Tony’s career is st ill ‘pure Gold ’

TopicUK editor Gill Laidler recently caught up with former Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley, who for many, needs no introduction, ahead of his UK solo tour with a stop at the Holmfirth Hippodrom e on 15th June.

I have spoken with Tony before who is very generous with his time and this occasion was no exception.

Tony is London born and bred and he believed growing up his future lay in medicine until as a young lad he won a holiday singing competition and decided his vocation was singing. “I used to sing at home all the time, and was a choir boy, but never in front of an audience,” he explained, “but I loved it and the audience seemed t o love it too.”

Despite being a huge ‘punk’ fan, Tony went on to front 1980s new romantic band Spandau Ballet, earning himself the accolade of being one of pop music’s greatest vocalists. The band had numerous chart-topping singles and albums all over the world, including Tony’s favourite track, ‘Through the Barricades’ and of course the international number one ‘True’ and the unofficial London Olympic theme ‘Gold’. The band were amongst the line-up of the original Band Aid with the iconic song ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’ put together by Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof and Ultravox star Midge Ure to raise funds for the peop le of Ethiopia.

By the mid-1980s Spandau Ballet were world-wide superstars, but relationships began to crack, leading to the band to finally splitting in 1990. Despite two well documented reunions, which generated the critically acclaimed rockumentary film ‘Soul Boys of the Western World’, Tony has now left the band permanently and has returned to his very successful solo career, writing, recording, and performing. “My time with the band was amazing, I never thought as a young lad sat on the sofa at home with my mum and dad and nan and grandad, watching Top of the Pops that one day, I would be on there, and touring the world, it really was a dream come true, it was never about the fame, I just loved to sing and seeing the world was a bonus! I think it’s difficult for young artists today to get themselves recognised, we were lucky, we had programmes like TOTP and The Tube on TV, television just loved mu sic back then.”

Nearly 40 years on from the beginning of his Spandau Ballet career, Tony’s unmistakeable voice still brims with passion and urgency as it did all t hose years ago.

As a solo artist, Tony has performed across the world with his band, swing bands and orchestras. “I have been very lucky to have enjoyed doing something that I love, whilst travelling the world, a priv ilege for few.”

In 2005 he was awarded a Gold Badge from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters and 2007 saw him win a new legion of fans when he took to the stage appearing as Billy Flynn in Chicago on the West End Stage. “This was very different for me, dabbling in acting, but I loved it,” he continued. “I had a new swing album coming out at the time, so playing Billy Flynn was appropriate but it was really nerve wracking, but so ple ased I did it.”

In addition to his music career, Tony has also presented his own radio programmes on a Saturday night on Absolute Radio and now every Sunday morning on BBC

Three Counties. He is also a great supporter of charities, regularly performing and raising funds. He has trekked across deserts and jungles, competed in Who Wants to Be A Millionaire where he did very well and holds an annual golf day supporting the work of Children’s Hospices, campaigns that fund medical research into childhood illnesses and degenerative conditions and small charities that are personal to him, using his name where it can make a real difference.

Every year Tony and his ‘Fabulous TH Band’ perform continuously at concerts and festivals all over the world. In between these live shows, other highli ghts have been:

2015 Tony had the great privilege of being invited to Buckingham Palace to meet her Majesty The Queen. The same year he appeared in the jungle on ‘I’m a Celebrity’ which he thoroughly enjoyed, despite his disagreements with Lady Colin Campbell. “I loved it and of course it was a great weight loss programme,” he laughed, “but it also announced that Tony Hadley was back!”

2016 Tony contributed to the soundtrack for the British movie ‘Eddie the Eagle’ starring Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton.

2017 Tony was invited by actor Gary Oldman to perform at the ‘Celebrating David Bowie’ tribute concerts in London and Los Angeles, taking to the stage with Sting and Simon Le Bon of Police and Duran Duran fame.

2018 he released his highly anticipated solo album ‘Talking to the Moon’. The album was incredibly well received and became Radio 2’s Album of the Week and the first single ‘Tonight Belongs to Us’ was single of the week.

2019 Tony guested on the Young Voices UK tour performing with thousands of school children in arena’s up and down the country. He said: “it was genuinely one of the best things I have ever done in my life.” In 2020 he took to the stage again with Young Voices, enjoying it so much he volunteered to sing some Queen songs in the 2020 tour.

Twenty nineteen was also a special year for Tony when in the New Year’s Honours list, Anthony Patrick Hadley was awarded an MBE for his charitable work for the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice. “I was somewhat surprised, but deeply honoured to receive this,” he said.

Returning from a spring tour of Japan and Australia at the beginning of March 2020, the country went into lockdown. “During the first few months of lockdown, I recorded regular shout out videos for fans and every Sunday I performed a lockdown song from home, choosing songs that had either influenced me or my personal favourites,” he explained.

Last year Tony headed out on his 40th Anniversary Tour performing 40 shows across the UK before heading off to perform in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Japan, and Italy. He also released his book, ‘My Life in Pictures’ which celebrates his amazing 40-year career. And as we go to press, Tony is working on his new album.

For tickets email: info@ picturedrome.netADVANCE TICKETS - £38.00