Editing Spandau Ballet (section)

===1976–1982: Formation and early success===
Gary Kemp and Steve Norman first decided to form a band, both playing guitar, in October 1976 after witnessing [[Sex Pistols|the Sex Pistols]] perform that summer at Islington's Screen on the Green.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho to Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|location=London|page=71}}</ref> Close friends and school mates at [[Dame Alice Owen's School|Dame Alice Owen's]] in Islington, they were joined by John Keeble on drums, Michael Ellison on bass and Tony Hadley on vocals when the school relocated to [[Potters Bar]]. They rehearsed at lunchtimes in the school's music room, playing sped-up versions of [[the Rolling Stones]]' "Silver Train",<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=10}}</ref> [[the Beatles]]' "[[I Wanna Be Your Man]]" and [[the Animals]]' "We've Gotta Get Out of This Place". They also played an original Gary Kemp composition, "I've Got Roots", which inspired their band name, Roots.<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=11}}</ref> Their first gig was a fourth-form Christmas party December 1976 in the school dining room.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=80–81}}</ref>

The band changed their name to the Cut when Michael Ellison left, with Steve Norman filling in on bass.<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=16}}</ref> In 1977 another Alice Owen pupil, Richard Miller, took over on bass guitar and the band changed their name to the Makers, playing [[power pop]] compositions by Gary Kemp or Steve Norman, with titles like "Fantasy Girl" and "Pin-Ups", inspired by mid-sixties bands like the [[Small Faces]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho To Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=82}}</ref> They received a number of positive gig reviews from the British music press in ''Sounds'' and the ''New Musical Express''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=22–23}}</ref> The band changed personnel and name once more when their manager, friend and fellow Dame Alice Owen's schoolmate Steve Dagger suggested Martin Kemp be brought in as their bass player after seeing how much attention he got from the Makers' female fans when he was their roadie.<ref>{{Cite book|title=I Know This Much From Soho to Spandau|last=Kemp|first=Gary|publisher=Fourth Estate|year=2009|isbn=978-0-00-732330-2|pages=84–85}}</ref> The band was now called Gentry and Martin played his first gig on 1 July 1978 at the Middlesex Polytechnic in Cockfosters.<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570-917-2-6|pages=26}}</ref>

Inspired by London's new underground nightclub scene, which began in Autumn 1978 with a weekly Tuesday night hosted by [[Steve Strange]] and DJ [[Rusty Egan]] at [[Gargoyle Club|Billy's]] in Soho,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/13/steve-strange-a-beautiful-maverick-who-understood-the-power-of-myth|title=Steve Strange: a beautiful maverick who understood the power of myth|last=Kemp|first=Gary|date=13 February 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=25 March 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> the band switched musical direction to embrace the new electronic music. Friend and writer [[Robert Elms]] suggested they change their name to [[Spandau]] Ballet, a phrase which he told them he had seen written on a wall on a weekend trip to Berlin: “[[Rudolf Hess]], all alone, dancing the Spandau Ballet”.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Way We Wore A Life In Threads|last=Elms|first=Robert|publisher=Picador|year=2005|isbn=0-330-42032-1|pages=196–197}}</ref> Their first performance was an invitation-only showcase on the morning of Saturday 17 November 1979, at Halligan's Band Centre rehearsal studio, 103 Holloway Road,<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=97}}</ref> to test the reaction of the key influencers of the new scene. Having passed that 'audition', the band's first gig as Spandau Ballet was at the [[Blitz (nightclub)|Blitz]]'s Christmas party on 5 December 1979.<ref>{{Cite book|title=New Romantics Who Never Were The Untold Story of Spandau Ballet|last=Barrat|first=David|publisher=Orsam Books|year=2018|isbn=978-0-9570917-2-6|pages=99}}</ref>