Spandau Ballet were a popular English band in the 1980s. Initially inspired by a mixture of funk and synthpop, the genre-defining New Romantic group eventually mellowed into a mainstream pop act. As with their rivals Duran Duran they 'broke America', albeit briefly. History Formation and first successes The band's history began in 1976 with Gary Kemp (singer/songwriter) and Steve Norman (guitar, later saxophone and percussion). Gary and Steve were both attending Dame Alice Owen's School, Islington (which later moved to Potters Bar), and were close friends. They shared a similar interest in music and a common desire to form a band. Next came John Keeble. John and Steve had met when they both discovered the drum kit in the school?s music room, and would regularly meet at lunchtimes to practice. Following John in joining the band was bass player Michael Ellison. Next to join was Tony Hadley (lead singer) who approached Stev