My Spandau Ballet days Diary
By
Part 2
During the spring on 1984 Granada TV announced a special pop show is to be filmed at New Brighton’s Open Air baths. The show was to be called New Brighton Rock and is to have big stars such as Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Eddie Grant and Spandau Ballet. Tickets are free and can be collected from the baths mid May. Filming will take place over two days at the beginning of June.
As soon as I read this I knew I had to go. So on the morning the tickets were to be allocated as people were only allocated 2 tickets each, and my friend David had asked me to get 4 tickets for the show with Frankie goes to Hollywood on I asked my mother and Grandmother to come with me. When we got there the queue was already right round the side of the baths and as we waited for the doors to open at 10am I was beginning to think we may not get all of the tickets. We seemed to wait for ages but finally the queue began to move. Everyone was a little excited at the prospect of seeing his or her favourite band perform on the show. My mum and Nan were to get 2 Frankie tickets each and I was to get the Spandau Tickets. As I got through the doors I asked nervously (as I had convinced myself that all the Spandau tickets had gone) ‘2 tickets for the Spandau night please’ behind me I heard my mum and Nan ask for the Frankie tickets but I was already in a daze because the man was giving ME tickets for the Spandau night. I kept thinking to myself “I’ve got them! I’m going to see Spandau again”. I felt my mum guide me out of the doors and into the street. Once outside my mum said ‘here’s 2 tickets for the Frankie night, and here’s the other 2.’ Taking them from my Nan.
‘and here you
are Lynn love’ my nan said handing my 2 more tickets. I looked at them in
amazement. They were 2 tickets for the Spandau Night. I had 4 tickets for the
Spandau night, 4 tickets! “Now who can I take???” I thought but the decision
had already been made for me as I heard mum say, ‘now Andrea and Diane (my two
older sisters) can go with you’
‘But mum…’ I started
to say
‘No arguments,
they are going and that’s that.’
The day arrived and before we were due to leave Spandau Ballet’s new single ‘Only When You Leave’ was reviewed on Radio One. I was beginning to feel a rush of adrenalin as the excitement started to bubble inside me. Only a few more hours and I will see them again. I couldn’t wait. My eldest sister Andrea drove myself my other sister and Andrea’s friend from college (none of my friends could make it in the end) to the baths at New Brighton. We were allowed to sit wherever we liked but my sister insisted we sat pretty high up so we would be able to see. So we found seats to the left hand side of the stage in the middle of the row. We had an excellent view. I would have liked to be closer but elder sisters can be a pain and insist on these things.
The show started
with the bands rehearsing the songs they were to do. Eddie Grant was first (a reggae
artist). There were 2 other acts (my memory is not that good as to remember who
they were so they were not that memorable). It started to get dark and the
programme organisers had already told us that they were not filming it until it
was dark. A voice on the tannoy speaks up. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, girls and
boys please welcome SPANDAU BALLET’. A huge cheer ran around the baths. The makeshift
stage was over the shallow end of the pool. It had a short walkway leading to a
small platform area about 30 feet over to the middle of the pool. Back on the
stage John Keeble makes his way to his drums Steve Norman shout ‘alright’ and
waves before picking up his saxophone. Gary and Martin walk across the stage
and pick up their guitars and Tony strolls on stage says in the microphone ‘
Hello New Brighton’. Then the music starts. I recognise the opening of Only
When you leave and say to my sister excitedly, ‘It’s their new single I heard
it before’ When they finished rehearsing that Tony says That’s our new single
and here’s a song off our new album called Parade, and this song is called
HIGHLY STRUNG. Another cheer goes round the baths. When they finished singing
Tony said ‘we’ll be back later’ and went off the stage. I had to endure the
other artists again, only this time it was being filmed. Then just before
midnight the announcer said on the tannoy SPANDAU BALLET and everyone began to
cheer again as each member of Spandau took up their positions on the stage. Behind
them a big screen with lights on it lit up to say SPANDAU BALLET and the roar
from the crowd rose as Spandau began to sing ‘only when you leave’ again. Once again
explaining that ‘it was their new single out next week and the next song is off
their new album Parade and is called ‘Highly Strung’.’ As Tony sings it this
time though he makes his way down the walkway to the small platform much to the
delight of everyone who is now standing up dancing and singing. He sings there
for a little while before making his way back up the walkway but as he does he
slips. The crowd gasped in horror as the thought of him going head first into
the water flashes through our brains. But no it’s all right he manages to stay
upright and walks slowly back to the stage. It was as the musical bit of the
song is playing and Tony looked visibly shaken as he climbs the steps back onto
the stage. I watch as Gary goes over and asks if he is OK and he nods before
carrying on with the song. I could see he was trying to make a joke of it with
the others. The song ends and so does the filming and the show. Gary, Tony, Martin
Steve and John all go off the stage shouting ‘see you all soon’ and ‘goodnight’.
My sister nudges me to indicate that it is time to leave and we make our way
out of the baths and back to the car. As we are driving out of the resort of
New Brighton a Minibus pulls up beside us and being nosy I look in to see 5
familiar faces talking with each other inside. ‘ Look! It’s Spandau!’ I say excitedly
as the minibus drives off. ‘Let’s follow it’ I suggest.
‘Don’t be silly’
came the reply from my sisters.
‘You mean thing’
I said sulkily before immediately cheering up again as I remember that with a
new album coming out soon it will mean another tour, yesss.
!!!!! Construction!!!!!