Martin Kemp’s band Spandau Ballet’s name has morbid secret meaning regarding Nazis

Spandau Ballet has to be one of the coolest band names ever worked out – but it actually has a pretty morbid meaning.

The chart-topping boy band was a group of school friends formed in 1976, consisting of brothers Martin and Gary Kemp along with frontman Tony Hadley, saxophonist Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble.

They had eight UK Top 10 albums and ten UK Top 10 hits with tracks such as Gold, Only When You Leave and True – but soon they were involved in one of Pop’s most public break-ups in a later battle.

During their early years, they went through a number of different monikers before settling on the one that became known around the world.

Gary’s original track ‘I’ve Got Roots’ inspired her first name, Roots, which she used for her first appearance at her school Christmas party in 1979.

They changed their name to The Cut, which then transformed into The Makers, before moving on to The Gentry, when Martin joined in 1978.

The following year, they finally settled on the name Spandau Ballet, but may not have considered what it really means.

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During a weekend trip to Berlin, the band’s friend and writer Robert Elms saw the phrase ‘Spandau Ballet’ on a toilet wall and suggested it as a new name.

They tested the name’s reaction to a small performance with key influencers on the scene, and then rolled it out for their first appearance at the Blitz Christmas party in December 1979.

There are two possible meanings behind the name Spandau Ballet, both of which are as gruesome as any other.

During World War II, it was used to describe the last jerky moments of Nazi prisoners of war for their crimes.

The ‘Spandau Ballet’ was the nickname given to the swinging, trembling movement of the hanging bodies.

The graffiti that Elms had seen reads: “Rudolf Hess, all alone, dances the Spandau Ballet.”

Hess was a Member of Parliament for Adolph Hitler from 1933 to 1941, when he was captured after flying to Scotland to try to negotiate with Britain.

The leading Nazi party member helped Hitler with my battle, appeared in his name at rallies and speech engagements, and was second in line to be his successor behind Hermann Goring.

Hess signed many of the laws of the government and law, including the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, which deprived the Jews of Germany of their rights in the run-up to the Holocaust.

He made a solo flight to Scotland to hold peace talks, but was immediately arrested and sent back to Germany for the 1946 Nuremberg Trials.

Hess served a life sentence in Spandau Prison in West Berlin when he was hanged in August 1987 at the age of 93, ie graffiti.

There is another possible meaning of the term, which originated earlier in the war, because Spandau was the manufacturer of the Nazi machine guns.

The ‘Spandau Ballet’ refers to the movement soldiers who are made to dance around, to prevent bullets being fired quickly at their legs, or to the backs made by victims of machine gun fire in their final moments.

Either way, it might be a weird name to give up on the boy band, but it held up and they were a huge success.

Their debut single, To Cut A Long Story Short, reached number five on the UK charts in 1980 and reached its peak in 1983 with the album True, becoming the number one hit on the single.

They were the first act mentioned by Bob Geldof to collaborate in the original band Aid Line-up and in 1984 they received a Brit Award for technical excellence.

After playing the last date of their 10th anniversary tour to pursue other acting and solo projects, the band decided to take a break for the first time in March 1990.

Tony recorded his first solo album in Los Angeles while Gary and Martin East End gangster Ronnie and Reggie starred in The Krays movie.

But there was a full gap due to a heated dispute over loyalty – with Tony, John and Steve unsuccessfully trying to sue Gary in a High Court battle.

They claimed they were entitled to a share of the songwriter’s income from the publishing rights of hits because they had a “verbal agreement” on 1/12 of all song royalties.

“We had an arrangement between us, and we were schoolmates. We were not cynical, we just did things on trust. In addition, we played in anchor in hope, in small pubs at the time. The idea of ​​running an outing. “We did not think of a serious contract,” said John The Guardian.

The judge said they made “impressive and excellent” contributions to the recordings, but they did not change the song enough to make them co-authors and found favor with Gary.

The judge found it “unconscious” that they were trying to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds that they knew Gary considered his own.

Adding that he was very disappointed after the verdict, Hadley said, “Let this be a serious lesson for any emerging artist or band. No matter how good friends you are or whether you were in school together, get a contract.”

“We’ve tried to sort the whole thing out kindly, many, many times,” he added.

“In my heart of hearts I hoped that someone would pat me on the shoulder just before the court door opened and say, ‘Come on boys, this is stupid; let’s go out to the pub, let’s have a drink and sort it out. ‘

“But it did not happen. I do not think anyone can take pleasure in going to court to fight it with their old best citizens.”

While Gary simply said, “I see this as a victory in the name of every songwriter.”

They reformed in 2009 for a world tour, but Tony dramatically left the band in 2017 and they have not performed since 2019.

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