Martin Kemp shuts down Spandau Ballet reunion as he says 'makes me feel sick'

Martin Kemp has shut down any possibility of reuniting with his Spandau Ballet bandmates, explaining that part of his life is a “closed story” and he would be “physically sick” if he was asked to go on tour again.

Martin, his brother Gary Kemp, Tony Hadley, Steve Norman and John Keeble formed the band in 1979.

After a string of hits, they went their separate ways in the 1990s after a row about royalties.

After reforming in 2009, lead singer Tony Hadley left the group in 2017 - and despite a brief spell with new singer Ross William Wild, the band hasn’t performed since 2019.

But with Spandau Ballet celebrating its 45th anniversary this year and the other remaining band members suggesting they would like to do one last tour, Martin, 62, has said he doesn’t think the band will ever get back together.

“For me, it's a closed story,” he told podcast Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did.

“It's a beautiful memory that I have. Sometimes when I look back at Spandau, it's kind of like I'm looking at somebody else. When I see it on TV now and again, or I hear it on the radio - it doesn't sound like me, it doesn't look like me anymore.

“It's a young boy that had an incredible experience and I find it removed from being me. And I think that's the best place for it in some ways.”

The actor added that while Spandau’s fans would “like to see it get back together”, he doesn’t think it ever will.

He continued: “The five of us had the most beautiful experience that you could ever get. At the age of 18, I was flying around Europe in Learjets and partying like you could not imagine.

“Being a rock star is a great experience. But do I want to go back there? I think if somebody gave me a ticket to go around the world on tour now, I'd be physically sick. So I'm quite happy with what I do now.”

Speaking about the band’s original split in 1990, Martin said: “Bands fall out over girls or money, mainly. And we were exactly the same as everybody else, we fell out over money.

“I'm really pleased that we didn't fall out over personal relationships and girls and our wives. The fact that we fell out over money, I can handle that. That's just business. And business is a part of what we did.”