Forty years on from the release of the hit single by charity supergroup Band Aid, this documentary unearths 75 minutes of rare and previously unseen film footage from the day of recording
Spandau Ballet brothers Martin and Gary Kemp return to the BBC for a New Year comedy documentary special. Rhys Thomas OBE has been given unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to their lives for a whole year, and what a momentous one it’s been - with Martin publishing an explosive biography, his two wives, Pepsi and Shirlie, wanting a divorce, and Gary writing Spandau: The Ballet.
Out of one small London venue called The Blitz came a generation of outrageous teenagers, working class and art school kids, who would define the look, the sound, the style and the attitude of the '80s and beyond. This is their story.
Spandau Ballet global superstars Gary and Martin Kemp, their lives, and their careers.
A live recording taken from the band's sold out shows at the legendary London venue in May 2019. Receiving huge acclaim throughout the tour, this captures the true essence of a band reviving the music that had rarely featured in Pink Floyd's live shows since their early days, some of which never played at all by them live.
Gary Kemp was born in Islington, London in October 1959. On his 10th birthday, he got his first guitar from his parents. In the 70s, he and his younger brother, Martin Kemp, went to learn drama at Anna Scher's acting school. Then, in 1978, Gary Kemp formed "The Makers". After Richard Miller left, his brother replaced him on bass. That's when Gary changed the name to Spandau Ballet. Spandau's break came in March 1980 when they were filmed for a documentary on ITV. When the documentary was broadcast, the record companies were bursting out of their ears. They chose to sign to Chrysalis, as they were offered the most money. For 10 years, they had hits like "To Cut a Long Story Short" (1980), "Chant No. 1 (I don't need this pressure on)" (1981), "True" (1983), "Gold" (1983), "Only When You Leave" (1984) and "Through the Barricades" (1986). After Spandau Ballet completed a tour in 1987, Gary and Martin decided to go into acting once again. They auditioned for the part in The Krays (1990) and, in 1989, they played "Ronald" and "Reggie". Soon afterwards this, Spandau Ballet would split. During the '90s, Gary continued to act, most notably playing a part in The Bodyguard (1992). In 1999, Gary was involved in a court battle over £1,000,000 royalties against John Keeble, Steve Norman and Tony Hadley, his 3 other bandmates. Gary won the case. However, in March 2009, all 5 members of Spandau Ballet called a truce, and they announced on the HMS Belfast in London that they would be reuniting for a world tour later in the year.