Latest news with #GaryKemp
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tony Hadley dismisses the prospect of a Spandau Ballet reunion
Tony Hadley doubts that a Spandau Ballet reunion would work. The 65-year-old singer quit as lead singer of the True band in 2017 due to "circumstances beyond my control" and was surprised to hear his ex-bandmate Gary Kemp suggest earlier this year that he would like to do another tour. Tony told Classic Pop magazine: "Really? That's news to me. "I don't think it would work. I haven't seen Gary, Martin (Kemp) or John (Keeble) in eight years. Steve (Norman) is the only one I'm vaguely in contact with. "We had some good times, but unfortunately there were some bad times as well. That's just life. We had some good laughs on the last tour, then unfortunately John fell ill and it wasn't the same without him. That was difficult." Tony doesn't want animosity amongst his former Spandau Ballet bandmates but is happy to be focusing on his solo career now. He said: "I wish Gary, Martin and John well, but I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I love the freedom I have now, the fact I can go from a bit of swing to a bit of rock. You can't do that within the confines of a band." Spandau Ballet had a huge hit with Gold in 1983 and Tony believes that the track continues to be popular as it is easy for people to sing along to. He explained: "You can't fail with Gold. There are times I get distracted singing it. I will suddenly come to and think: 'God, what's the second verse?' I get round it by going: 'Right, you lot can sing it...' However, Tony is still baffled that the band chose not to perform the song during their set at Live Aid in 1985. The singer said: "My one issue with Gold is, why didn't we play it at Live Aid? I think it's because we didn't think we could reproduce the orchestral touches at Wembley. Whatever, it didn't make any sense to me why we didn't do it." Hadley has been involved in music for over 40 years and believes that his distinctive voice has been pivotal to his success. He explained: "I've always had a big voice and it's always sounded like me. That gives me an identity, whether you like my voice or not. "My influences are all brilliant voices, but I'm not interested in technicality. Loads of singers can do more vocal twiddles than me and are technically better, but that's not what I'm interested in."
Dublin Live
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Dublin Live
Danny Dyer and Line of Duty star among host of stars spotted at Oasis reunion shows
The hottest ticket in town was undoubtedly at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday, July 4, where thousands of ecstatic fans witnessed Oasis' first gig in 16 years. Liam and Noel Gallagher made a united entrance, hand-in-hand, before delivering a two-hour set of their greatest hits. With over 70,000 people bagging tickets for the opening night of the Oasis Live 2025 tour, and more than 100,000 descending on Cardiff that day, it's no shocker that some well-known faces were seen in the throng, reports Wales Online. A host of celebs took to their socials to share their buzz about being in Cardiff and catching the Gallagher brothers' historic reunion after 16 years apart. Check out the roll call of stars who rocked up to the Oasis Live 2025 kick-off concert in Cardiff over the weekend. Cara Delevingne and Anya Taylor-Joy Model and actress Cara Delevingne, alongside fellow actress Anya Taylor-Joy, were spotted belting out 'Wonderwall'. Cara shared her gratitude to Noel Gallagher and Oasis on her Instagram story, saying "life made". Gary Kemp and Lauren Kemp (Image: Instagram) Spandau Ballet's frontman Gary Kemp and his wife Lauren Kemp were also in attendance on Friday evening. Gary posted a video from the concert with the caption: "Snarling, joyful and like a football match where everyone is winning." Holly Willoughby The audience at the star-studded event included ex-This Morning host Holly Willoughby, who took to social media to share a video of the brothers performing in Cardiff with the caption "Epic". Louis Tomlinson The massive Oasis fan, was also among the crowd on Friday. The former One Direction star posted a clip of Oasis belting out 'Little by Little' on stage. Danny Dyer EastEnders legend Danny Dyer was snapped making his way to the concert amidst a sea of Oasis enthusiasts. The 47-year-old actor was spotted rocking some stylish sunglasses as he strolled down Westgate Street in the city centre. Vernon Kay (Image: Instagram) TV favourite Vernon Kay kicked off his day in Wales after a night of dancing and singing with his daughter, Amber, at the Cardiff gig. The beloved presenter and radio DJ shared that "tears were shed" as he uploaded several videos from the evening to his online profiles. Dive into the full tale over here. Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen Screen star Vicky McClure and her other half Jonny Owen were seen at last night's show, even featuring in a singalong video posted by Gary Kemp. The Line of Duty actress expressed her awe on Instagram, saying: "Never known an atmosphere like it! ELECTRIC!". A whole host of famous faces appear in the video on her account, including ex-Swansea City and Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper, alongside former Everton manager Sean Dyche. Meg Mathews A familiar face popped up among the throng of fans as Noel Gallagher's ex-wife Meg Mathews was spotted cheering on her former partner. She shared a video from the gig with the caption: "5 stars loved every minute thank you Oasis ... you were brilliant @porthtowanbeachshop best gig buddy .... Great to see all the old faces ... it was worth the count Down." Callum Scott Howells Welsh actor Callum Scott Howells was seen at the concert alongside his significant other, Noel Gallagher's daughter Anais Gallagher, and their mates. 'Doctor Who' alum Matt Smith was also caught getting his groove on next to the couple during Oasis's performance. The event was a magnet for celebs, with plenty of famous faces either spotted in the crowd or expressing their excitement over witnessing Oasis's first show in 16 years. Among them were Rob Brydon, Serge Pizzorno, Andy Goldstein, and Jonathan Davies (Jiffy). Hoping to grab last-minute tickets? Tickets for the Oasis reunion sold out across all venues due to huge demand when they went online earlier in the year. However, there are still several options available for fans trying to snag a last-minute spot. Limited last-minute tickets can be bought from the official Ticketmaster resale site, where fans who can no longer go sell their seats, although these tend to go into and out of stock quickly. Elsewhere, resale sites like Viagogo, Vivid Seats, StubHub and Twickets are selling tickets for various dates, although fans should always bear in mind that many official sites, such as Ticketmaster and Live Nation, discourage the purchase of resale tickets. Meanwhile Seat Unique has some VIP tickets available offering a host of additional perks alongside access to the gig. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Story of a Song review: How Spandau Ballet's Through the Barricades emerged from the Troubles
There's a surreal scene halfway through the latest episode of Aistear an Amhráin ( RTÉ One , Tuesday at 7pm), where the 1983 funeral of Belfast music roadie Thomas 'Kidso' Reilly is attended by big-haired pop threesome Bananarama. Two universes collided: Northern Ireland in the darkest days of the Troubles and the carefree world of London pop. 'This bubbly fun trio – why were they carrying wreathes?' wonders a friend of Kidso, who had gone to London to escape the grim reality of the Troubles and became acquainted with pop stars such as Bananarama and Spandau Ballet , then in their first flush of success as leaders of the New Romantic scene. Aistear an Amhráin is a documentary series unpacking the history of some of Ireland and the world's best-loved songs. It is the sort of show RTÉ should make more of. Clocking in at just 30 minutes, it doesn't wear out its welcome, and its selection of music is wide-ranging, with this season encompassing the old republican dirge Grace and the unofficial Cork sport's anthem , After All by the Frank and Walters. Episode three delves into Through the Barricades, the Spandau Ballet lament for barriers and prejudice that songwriter Gary Kemp reveals was informed by the shooting dead of Reilly by a British soldier. READ MORE 'I visited Kidso's grave,' remembers Kemp. He describes his dismay at the peace lines that divided Belfast by religion. 'I was shocked by the barricades stopping you crossing from one area into the next. I'd never seen anything like that. The resonance of seeing that, his [Reilly's] little photograph [on the headstone]. Very powerful [and] poignant. [It] stayed with me as an experience stronger than anything.' The episode has the challenging task of celebrating the chunky-quiffed pop of Spandau Ballet while also acknowledging the tragedy of Reilly's death – an innocent man whose killer would become the first British soldier tried and convicted of murder. 'My father had to sit through the whole trial and listen to the details, and listen to that British soldier blacken his son's name,' recalls Reilly's brother, Jim (who played drums for Belfast punk group Stiff Little Fingers). 'Make his son – who he had murdered in cold blood – out to be the perpetrator and him the victim.' The Irish influence on Through the Barricades goes beyond Belfast. In the mid-1980s, Spandau Ballet briefly became tax exiles in Dublin . In his digs in Stillorgan, Kemp was seized by a moment of inspiration and bashed out the tune over a few hours. He recalls tipping a hat to WB Yeat s with the line, 'It's a terrible beauty we've made'. 'Yeats, right,' he enthuses. Then, with heaviness in his voice, he adds: 'A terrible beauty encapsulated Ireland perfectly'.
