcast 'FFS! My dad Is Martin Kemp'. He recounted how the band's position in the Live Aid lineup plummeted as more acts joined the bill.
"Bob Geldof asked us to do it," Martin reminisced, "and we were one of the first to be asked. So we thought we were closer to the end of the show. But the more people that got asked, the lower down the list Spandau got."
(Image: Getty Images)
Despite being among the era's biggest stars, Spandau Ballet found themselves sixth in the running order. They performed two of their hits, 'Only When You Leave' and 'True', but also decided to introduce 'Virgin' from their forthcoming album 'Through The Barricades'.
Unfortunately, this decision didn't go down too well. "It was the worst mistake of our lives," Martin told Roman. "It was terrible, because Virgin was a track that we'd rehearsed. It was going to be on a new album coming out.."
Martin revealed the moment Spandau Ballet took a misstep during their performance with top ten hits like "True" and "Only When You Leave."
(Image: Redferns)
He recounted the moment when they introduced the new number, saying: "Then Tony goes up to the mic – with two billion people watching – and goes, 'Here's a new one'."
"And two billion people around the world go 'Oh b******s.' You know when you go to see a band and they play a new song off the latest album? You don't want to know."
Spandau Ballet, alongside Adam Ant, were among the few acts to showcase new material that day, a decision Martin attributed to the fact the band's "egos were bigger than everyone else's".
(Image: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
He mentioned that his older brother Gary picked the song for the set, although in another interview Gary has previously pointed the finger at band manager Steve Dagger.
Despite his critique of Spandau's choice, Martin looked back on that sunny Saturday in July 1985 with fondness, describing it as a career highlight. Watching Status Quo from the side of the stage brought him immense joy. "Probably the happiest that I ever knew my band," he expressed.
"We were standing on the side of the stage watching them, and it was absolutely beautiful. It's my favourite memory of being in the band."
(Image: Redferns)
Martin also cherished a quiet moment at home with his wife-to-be-Shirlie, who had just completed an extensive tour with Wham, before returning to Wembley for the event's grand finale.
"When I went back, I saw the best thing that I'd ever seen in my life," he reminisced. "Queen were probably the best thing that I'd ever seen. That 20-minute show they were better than everyone else.
"They were cleverer. Because everyone went out there doing their singles, but Queen did a medley. So they squashed in about 10 of their best songs."
(Image: Getty Images)
Queen's performance from that day is still celebrated as one of the most phenomenal live shows ever, captivating an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.
Journalist David Hepworth, who was at the helm of the UK TV broadcast for the BBC, has gone on record to say that this iconic 20-minute performance "cemented Queen's position as the most-loved British group since the Beatles".
While the concert accumulated millions for famine relief, it faced criticism post-event because of the theft of funds by corrupt officials. Nonetheless, organiser Bob Geldof remained undeterred, stating: "I'll shake hands with the Devil on my left and on my right to get to the people we are meant to help."