Spandau Ballet @ Newmarket Racecourse
How many gigs do you get to go to where the support act is a lot of horses running around a circuit ?
How many gigs do you get to go to where the support act is a lot of horses running around a circuit ? If you're anything like me the answer will be “very few”. Well, Newmarket Nights could be just the sort of events that’ve been missing from your life and are, by all counts, an interesting way to spend a Friday. With big name acts, the smallest stage imaginable, horse racing, and the chance to party among the posh on a summer’s evening, it’s not a bad option.
This week it was Spandau Ballet’s turn to grace the tiny stage, and they put on quite the show. The fanbase did seem to be made up almost exclusively of very excitable middle aged women who had clearly fallen hard for Tony and Martin during their misspent youths. I heard more than a couple of chaps uttering that ‘they're actually quite good, aren't they?’ in more than slightly surprised tones. And if the music wasn’t for you there are plenty of bars to hide away in (an option made all the more tempting by the drizzly British weather).
This is a band who know just how to keep the audience happy. They played all the hits (both old and new), including not one, but two renditions of Gold (a mini acoustic sing-along half way through the set, followed by the early '80s hit in all its glory during the encore). There was plenty of singing along throughout, and the atmosphere reminded me of a festival. Drinks prices were also reminiscent of a festival, and the car park is a field so if you squint you could be back at Latitude.
With the racecourse just a short hop, skip and jump from our fine city, if you fancy venturing a little further afield I'd highly recommend Newmarket Nights.
