Live from the N.E.C.

AMG Review of Live from the N.E.C.

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

Spandau Ballet were nearing the end of their time as a commercial force when this 74-minute concert documentary was filmed in Birmingham on December 16 and 17 in 1986. However, they were still packing the seats in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd on this well-shot movie, directed by one of the most prominent figures in music documentary-making (Geoff Wonfor, most famous for directing The Beatles Anthology series). It's a straightforward record of a flashy mid-'80s hit pop band in concert, with plenty of shadowy, shifting colored lighting and much slick posing by the fashionably dressed on-stage players. The 13-song set contains a number of their biggest hit singles, including "True," "Gold," "Through the Barricades," "Fight for Ourselves," "Chant No. 1," "To Cut a Long Story Short," and "Lifeline." Augmenting the five-man lineup are keyboardist/singer Toby Chapman and backing singers Gillian O'Donovan and Susie O'List, contributing to the sense of a production that's slightly grandiose without being spectacularly big-budget. The DVD's a widescreen presentation with remixed and digitally remastered 5.1 sound, and adds a full 40 minutes of footage from the band's music videos, including a segment on the making of the "Fight for Ourselves" clip. Also offered on the DVD is a good-humored, fairly informative commentary track by guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp and bassist Martin Kemp, in which they discuss the show, the songs, and some side topics like their affection for punk. Funniest line in the commentary track: "There may be a break in the proceedings now for [lead singer] Tony [Hadley] to say 'all right,'" it warns as an early number comes to an end. In the onscreen footage, Hadley then says "thank you," to which the commentary counters without skipping a beat: "No, that was his other line!"