International music icon Tony Hadley has been performing a run of Australian shows in the past week as part of his ex Spandau Ballet Australian Tour. The tour kicked off in Adelaide on Tuesday, January 28th, when he performed to a sold out crowd at The Gov supported by special guest Sam McGovern.
But a day earlier, Hadley visited one of the Adelaide Hills’ wineries on the rise, making the journey up to Vinteloper in Lobethal to spend some time with winemaker David Bowley and taste some drops. There, Hadley and his band enjoyed “amazing wines, incredible food and a lovely countryside trip” before their performance in Adelaide the following evening.
The connection was made through Andrew Roper, who organises backstage cellar door experiences for touring artists through his program Wines to the Stars. Andrew said that Hadley and his band were arriving in Adelaide a day before their gig and wanted to see the good sights of South Australia and the Adelaide Hills.
So, Andrew took Tony and the crew up to Vinteloper’s stunning venue in Cuddle Creek, where David Bowley says they were “genuinely blown away”. The artists ended up spending an entire afternoon at the cellar door, “tasting wine, hanging out, sharing food, and talking music, wine, and life”.
Hadley then took to social media to rave about his time at Vinteloper, a gesture that David says was “very cool and unexpected”.
“We’ve had some amazing, amazing food, absolutely incredible. And it’s just a beautiful, beautiful place”, Hadley said about his time at Vinteloper on social media.
“I had no expectations of that”, says David. “We just wanted to look after them and share some stories and experiences. What I really appreciated was the connection we can make as artists. They’re musicians and creatives and they have similar experiences to those of us who make wine, so we enjoyed talking through that stuff and connecting.”
In fact, Hadley loved the experience so much, that he insisted that David come to the show on Tuesday night so he could return the favour. David went along and joined the band backstage, enjoying the “full behind the scenes experience” and a “pretty crazy gig too”.
Tony Hadley rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of new wave band Spandau Ballet, and launched a solo career following the band’s split in 1990. Spandau Ballet were known for a number of chart-topping songs and albums, such as international number one True, and the unofficial London Olympics theme Gold.
As a solo artist, he’s toured extensively around the world with swing bands and orchestras, winning multiple awards along the way, like a Gold Badge from the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters and an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List in 2019.
Hadley says “Australia is one of my favourite places to perform”, and will conclude his 2025 Australian tour on the 2nd of February at the Astor Theatre in Perth before gearing up for his enormous United Kingdom tour later in 2025.
And, anyone who missed out on seeing Tony Hadley this year can look forward to 2026, when he plans to embark on larger-scale national tour of Australia. Despite getting a little sunburnt at Vinteloper the other day, the 80s icon, once heralded as one of pop’s greatest voices, has been outspoken in his love for Australia over the years.
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