BRIGHTON CENTRE, 11/3/2015
It’s not that long since it would have been inconceivable that the warring factions of Spandau Ballet would ever speak to each other again, let alone pick up their instruments and make music together, and tonight’s capacity crowd certainly appreciated this chance to see the band heroes reunited once again, and to take a nostalgic journey through such a hit-laden musical catalogue.
Despite starting with a new song, ‘Soul Boy’ – inspired by the band’s excellent recent ‘Soul Boys of the Western World’ documentary for which this tour is named – this was mostly a retrospective exercise that saw the band looking back at their biggest hits, a selection of fan favourites and a sprinkling of new material. The band themselves moved with an easy dynamic, obviously comfortable in their roles and with each other, playing up to the cameras and putting on a confident show with stylish dignity.
Highlights included the band’s nod to their roots when they performed a medley of some of the songs they wrote to soundtrack the Blitz Club – whose iconic sign was lowered behind the band while they played – at the very start of their career, songs that went on to define and influence a whole generation. Then there were the goosebump moments for the ballads ‘Through The Barricades’ and ‘True’, and the euphoria of final encore ‘Gold’ which saw everyone out of their seats and on their feet.
Lowlights? Well there weren’t really any, the audience’s lack of familiarity with the new songs sometimes put a lull into the proceedings but overall Spandau Ballet proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Gold.
BRIGHTON – CENTRE, 11/3/2015
Soul Boy / Highly Strung / Only When You Leave / How Many Lies / Round and Round / This Is the Love / Steal / Chant No 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) / Age of Blows / Reformation + Mandolin + Confused + Freeze / To Cut a Long Story Short / Raw / Glow / Empty Spaces / Gold / Once More / I’ll Fly for You / Instinction / Communication / Lifeline / True / Through the Barricades / Gold
Review by This Is Not Retro. Photographs by Andy Sturmey.
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[five-star-rating]