Comms from the Shed: interviewing diverse voices on our present and the future.

Scotland's pop soul duo Hue and Cry broke into the mainstream with their single 'Labour of Love', and early albums such as Seduced & Abandoned and Remote led to sell out tours. In the 90s they learned to live outside of the major label system, and continued to diversify the way they sold their music and concert tickets while retaining a loyal fanbase. Still reaching out to audiences 35 years on, they are about to embark on both a Piano and Vocal tour, as well as teaming up with Paul Young and T'Pau on the Essential 80s concert run this autumn.

Episode Summary

Raised in Glasgow's Coatbridge in the 1970s to a father who worked at British Rail and a mother who was a District Midwife, Greg and Pat Kane were discovered in 1983 after being in various bands as students. As their demo was being played on Radio Clyde, a chance meeting with a manager led to a debut single ('Here Comes Everybody') capturing the interest of record labels in London. The single 'Labour of Love' broke them into the mainstream, and their early albums such as Seduced & Abandoned and Remote led to sell out tours. In the 90s they learned to live outside of the major label system, and have continued to diversify the way they've sold their music and concert tickets as they've retained a loyal fanbase. As lockdown restrictions have started to ease, they are about to go back on the road - both at Pizza Express jazz clubs in their intimate Piano and Microphone show, before joining Paul Young and Carol Decker of T'Pau in the Essential 80s UK tour in the Autumn of 2022.

Episode Notes

Intro - Fortnum's hampers for 80s Pop Stars?

3mins - Grandad's piano

4mins - Talk of the Town and Uncle Bill's record collection

6mins - Mum and Dad at home in the 70s. Mum "delivering 5000 children in her time as a midwife in the town of Coatbridge...she brought most of the town into the world". My father sacked Alan McGee!

7mins30s - Playing in bands at school and Pat joining the band on vocals, and using grants from University to make demos

10mins - Having kids: "we've got the full gambit!"

14mins - debut single 'Here Comes Everybody', and getting signed to a record label in the 1980s

17mins - Scottish Scene and doing Top of the Pops

18mmins30s - Songwriting process between Greg & Pat Kane and where they wrote their most famous songs

21mins - Piano & Vocal: why it's so important

23mins - The 'J' Word

26mins - Kind of Blue

27mins30s - The Remote album

28mins30s - Own label Fidelity and getting dropped by EMI

30mins - selling 350,000 copies, DIY ethic and The Hue and Cry Music Club

33mins30s - Getting through the pandemic and moving house

36mins - 80s tour with Paul Young & T'Pau

37mins30s - Hybrid communication systems and crowds

39mins - Favourite Fortnum's products!