LIVE: TONY HADLEY with Sam McGovern – Perth, 1 Feb 2025

LIVE: TONY HADLEY with Sam McGovern – Perth, 1 Feb 2025
The Astor Theatre, Mount Lawley, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar

Playing the first of two sold out nights at Mount Lawley’s salubrious Astor Theatre, Tony Hadley is immaculately dressed and in immaculate voice. Wearing a simple white shirt sans tie under a blue suit, he joyfully jokes with the crowd like the 40-year pro he is, revisiting his Spandau Ballet career along with a few solo favourites.

Opening the show is Sam McGovern with a warmly engaging set of acoustic singer-songwriter tracks which land not far from the Jack Johnson ballpark, with a hint or three of Ed Sheeran for good measure. The crowd lap him up, joining in singing Happy Birthday to his Dad and a bold cover of Dire Straits’ Romeo & Juliet, and keep him busy on the merch desk afterwards.

At the front of the simply but stylishly lit stage, bathed mostly in reds and blues, Hadders props on a stool for the first track – a smooth cover of Anthony Newley’s Feeling Good – and later in the set for a few songs, the only sign of last year’s knee surgery which necessitated rescheduling of some European shows.

To Cut A Long Story Short, Highly Strung and Only When You Leave get dancers on their feet, but security were too highly strung to allow them to enjoy themselves at this fully seated event. Some argy bargey on one side of the crowd even resulted in a couple of people being literally pushed out the fire escape for reasons unclear.

Spandau Ballet and their fellow New Romantics and popstars were dance music before Dance Music was dance music, and the heavy-handed staff made far more of a distraction than the dancers’ harmless enjoyment of the show. Give ‘em a uniform…

Thankfully Hadley seems oblivious of any disruptions, solo tracks Alibi and Round And Round sitting seamlessly besides Soul Boy and With The Pride. He graciously thanks his former bandmates – acknowledging that although there’s been much said and written about him and the band (and the bad blood between them) he is sincerely thankful that without them he – and we – wouldn’t be here tonight.

Through The Barricades, which Hadley declares his personal favourite Spandau song, allows him to sit again and have “a real drink”. “I love Jack [Daniels]. I’ve tried to get rid of him for years, but every dressing room I go into there’s another bottle!”

Hadley’s band is razor sharp – especially Adam Wakeman (son of prog legend Rick and most recently seen in Perth with his excellent outfit Jazz Sabbath) on keys, and firebrand percussionist and occasional singer Lily Gonzales who also likes a little hot steppin’ boogie centre stage.

By Lifeline security had given up policing the dancers, and just as well, because by the time Spandau’s biggest two songs True – featuring a guitar solo in place of Steve Norman’s sax solo and a vocal solo from Gonzales – and Gold were played, there was no stopping 95% of those present from getting on their feet.

Hadley doesn’t waste time going off then returning for an encore, simply following those two classic hits the only way anyone can – with another classic, albeit somebody else’s. Queen’s We Are The Champions is a soaring winner, his blue-eyed soul vocals fitting into the ubiquitous track like a tightly packed game of Tetris.

Set List:

Feeling Good
To Cut a Long Story Short
Highly Strung
Only When You Leave
I’ll Fly for You
Alibi
Round and Round
Because of You
Soul Boy
With the Pride
Through the Barricades
Walk of Shame
Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)
Lifeline
Mad About You
True
Gold
We Are the Champions

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries