Few things scream 1984 like Spandau Ballet vs Duran Duran on TV’s Pop Quiz , a battle royale typical of George Hencken’s selective but evocative Spandau portrait. The rise/fall arc is familiar but a reliance on archive footage (no talking heads) offers an immersive plunge into Spandau’s journey from working-class London to Blitz-club epiphanies, stardom, split, royalty scraps and reunion.
The salad days thrill; after the rush has gone, the comedown is surprisingly moving. The band narration is a bit “party line”, but this much is true: the fleeting glory of jodhpur-clad youth is on vivid display here.
