Spandau Ballet star John Keeble insists he and his bandmates have buried their past legal wrangles and are now enjoying their "fourth act" thanks to a movie about their rise and fall.

The group fell out 15 years ago when Keeble, Steve Norman and singer Tony Hadley attempted to sue guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp for alleged unpaid royalties. The trio lost its court case and an appeal was later abandoned.

Against the odds, all four bandmates and Kemp's brother Martin regrouped in 2000 to help piece together a new documentary, Soul Boys of the Western World, which has since prompted a concert comeback.

Now, as the original quintet prepares for its first U.S. tour in 30 years, drummer Keeble reveals it's just like old times - and no one talks about court cases or royalty disputes.

He tells Wenn, "It's different but it's probably as productive and as gracious and as fun as it's ever been.

"We've been through a lot of stuff and we've come back to this, to some degree, different people, but if you can get through all that s**t... There's a lot of respect and we're working very well together. We've had a few days rehearsals for the tour and it's all going swimmingly and everyone's having fun.

"Dynamically, I think the band sounds better than it ever has. It sounds fresh. This is the top of the slope; we go, 'Wahey, off we go and play more music'. That's why you get into bands; forget the politics, forget the movies and the videos and the promos - you get in a band to make a noise."

And the drummer insists it's very easy to forget he and his bandmates once spoke to each other through lawyers.

He adds, "For all the ugliness that happened, we grew up together. We mine the good stuff. We don't talk about the bad stuff. Everyone's really comfortable. It's like a forum. To be honest it's the same jokes.

"People are the same people - Tony's (Hadley) always late, I'm always on time, some people are funny, there's the one-liners... People don't change that much and I think everyone's accepted who everyone is. Let's get on with it.

"We must love each other more than we ever hated each other, I suppose. Together we are a very powerful unit on or off stage."

Meanwhile, Keeble admits he and his bandmates are quietly surprised they're all healthy enough to stage a reunion tour.

The drummer states, "U2 spring to mind and then it's us. It is pretty unique."