Swap Shopper: Meet Spandau Ballet star

12:57pm Sunday 31st August 2008

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SWAP Shopper just got serious. Now on offer is the chance to MEET a legendary singer!

I announced last week that the latest item for trading was two tickets to see 80s pop superstar Tony Hadley in concert at the Shepherds Bush Empire on November 27.

That was brilliant enough but the swap has since taken a great twist.

As well as getting tickets to see the concert, you can now attend the venue before the show to sit in on the sound check AND you can enjoy a drink with the great man himself.

To claim the awesome Tony Hadley meet-and-see experience you have to offer something to swap me for it.

We are now in the big league of swaps so the winning offer will have to be very impressive.

I'll still consider all offers at this time though - so if you want to make me an offer drop me a line to sbull@london.newsquest.co.uk

My Swap Shopper challenge has moved on dramatically in just two trades.

It started with a humble News Shopper keyring, which was traded for membership of Bexley Archaeology Group.

The membership was swapped for the tickets and the tickets have now taken the form of this fantastic opportunity to meet a real life pop star, a performer of great stature.

My goal is to continue bartering until the item I hold is worth someone coming along and swapping me £1,000 for it. This will then be given to a charity of the swapper's choice.

I wasn't expecting to get so far so soon - already I have the possibility of two people meeting a proper celebrity.

I'm excited about how close this could take me to the finishing line.

Tony Hadley - rock god

IT seems Tony Hadley's status as a rock god may have waned slightly from the 1980s when Spandau Ballet were on top of the hit parade.

But in the name of Swap Shopper, I'm here to put that right.

"Oh, is he still alive?" was how one woman who called yesterday reacted when I told her I am now trying to swap Tony Hadley tickets.

She had rung up wanting to trade with me for the News Shopper keyring which started my swap mission.

There was definite disappointment in her voice when I explained the keyring is no longer available, having been traded for membership of Bexley Archaeology Group, which has in turn been swapped for the concert tickets (which have since turned into the fantastic opportunity to meet Tony Hadley himself).

Tony is still going very strong two decades after Spandau Ballet were in their prime, but if this cold reaction to him is going to be typical of people's response then I need to do something about it.

It's vital I make the best swap possible for the tickets and meeting with Tony to keep my bigger and better swap chain going, and to stay on target for raising at least £1,000 for charity.

So to remind everyone of his greatness and to re-establish him as the pop idol that he truly is, here are my top 10 titbits of Tony trivia:

1. With Spandau Ballet Tony had a chart career spanning seven years - more than many artists can claim. The band's first hit was To Cut A Long Story Short in 1980, their last top 40 single was How Many Lies in 1987.

2. Spandau's and Tony's biggest hit to date was True which reached number one in 1983. Gold just failed to hit the top spot, getting to number two later the same year.

3. A bitter fall-out marked the end of the band's time together but there has been occasional talk of a reunion - every 80s music fan's dream.

4. Since Spandau split Tony has been performing as a solo artist. He has also starred in ITV reality show Reborn In the USA and in the West End musical Chicago.

5. Tony has worked alongside an eclectic mix of other musicians, including Joe Cocker, Shaggy and Alice Cooper.

6. Tony has trekked through the jungles of Venezuela in aid of Action Medical Research.

7. Tony won a whopping £64,000 for The Shooting Star Children's Hospice when he appeared on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

8. Tony is a keen footballer and regularly plays for the Arsenal Ex-Professional and Celebrity XI squad.

9. DJ Tone can be heard on Friday and Saturday nights on Virgin Radio presenting the Party Classics show.

10. Tony has four children, including a daughter called Toni.

To make an offer for the chance to meet Tony in person contact me at sbull@london.newsquest.co.uk