The Independent
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Inside the Spandau Ballet feud: ‘That was a very hard meeting'
Singer Tony Hadley has described the short-lived Spandau Ballet reunion as "bloody difficult" due to his feud with lead guitarist Gary Kemp. The new-wave band originally split in 1987 but reunited from 2009-2015, when Hadley quit, citing reasons beyond his control. The former frontman said differences between himself and Kemp could not be resolved, saying: 'There's always two in a band that have a fallout and that was a very hard meeting between the two of us.' After Hadley's departure, Spandau Ballet hired Ross Davidson as the new lead singer. Kemp has expressed a desire for Hadley to return to Spandau Ballet, to which Hadley said: 'You should have thought about that before, mate.'
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gary Kemp uses AI in music video because ‘record companies won't fund them'
Gary Kemp has defended the use of artificial intelligence in his music video, saying that record companies will not fund this type of content. The Spandau Ballet star, 65, released the video for the track This Destination – featuring fake London commuters generated using AI in a rainy city landscape – on Friday. While speaking to BBC One morning show BBC Breakfast about his new album This Destination, Kemp said 'there's no actors' in the footage, and it has been created using the lyrics in the song. He also said: 'I wouldn't have been able to make a video because people just want backstage, behind the scenes and record companies aren't going to pay for big videos, so just seemed a good opportunity to explore that.' Kemp said that he would 'draw the line', and 'would never dream of writing lyrics with AI or writing music with AI'. He added: 'Art, especially words… we listen to it and because we read it, because we don't want to feel alone. 'We want to feel there's someone else out there who has the same issues that we have and has encapsulated it in a poem or in lyric or in book, if it's a machine.' When asked about Sir Paul McCartney's criticism of AI use, Kemp said that he has no interest in generating lyrics as they 'come first for me'. 'Other people hopefully will listen to those lyrics and go understand that I'm that person too,' he added. At the weekend, Sir Paul warned on BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that young artists do not have ownership of their own music, saying 'anyone who wants can just rip it off'. The 82-year-old Beatles star also pleaded with the Government over the AI consultation, which includes plans which could allow AI firms to scrape media companies' content, unless they specifically opt out. He said that 'if you're putting through a Bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you're not going to have them'. His words were also backed by Sir Elton John, who told the Sunday Times the 'wheels are in motion to allow AI companies to ride roughshod over the traditional copyright laws that protect artists' livelihoods'. This marks one of three AI music videos directed by Mike Bennion for Kemp. As the latest video was released, Bennion said: 'Each of Gary's tracks which I directed videos for have a traveling motif in the lyrics and I echoed that in the visuals, but gave each one its own look. 'This one had a documentary approach. The idea was various people trying to get home on a London night bus. I was fascinated by the AI technology's ability to render convincing moving lights on glass and through condensation.' As songwriter and guitarist for Spandau Ballet, Kemp has worked on 10 UK top 10 singles and eight UK top 10 albums, with the band best known for songs such as Gold and UK number one True. His last album was 2021's Insolo.
