’70’s British New Wave Band Spandau Ballet Will Take Over The Wiltern

Come Jan. 24 and 25, Spandau Ballet will be taking the stage at The Wiltern for two nights of unforgettable music that kept the ‘70s alive, both in the U.K. and when they branched out into the states.

Having formed in 1976 with original band name The Cut, it was initially a collaboration merely between Gary Kemp and Steve Norman both on guitar, which would later move on to saxophone and percussion. They would then be joined by a fellow student attending Dame Alice Owen’s School, John Keeble, who would take over the drums and be followed suit by bassist Michael Ellison. The final piece of the puzzle was solved when Tom Hadley, a connection of Norman’s, would join as lead singer. Given a few switch-ups in the lineup, Richard Miller replaced Ellison on bass, who was then replaced by Kemp’s younger brother, Martin, who would happily hang on to the role.

The group went through name changes a couple times, but what made them stick to “Spandau Ballet” makes for an interesting story. When visiting a nightclub in Berlin, friend of the band’s DJ Robert Elms saw the phrase scrawled on the wall of a bathroom. Spandau Ballet refers to the many hangings that took place in Berlin, especially during the Nazi war-crime era in 1945, where victims would be left to twitch at the end of their ropes.

It all started taking off for the five-piece after the changing of the name. They were involved in a major bidding war, ultimately signing to Chrysalis Records to release debut single “To Cut a Long Story Short,” which reached the number five position on U.K. charts in 1980.

Over the span of their career, Spandau Ballet has released eight U.K. Top 10 albums with an additional three Greatest Hits compilations, despite taking a 20-year hiatus that came about in 1980 after releasing album “Heart Like a Sky.”

2009 marked a year for a reunion for the band, kicking off a world tour in Oct. 2009. The same month they released latest album “Once More,” which features reworked versions of previous songs in addition to two completely new ones. In July of last year, it was confirmed they were back in the studio to work on new material with Trevor Horn.

Spandau Ballet kicks off their “Soulboys of the Western World Tour” in San Francisco January 23 and will go on until May 22 in Perth, Australia. The band’s second and third shows will take place at our very own Wiltern, two you don’t want to miss whether you’re in it for the old songs or the new.

Spandau Ballet will be performing at The Wiltern  for two nights Jan. 24 and 25. Tickets are available for purchase here.