Hue and Cry -

Hue and Cry are a Scottish sophisti-pop duo that released four albums on Circa between 1987 and 1991, followed by a string of titles on Linn and self-press Blairhill in the decades that followed.

Members: Pat Kane (vocals), Greg Kane (keyboards)

Background

Hue and Cry formed in 1984 in Coatbridge, Scotland, when singer and lyricist Pat Kane teamed with his younger brother, keyboardist and composer Greg Kane.

Pat Kane was born Patrick Mark Kane on March 10, 1964, in Glasgow. He completed an MA in English at the University of Glasgow in 1985 and then worked as a journalist in London. Greg Kane was born Gregory Philip Kane on Sept. 11, 1966, in Glasgow, and began piano lessons at age eight with a neighbor. He studied classical piano through age 15 and completed graded examinations in classical repertoire.

Greg formed punk bands at school and recruited Pat to write lyrics for the Vikes. The brothers next worked together in the Winning Losers around 1981–82, with Pat on vocals and Greg on saxophone. The Winning Losers recorded several demos and received local radio play. The group expelled Pat and Greg after the brothers came to write most of the new material. Greg also joined Glasgow Art School group Valerie and the Week of Wonders on saxophone, bass, and keyboards. Valerie and the Week of Wonders issued the Soon-Come single “Too Late” in 1983 as an independent release. The group signed with A&M-affiliated Piggy Bank in 1984 and toured Britain with the Icicle Works.

Hue and Cry cut early demos at Berkeley Street Recording Studios in Glasgow with drummer Tony McCracken and percussionist Ronnie Goodman. Guitarist Hugh Bogie joined them on “Love in Word.” Studio owner Allan McNeill waived their fees in exchange for management. McNeill secured Hue and Cry a Warner/Chappell publishing contract in 1984 through company representative Paul Curran. Curran encouraged the brothers to develop songs in Warner/Chappell rooms off Oxford Street while Pat worked for publications in London. McNeill placed Hue and Cry between full bands on local bills. The brothers drew attention with the two-man sets over roughly a year of gigs.

Stampede Records founder Graham Wilson, who ran Glasgow’s Sub Club, financed a studio version of “Here Comes Everybody” at Parklane Studios. Hue and Cry recorded the song with producer Bobby Henry and engineer Kenny MacDonald. The duo issued “Here Comes Everybody” through Stampede on Feb. 3, 1986, as the first Hue and Cry single.

Circa co-founders Ray Cooper and Ashley Newton signed Hue and Cry in 1986 as one of the first two acts on the new label. Hue and Cry followed with “I Refuse” on Circa near the end of the year as their first major-label single. The brothers recorded debut-album sessions at CaVa Sound Studios in Glasgow and Sigma Sound in New York with producers Harvey Jay Goldberg and James Biondolillo for Seduced and Abandoned.

Discography: