Pop star Tony Hadley has claimed he can tell his fans are getting bigger – by the jumbo-sized knickers they throw at him on stage.
The singer shot to fame as the frontman of Eighties band Spandau Ballet alongside brothers Gary and Martin Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble. The band, who had ten Top 10 hits including Gold, split in 1990 following a bitter row over royalties.
They briefly got back together again in 2009 to embark on a world tour, but it wasn’t long before old rivalries flared up and Tony dramatically quit the band for good in 2017. These days he performs solo and is set to play a string of dates across the UK as part of his Big Swing Tour, which kicks off in March. While he might be 63 now, the singer revealed it hasn’t stopped fans pelting him with knickers.
Tony Hadley now performs solo - but says he still gets pelted with knickers on stage (Getty Images)Discussing his fan base, Tony told the Daily Star: “The pants have just got bigger. Whenever we get pants or bras I put them on the drum kit – the drummer looked at me aghast at the size of some recently. A lady threw a bra up, I caught it and she said, ‘Can I have it back?’ I wasn’t going to bring it home to the wife, was I?
Speaking in a new interview, Tony recalled having "some amazing times" with Spandau Ballet, but shut down any chance of another reunion. He admitted to Best magazine that there were some real highs, but admitted "there were some real lows as well."
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He explained how in 2017 “I refused to be treated that way and that's it.” Though he said the split was "very sad" for Spandau Ballet fans, he revealed it was not his "choosing or making" and claimed the rest of the band "made his life impossible".
Tony as frontman of Spandau Ballet in the 80s with Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, John Keeble and Steve Norman (Getty Images)Tony revealed he is now only in touch with the band’s drummer Steve. He said: “Apart from Steve, I’ve not seen the others since 2015. But that’s life. I am doing that song on the tour actually - it sums up my attitude! You never know where life is going to take you, but you just have to pick yourself up and roll with it."
They may not be performing together anymore, but the Kemp brothers and their former bandmate Tony can't stop speaking about each other. In July 2020, the Kemps appeared on Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 show and were asked when one of them was going to pick up the phone to Tony.
There was an incredibly awkward silence where Martin went to speak, but then very visibly shut his mouth. Eventually he said: "Listen you know what it is...it's something I would love to do and I know Gary would love to do it. It's very difficult to get five adults to say 'yes' at the same time. Tony at the moment doesn't want to do it and I understand why. I understand his reasons for wanting to be on his own and be a solo singer.”
Gary admitted they had struggled to get through their last tour and that another one would not be worth the effort. He added: "I don’t ever want to get Spandau back together again. That’s not going to happen. I can’t bear another tour.”
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