Review: An Audience with Martin Kemp, Stourbridge Town Hall

It seems Martin Kemp can't get enough of the Black Country - just three months after appearing at Bilston's Robin 2 the pop star and actor was back in our neck of the woods last night.

This time he brought his up close and personal 'An Audience With' show to Stourbridge Town Hall.

The intimate gig - a far cry from his days in Spandau Ballet when he performed to tens of thousands in huge arenas - saw him take the audience on an entertaining trip down memory lane.

Sharing tales from his life story and career, he provided much amusement as he spoke of his time in Spandau, with egos so big the band thought they were 'the centre of the universe'. He shared his crazy days of excessive partying with the band, their rivalry with Duran Duran and the ultimate split of the group - as well as their reunion in 2009.

The bass player also shared his film and TV highlights - from playing the notorious Reggie Kray in The Krays (and his visit to Ronnie Kray in Broadmoor for research) to his role as bad boy Steve Owen in EastEnders.

Regarding his future work, he mentioned his role as a judge in Gary Barlow's new TV talent show Shine On.

"It's good to be able to pass on some knowledge to young kids just starting out," he said

While he celebrated many highlights, he also opened up about his ordeal of battling two brain tumours.

"I look back on this as one of the luckiest times for me, not the worst, because I came out if it," he said.

In the second half of the show fans were treated to some footage of Spandau's tour last year before Martin answered questions from the audience.

He was asked if Spandau would go on tour again. "There's five of us in the band so it's not just down to me. But if you can persuade everyone to do it, we'll see," he told the audience.

Asked what he thought of the Black Country, he said: "It's a lovely place, the people are very friendly and you should all be proud of it."

No one was going to argue with that - and judging from the audience reaction, Mr Kemp would be welcome back anytime.

By Maria Cusine