Q+A
TONY HADLEY
THE FORMER SPANDAU BALLET MAN BELATEDLY TOASTS FOUR DECADES OF MUSIC WITH A MAMMOTH 36-DATE UK TOUR FEATURING THE FABULOUS TH BAND NEXT YEAR. BIG TONE CAUGHT UP WITH CLASSIC POP TO EXPLAIN WHY HE CAN’T WAIT TO FINALLY BE SINGING, IN THE FLESH, AGAIN.
RUDY BOLLY
Tony Hadley: “I still feel like a kid in a sweet shop”
“WITH SPANDAU IT WAS A SLOW DISINTEGRATION, BUT THE EARLY AND MIDDLE PERIOD, WE WERE A FUN BAND. THEN IT ALL STARTED TO CHANGE, PEOPLE GOT SERIOUS. I’M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT HAPPENED.”
There’s an undeniable twinkle in Tony Hadley’s eye, clearly evident even via the pixilated view of a laptop screen. Perhaps it’s because he can sense the age of these Zoom interviews may finally be coming to an end. “I’m getting excited now,” he chortles. “Obviously from my personal point of view it’s frustrating not being able to do the job I love. I’ve had a Zoom with my band and crew every week of lockdown, and we have a laugh but we are desperate to play.”
Like the rest of the ‘new world’, housebound Tony has had to find new ways of existing during a pandemic. “Being with my two young ones was great but home schooling was, er… interesting to say the least. There’s only so much gardening and homework that you can do. I did a couple of quizzes but I’ve had enough. I’m a bloke that needs a sense of purpose, I need focus and an end game, so the only thing I’ve done is listened back to song ideas for my next new album. Otherwise I’ve been domesticated.”