Spandau Ballet have spoken out to voice their ‘frustration’ at frontman Tony Hadley’s announcement that he was leaving the band.
Hadley was the singer with the New Romantic ‘Gold’ stars since their formation in the late ’70s and from their reunion in 2009. He made headlines yesterday however, when he said that he was leaving the group due to ‘circumstances beyond my control’.
Now, the remaining bandmates have issued a statement declaring that his departure was entirely down to Hadley himself.
“Much to our frustration, Tony had made it clear in September 2016 that he didn’t want to work with the band any more,” said the band on their website. “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.”
Revealing his exit, Hadley wrote: “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 and as such I will not be performing with the band in the future.”
A statement from Tony Hadley :- I am no longer a member of the band Spandau Ballet & will not be performing with the band in the future. pic.twitter.com/KcuNGTtSFn
— Tony Hadley (@TheTonyHadley) July 3, 2017
Spandau Ballet split following 1989’s album ‘Heart Like A Sky’, becoming embroiled in a court case in 1999, when singer Tony Hadley, drummer John Keeble and saxophonist Steve Norman unsuccessfully sued guitarist Gary Kemp. The trio claimed that Kemp, the band’s sole songwriter, had promised them a larger share of royalties. They reformed for a run of successful arena tours and festival dates in 2009, as well as releasing their seventh album ‘Once More’.
The rest of the band are now rumoured to be looking to tour and record new material without Hadley.