Review: Spandau Ballet - Manchester Arena

With an ITV documentary on the band and a new Greatest Hits collection released last year that also contained some new tracks, Spandau Ballet seems to be on a roll at the moment.

Rather than go on some 1980's Here and Now tour the band still have a strong following that allows them to tour on their own.

To prove it was not going to be all about nostalgia the band sang quite a few new tracks: the gig started off with Soul Boy before it was back on familiar territory with their hit Highly Strung.

Lead singer Tony Hadley still has a powerful voice which was showcased on Round and Round, whilst another new track This is the Love has all the hallmarks on a typical Spandau Ballet track.

They go right back to the start of their tracks Reformation and their debut hit, To Cut a Long Story Short. A blue neon sign behind them lights up the word Blitz, recalling the Blitz club in London which was the haunt of the New Romantic movement back in the early 1980's. The section is dedicated to Steve Strange who passed away earlier this year, Strange ran the Blitz club and later went on to form Visage who had a big hit with Fade to Grey. The band attended his funeral in south Wales earlier this week, with several members of the group carrying his coffin. A poignant moment during what was otherwise a very uplifting gig.

Hadley and guitarist Gary Kemp relocate to the rear of the arena for an acoustic session of Empty Spaces and Gold.

As the gig progresses the nature and song writing of the songs become stronger as the tracks performed are from their glory years: Communication, Lifeline and True close what had been a night of memories and magic.

They encore with Through the Barricades: the video screen behind them shows the fall of the Berlin Wall and also footage of the infamous court case several members of the band had with songwriter Gary Kemp. A full live version of Gold closes a night that made a lot of Old Romantics feel new again,