Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley quits to go solo after fierce year-long feud over money but band vows to go on
THEIR music defined an era, but SPANDAU BALLET have never let nostalgia get in the way of a good bust-up.
Lead singer TONY HADLEY quit after long- running tensions within the band reached boiling point.
And I can reveal the real reasons behind his departure.
A source said: “Tony decided he’d rather do small solo gigs making money for himself than performing with Spandau.
“The rest of the band are totally bewildered by his decision as they prefer to play huge gigs more sporadically — and they’re tired of trying to talk him round.
“He’s determined to focus on things for himself ahead of the group. The discussions have completely broken down and both sides are digging their heels in. Things have escalated over more than 12 months and it has become a real feud now.”
When the Eighties superstars first split in 1990, a bitter court battle over royalties ensued with frontman Tony refusing to speak to brothers GARY and MARTIN KEMP for years.
In 2009 the band, which also features STEVE NORMAN and JOHN KEEBLE, patched up their differences and delighted fans with a reunion. But history repeated itself when Tony announced he had officially severed ties with the group. Tony, who appeared on I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here in 2015, wrote bluntly on social media: “Due to circumstances beyond my control, it is with deep regret that I am required to state that I am no longer a member of the band Spandau Ballet.”
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And his bandmates didn’t disguise their annoyance, responding sharply by in their own statement, saying: “Much to the frustration of the band, Tony had made it clear in September 2016 that he didn’t want to work with the band any more.
“This has not changed and 2015 was the last time we were able to perform or work with him.
“So we have now made the decision to move on as a band.”
Sources say the remaining band members are plotting a number of new projects without the frontman.
Say it isn’t True . . .
BROOKLYN IS BRA-MY FOR DUA
BROOKLYN BECKHAM is determined to get his fill of music festivals this summer.
A week after his antics at Glastonbury, he was snapped backstage at British Summertime Hyde Park on Sunday getting ready to watch pal JUSTIN BIEBER.
And he passed the time by enjoying a very cosy chat with rising Brit star DUA LIPA, who seemed taken by his affections.
A festival source said: “Brooklyn was taking his time to speak to numerous girls but paid specific attention to Dua. You couldn’t miss her, courtesy of what she was wearing.”
The singer had joined MARTIN GARRIX on stage at the festival earlier in the day, showing off her yellow bra in the process.
Brooklyn was at Hyde Park with his fashionista mum VICTORIA, who also stayed to the end with son CRUZ to watch Bieber.
I’m sure she’d give Dua’s outfit her seal of approval.
COACH RAPS ADELE
SHE’s one of the world’s biggest singers and a musical icon.
But despite her record-breaking achievements, ADELE has failed to look after her voice and is now paying the ultimate price, according to SAM SMITH’s voice coach Anthony Wade.
Adele cancelled her final two Wembley concerts owing to problems with her throat and confirmed that fans would be refunded, although organisers were still “exploring options to reschedule”.
Anthony dubbed Doctor Voice, suspects Adele has been damaging her voice for years by “flipping chords” and “using too much air”.
He believes the concert cancellations were inevitable as she does not seem to take her singing seriously.
He said: “She’s got an easygoing attitude which people love, but you can’t do that with your artistry.
“She has an artistic responsibility for the lovely people who have bought her tickets, and she did not take responsibility of her vocals. This is evident.
“She probably thought, ‘I’ve got to do a good job tonight so I’ve got to really push it and give it some.’
He added: “That’s the worst thing you can do. I believe she’s had a slapdash attitude about the way she warms up or uses her voice, or she’s not being given the correct advice.”
Fingers crossed she’s back on the mend soon.
NIALL ISN'T DUN SINGING
THE world is his oyster with ONE DIRECTION on hiatus but don’t expect NIALL HORAN to follow his bandmate HARRY STYLES into acting.
The Irishman has revealed he has no ambitions to do anything but music. And Niall insists he would get bored shooting a film like Harry’s war epic Dunkirk, directed by The Dark Knight visionary CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, which hits cinemas later this month.
