Spandau Ballet have several potential singers in line to replace frontman Tony Hadley – who announced he had quit the band in July.
The remaining members of the British group – Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble – are determined to carry on performing and have now revealed that they are due to start rehearsals with the potential vocalists in a "couple weeks" to find a new singer.
Speaking after a screening in London of a new documentary which explores the recording of their fifth album ‘Through The Barricades’ and subsequent 1986/1987 world tour on Tuesday night (12.09.17), bassist Martin, 55, said: "I’ll tell you the truth we’re in rehearsals in a couple of weeks, trying out new singers. We’re moving it on, and it’s moving on pretty fast. For me, this is probably the most excited I’ve been about the band for such a long time, we’re got all of this freedom and we don’t know what’s ahead and it’s exciting.
"What you’re doing when you come and see a band like Spandau now is you’re celebrating in those songs, so for me the number one thing is the songs."
Guitarist-and-songwriter Gary – who is Martin’s older brother – insists the four remaining members are determined to carry on as Spandau Ballet despite the loss of Tony’s iconic voice and insists the magic of the band is bigger than any one member.
He said: "We’ve all been doing our own thing and then we spent some time doing this, and we like each other’s company. This is still the engine of Spandau Ballet. I think we still sound like Spandau Ballet when we play together. This is a band that started off with me and Steve, and then John, and we’ve grown and moved and we’ve been together for 40 years, and it seems a shame, I don’t think we are ready to give it up now.
"We are still in the process of looking (for a singer) but we are actively looking because we don’t want to finish. Spandau Ballet are bigger than one member."
Tony, 57, revealed he had left the group in a Twitter post made on July 3 but Gary, 57, says the he and the other guys knew of his intentions two years earlier when he told them his plans during a trip to Hong Kong.
The musician said: "Just for clarification, that tweet that came out a couple of months ago, we all knew that way before then. Tony told us pretty much in Hong Kong that he didn’t want to do it two years ago."
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 new album ‘Once More’, which contained two fresh tracks and eleven re-recordings from their back catalogue.
They came together again in 2015 for another tour before Tony walked away.
Norman, 57, admits the band are as disappointed as the fans that Tony no longer wants to a part of Spandau Ballet but they are treating his exit as the start of a new chapter.
He said: "It’s a new chapter and as frustrating as it was for us, and it’s sad, and it’s sad for a lot of people especially the fans, but it also is for us. Our hands have been tied as well because obviously Tony had other ideas and we had other plans, and it just didn’t match up.
"At least now he’s focused on what he wants to do and now we can focus on what we want to do, and we are not going to replace Tony, you can’t fill those particular boots, you just have to find someone that can manage."
"It’s going to be a bit tricky anyway, Tony has got a massive vocal range but someone different, someone that is bringing their own personality to it, which can cover those things … People say we can’t go on, but I think, ‘Why not?’
The remastered and extended anniversary edition of ‘Through The Barricades’ will be released on September 22.
Spandau Ballet have shortlist of singers
