SPANDAUBALLET

his A -levels. None of them particularly bass with Spandau Ballet and is wearing an likes rock music, which is why they didn't attenuated version of the Gene Vincent Blue do any of the things a rock band is Cap look, takes up the slack. supposed to do. They're into dance music, "What everybody gets wrong about this parties and clothes, not especially in that whole thing is that they stand back and say, order, and rock'n'roll in all its grey, earnest, 'Cor, we couldn't afford to do that!' That is high-handed importance hates them for it. absolute crap. We were on the dole for, like, six "People say clothes are superficial and months and we still had style. It's not like you decadent," explains Steve Dagger. "But need an expensive modern shirt that's never what's more decadent than music?All you been seen before. You take the best things can do with music is consume it. You can from the past and you got it, you got it sussed. make a statement with the clothes you "As soon as you wanna get rid of looking wear. You can't express anything with the scruffy, looking down at yourself, then you got records you might buy, but you can express it, you got it straight away. It's an attitude. yourself with the clothes you choose... July26.15/80:bassist When you don't put on your old jeans and then turn yourself into a piece of art, if you want Martin Kempandsinger change to go out at night. You wake up in the to see it in those terms. In a way I suppose Tony Hadley performing with Spandau Ballet on morning with style. You don't, like, just get we challenge the Jimmy Purseyworking- HMSBelfast,berthedat style at six o'clock, afteryou have a bath. A bath class stereotype- and the rock press love London's Tower Bridge don't spark off style. D'you knowwhat I mean? that working-class image." It's just an attitude, which so many kids have." "It fits with the badges theywear on their "It's wanting to make the most of yourself," lapels," interrupts Gary Kemp. "It upsets says Gary, snatching the thread back from his them when they see someone coming along "You take the brother. "Bryan Ferry on Round Tablet he other like us who just turns the tables on their ideas day said our single was very uplifting, and he of what's valid and what isn't." also said something we've been saying for "Yeah," agrees Steve. "There are channels best things ages about the greyness and all the music - which one must go through, and if one doesn't... to -commit -suicide -to that's around at the then watch out, But I'll tell you what really from the past moment. It's so depressing. Why make yourself amazes me... good luck to Bow Wow Wow, but depressed? If you've got nothing to say, like all people don't consider that a hype at all, or they these bands are telling us we've got, then why do, but they go along with it because Malcolm and you got make yourself feel even worse? McLaren does hypes. He's OK. He's one of the "All these people saying, 'You can't wear those establishment, but when someone comes along clothes, they're ridiculous, they are just denying from completely outside, it challenges the way it sussed" the imagination. It's saying that because you the world is set up for the rock press and the come from a poor background you're not agents and the record companies and the publicists, and they go, 'Hang allowed to look good, or you're supposed to look like a certain thing. Why on, you can't do that...' be depressed? Beingyoung is about having a good time, looking good, "I don't know how successful Vivienne Westwood's going to be now. going out at night, getting drunk, dancing, sex, everything!" She'll probably do alright because she's a 35 -year -old fashion designer Martin has the last word: "They always write about it and say poseurs, with press agents and shops in Kensington. But her approximation of the right? The people that dress well are the poseurs, but they're having a clothes is well out of date. That's Billy's. All that diamante and gold that brilliant time, they're having a party time, they don't mind getting down Bow Wow Wow wear was in at Billy's. She's taken that, copied it, and got it to it. They don't stand up at the bar, passing comment, they're too busy wrong. I know she came out with the tartan a few years ago, although passing out! Those people who say poseurs are just voyeurs!" more in a bondage style, and I'm not slaggin what she did in the past, but what makes me laugh is how seriously people are prepared to take them." BVIOUSLY NO ONE here feels obliged to be the spark that starts "Bow Wow Wow is completely conceived and contrived by an old the revolution, but then music has already reassured us that it shark," asserts Gary. "With what we're doing, there's no one over the age 0won't change the world, and the least it could do at this point is of 23 involved. Everybody doing it- running the clubs, playing the not make it any greyer. records, dressing up, making the music, making the clothes- none of Spandau Ballet's music is white disco. Gary Kemp's favourite records them are over 23. The rock press don't mind some old sharklike McLaren are things like "One Love" by Celi Bee and "Pressure Sensitive" by manufacturing something to make some money out of the kids, and yet Ronnie Laws. Their first album was produced by Richard Burgess, the they slag us off, us, the actual 'kids'. I just don't understand it. drummer with the English jazz -funk group Landscape. If much of their "The group was the last thing to come along -all the clubs and all that music sounds at this point like the sort of thing Giorgio Moroder leaves on was already there. The group was simply what brought it to the fore. If it the shelf, it's actually better than you'd expect of a group with so much wasn't for the group, the whole scene would have gone exactly as it had outright front. done in the '70s and something else would have happened next year and At the moment, I can only echo Lenny Bruce: I like the clothes and the the media would have ignored it because theywould have had no reason attitude. Spandau Ballet area great soundtrack for the clothes. They to look at it. I know we're going to be what breaks it all open, and some won't be the first group to sell as many clothes as records. And when I people are going to get rich. But that happens a lot. In all the clubs there's asked a girl who'd been to all their parties how the one in Birmingham been fashion photographers taking pictures ever since it started -six compared, her reply put the scene in focus: "It's very different tonight," months later you see the clothes in the Paris fashion shows. she said. "People are actuallywatching them. Usually they're too busy "Loads of looks... the diamante look with the pill box hat, the toy soldier watching each other!" look at Billy's and all the padded shoulders. Loads of them. Everything Like Roxy Music before them, Spandau Ballet have come out of we've ever started in those clubs has been in the fashion magazines six nowhere, fast. Right now, they're going somewhere even faster. What's months later. I didn't think the Edwardian look would go into the shops, more, they could seize the imagination of a lot of young kids who aren't and yet I walked into StanleyAdams in Regent Street the other day and all that interested in what the NMEputs on its cover each week, because there it was, after we'd all finished wearing the little wing collars... they're brash, loud, young and fun. "I think it's very flattering really, and it's what London's always been Clothes alone are very important. Without them we'd have nothing to about. How anyone can go on nostalgically about mods and yet can't takeoff. PaulRambali relate to what we're about..." Gary shakes his head slowly in disbelief. Martin Kemp, his younger brother, who plays THREADS TALKING old If the clothes aretooloud,then you're too