Niall said: “I don’t think I have the patience for it.
“There’s a lot of waiting around. With music, you’re doing it yourself and you feel like you’re in more control. I’m a bit of a perfectionist as well – and I feel like I’m all right at this music thing, so I might stick to it.”
He’s not done too badly so far.
LOVE SHINES ON JESY AFTER TEXT-DUMPING
JESY NELSON was left heartbroken when her Towie star ex CHRIS CLARK dumped her by text while she was on tour.
And the pair are already taking their romance to the next level by enjoying a sunshine break in Mykonos, Greece, where they were seen holding hands and taking loved-up pictures together.
A friend of Jesy’s said: “She looked very happy with Harry – they were completely smitten with each other, giggling and taking photos as they tried on sunglasses.
“They have a lot in common with Harry also being in the music industry – he’s definitely Jesy’s type.”
The friend added: “She used her most recent break from the band to holiday with Harry. It’s early days but there’s definitely a real spark between them.”
Jesy and Harry, who is a singer-songwriter, jetted off at the beginning of June and were spotted in a posh sunglasses shop.
While Jesy was away with Harry, bandmate JADE THIRLWALL spent her time off with musician boyfriend JED ELLIOTT, and PERRIE EDWARDS was abroad with her other half, Arsenal star ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN.
LEIGH-ANNE PINNOCK enjoyed time with Burnley star ANDRE GRAY.
Five months before her break-up with Chris, Jesy split from fiancé JAKE ROCHE having dated the RIXTON star for 18 months.
She deserves a bit of luck in her love life.
DI-ON TREND
CELINE DION is famous for her incredible voice, but a celebration of her unique style is long overdue.
While staying in Paris, the superstar singer has certainly upped the fashion stakes over the past week – enough to spark, hopefully, a feature I’ve branded Di-On Trend.
On Sunday she was pictured in this flowery satin jacquard coat by Gucci with a green Dior Diorever handbag – worth a combined £8,900.
I have no idea what’s in store when Celine heads to Switzerland and Germany next.
But it’ll take something to top these looks.
CARA'S BIG MAC BREAK
CARA DELEVINGNE has confirmed my story of how she was guided into the world of pop by PHARRELL WILLIAMS.
The supermodel has told for the first time of their initial musical meeting in his Paris hotel room – which was seemingly triggered over a Big Mac.
She told August’s GQ: “We were doing a Vogue shoot together and we were eating McDonald’s.
“I was just chatting about music and I would kind of be sitting there beatboxing and drumming away, and he was like, ‘I want you to come to my hotel room tonight – and bring your guitar.’
“And I did. I sang Summertime.”
Hope her version secured a McFlurry.
— LIAM PAYNE is ready to storm the charts once more after the huge success of Strip That Down. He shared the artwork for Get Low, a collaboration with ZEDD, on Twitter yesterday ahead of its release this Friday.
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- CALVIN HARRIS cursed ED SHEERAN when Divide broke the DJ’s UK record in March for the most Top Tens from one album – and more expletives could be on the way. Comeback collection Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 has failed to dethrone Ed in the midweek charts, falling short by 650 sales.
- JUSTIN BIEBER’s Despacito is shaping up as the single of the summer. It looks set for another week at No 1 with DJ KHALED and RIHANNA’s Wild Thoughts at No 2. And YouTube star SAMANTHA HARVEY could make her Top 40 debut this Friday with single Forgive Forget, currently at No 19.
- CLEAN BANDIT and JAX JONES complete the line-up for MTV Crashes Plymouth on July 27 and 28. They join BUSTED, CHARLI XCX and LOUISA JOHNSON for the event. Meanwhile, I’m loving Clean Bandit’s latest collaboration, Disconnect, with MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS.
- SKEPTA has claimed on new song Hypocrisy that he turned down an MBE in this year’s QUEEN’s birthday honours. The grime star raps on his surprise track dropped at the weekend: “Just came back from the Ivors/And look at what we collected. The MBE got rejected/ I’m not tryna be accepted.”