There wasn't a frilly shirt or pair of leather pants in sight as Spandau Ballet launched their comeback on HMS Belfast – the venue for one of their earliest gigs in 1980.
Brothers Martin and Gary Kemp and their bandmates assured fans they have no plans to revisit the new romantic look that was enthusiastically copied by teenagers the world over.
Martin - who's familiar to EastEnders fans through his role as Albert Square nightclub owner Steve Owen – revealed he'd been given hints at home about what not to wear on stage.
"My children really wanted us to do the reunion, but were worried about what monstrosities we might end up in," he admitted.
Family was very much the inspiration for the siblings to put past feuds with their colleagues behind them and reform the group. Earlier this year they lost both their parents, Frank and Eileen, within 48 hours of each other.
"Both of them were very excited about the prospect of a reunion before they passed away," explained 47-year-old bassist Martin. "I can assure you that my dad would have been here today, proud as punch."
Returning to the recording studio shortly after their loss proved a form of therapy added the entertainer. "We found ourselves with people who had good memories of (our parents).
"We were close to our families, being good working class boys – and the rest of the band loved them, too," he said.
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