For a band synonymous with recessionary Thatcherite England to make their comeback amid economic woes and rising Conservatism is uncanny timing. In their 1980s heyday, the Spands – as everyone but rival "Durannies" called them – were aspirational working-class lads led by a Tory (singer Tony Hadley) and a lefty (songwriter Gary Kemp). Polished soulboy funk and country-squire outfits either delivered escapism from austerity, or were ideological/fashion crimes if you were unemployed and angry. But nowadays, everyone wants to relive their youth; this tour, their first in 20 years, is one of pop's hot tickets.
They now wear suits, not kilts, but the early hits show what modern Spand-alikes Editors and White Lies owe to the new romantic sound. Other songs have aged badly – the power ballads sound like they're stuck in an 80s suburban wine bar. However, Round and Round – performed alongside grainy films of their pool-diving younger selves "when we were the news" – is hugely poignant. There's a guilty pleasure in remembering that bands could get away with lyrics like "stealing cake to eat the moon" if they had a big chorus.
During their 90s courtroom acrimony, a reunion seemed unlikely , but as Kemp and Hadley chum up acoustically ("just me and Tone"), a cake is wheeled out for the former's 50th birthday. Hadley's waistline may not be as trim, but he sings with emotion he never had at 22. His "boys" have been written out of rock cool, but Instinction and Chant No 1 (containing one of the first white raps) sound on a mission to reclaim their place in history. As True and Gold erupt amid incredible euphoria, Spandau seem "indestructible" after all.
At 02 Arena, London, from tomorrow until Thursday. Box office: 0844 856 0202. Then touring.