Journeys to Glory

Spandau Ballet: Steve Norman (guitar), Gary Kemp (guitar, synthesizer), Tony Hadley (vocals, synthesizer), Martin Kemp (bass), John Keeble (drums). When Spandau Ballet first appeared, they (along with such peers as Visage and Duran Duran) heralded the arrival of one of the most important UK pop-culture movements of the early 1980s--the New Romantics. The "Blitz Kids" as they were also called (after the club where the scene came together) rejected the nihilism of punk and post-punk in favor of a different kind of DIY aesthetic that exalted fashion, elegance, and lush, danceable pop. It's also important to note that the New Romantic scene was initially as working-class a phenomenon as punk. Spandau Ballet were the New Romantic standard-bearers, and their debut album merged the decadence of late-'70s Bowie and Roxy Music with the thumping beat and colorful synthesizers of disco, all filtered through a budding New Wave sensibility. This style would quickly become the standard for '80s pop (termed "the New Pop" in England). When it was released, however, JOURNEYS TO GLORY sounded fresh, bold, and even somewhat avant-garde. Striving for a heroic and, yes, romantic stance, crooner Tony Hadley, the Kemp Brothers, and company forged a sound whose ambition still inspires decades later.