Spandau Ballet have "moved on" from their rift with former frontman Tony Hadley.
The ‘Gold’ hitmakers – comprised of brothers Martin and Gary Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble – are starting a new chapter with new singer Ross William Wild and are willing to bury the hatchet with Tony, despite him quitting the band last July, leaving them "in the lurch".
Referring to a recent interview Tony did, in which he said he is willing to meet up with the rest of Spandau, Martin told The Sun newspaper: "I saw the interview he gave and that was quite mellow.
"It was complimentary and nice. He’s moved on, we’ve moved on.
"It’s been frustrating with Tony. He’s got to do what he’s got to do, but he left us a bit in the lurch. We’ve had the energy to keep going since 2009 when we first reformed.
"Spandau is something I want to do for the rest of my life, it’s the best hobby in the world."
The 80s band made their live debut with Ross at Subterania nightclub in West London last night (06.05.18), and are set to perform a special one-off UK show at the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith in the British capital on October 29.
Martin says Ross’ "younger energy" has rejuvenated the group, giving them "more vigour" when they perform.
Speaking about the West End star, who is half the age of Tony, he said: "If we couldn’t have found the right person to do it, we would never go out and do it for the sake of it.
"But there’s something else that Ross brings to the band, and that’s a younger energy.
"That energy brushed off on all of us and we get that excitement.
"What you’ll notice more than anything else is we’re playing better, playing with more vigour than I’ve ever heard from us, and I think that’s because of the way he sings."
Showing no hard feelings with his former bandmates, Tony – who claimed he quit "due to circumstances beyond [his] control" – gave Ross his blessing, writing on Twitter after it was confirmed he’d joined the band: "At last it’s been announced that Ross William Wild is my replacement … I’ve known for ages (can’t really keep a secret in this business!), but didn’t want to spoil the news. So good luck Ross! Best wishes, Tone X [sic]"
Spandau Ballet originally formed in 1979 and became one of the 80s biggest bands enjoying a string of his such as ‘Instinction’, ‘True’ and ‘Gold’.
They acrimoniously split in 1990 due to a row over royalties but eventually put their differences aside in 2009 for a huge reunion tour and the album ‘Once More’.
They came together again in 2015 for another tour before Tony walked away.
Spandau Ballet move on from rift with Tony Hadley
