REMEMBER Live Aid? Not the Pete Docherty-inspired babyshambles which was so very nearly a musical highlight of last summer, but Freddie Mercury's zenith on July 13, 1985. Tony Hadley doesn't. The former lead singer of Spandau Ballet, renowned for his dapper New Romantic dress sense and coiffeured hair, came to the fore at a packed Wembley Stadium in a blur of trepidation. "I was terrified. Absolutely terrified. I remember myself and Janice Long backstage, staring at this vast amount of people, and looking each other saying: 'wow'. "That's one of the few memories I have. It was so weird - I can't even remember who we played after. "And then of course, I dropped the microphone," he exclaimed. "I had to be clever, didn't I? There I was, spinning it round, and it flew out of my hand in front of all those people. It was pretty stupid to perform a new song too. We couldn't rest on our laurels and perform the old ones. Still, I think we just about came out of it with some dignity intact." Before belting out 80s' gems such as Gold, True and Communication, Tony harboured dreams of becoming a doctor. However, like so many fledgling careers, a sticking point came in the shape of arithmetic "Maths was a pretty big problem. Still is today, actually - I can't subtract from a dartboard," he quipped. As a consequence, hospital wards are almost certainly a duller place, but Tony quickly made a contingency plan. In Potters Bar, he teamed up with school friends Gary Kemp, John Keeble and Steve Norman to form the first of several bands which would eventually morph into Spandau Ballet. When Gary's brother Martin joined in 1979, the line-up was complete. "It was every schoolboy's dream to be in a band. And then you reach certain levels of expectancy. First it's: 'I want to be on Top of the Pops' and that moves on to: 'I want to survive!' "Our first song went in at number five and the second at number 17, so we were thinking: 'please don't take it all away'. The music business is up and down all the time." "In those days, the record companies didn't expect so much from us, unlike today. Today they expect instantaneous success. Back then, just achieving a record in the top 50 was a good start from the point of view of the record companies. In those days, they used to look a lot more long term." Despite such undulations, Tony is still singing, and looking back fondly on 25 years in showbusiness. "It certainly doesn't seem that long. You say to yourself: 'I remember punk - it was great'. But it certainly doesn't seem like 25 years - it reminds you how quick life is. "It's a bit scary, actually, but the fact that I'm still here makes me feel very lucky." Despite the milestone, an acrimonious 1999 court case regarding royalties saw Tony, Keeble and Norman lose the case against songwriter Gary Kemp. Deep scars remain. "No, I can't see it," Tony retorted after being asked about the possibility of a reunion. "They wanted to get together for Live 8, but the problems haven't changed after what was written in my autobiography. "There was an awful lot that went on in private that really affected myself and those close to me - it was vicious sometimes." Nevertheless, Tony remains popular with the British public - a fact outlined by his triumph in 2003 in the ITV series Reborn in the USA, and a further appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? netting his chosen charity, The Shooting Stars Children's Hospice some £64,000. "It was very nervewracking. I would have liked £250,000 but £64,000 is not bad," he said, somewhat pragmatically. Tony has also been outspoken in his criticism of the war in Iraq, questioning the initial decision to send British troops to the Middle East. "I remember saying at the time that I can't believe the Prime Minister would be so stupid to take us to war without knowing the facts. He can't be that condescending. "So, I was absolutely dismayed when there was no evidence for it. I think it's disgusting. "At the end of the day I can't believe the hypocrisy. We do nothing about North Korea's nuclear ambitions or the atrocities in Zimbabwe." Currently, the husky Tony is taking a trip down memory lane, in preparation for a nationwide tour: Tony Hadley: By Request. "I'm going around doing stacks of rehearsals, so my voice is a little bit deeper than normal. I've just done three massive days, which included 70 songs that could feature on the tour. "I'm liking that I have quite a robust voice, and its the first time I've sung with that kind of intensity since having my appendix out in January. This is the first test on my stomach, and thankfully it has held out." And does the passion remain for life on the road? "I love gigging. Certain people in this business get to the point where they can't do it any more, because they don't like living out of a suitcase or on a tour bus, but I love it. "The first performance is a little musical biography, where I'll be performing songs from my past. "During that performance people have a list of 60 songs and they vote for their requests in a box at the front of the stage. "The most popular 12 songs will be performed in the second half, so every show will be different."

• Tony Hadley performs at Aldershot's Princes Hall on April 21. Phone 01252 329155 .