Hue and Cry and the songs of referendum

When Greg Kane thinks back to the eighties, it’s the hard graft he and brother Pat put in that comes to mind.

As Hue and Cry, the siblings from Coatbridge in Lanarkshire made their breakthrough in that decade and notched up hit singles, albums and tours.

Greg says it was the toil and work ethic they committed to after they came into the limelight, rather than basking in the success, that’s seen them maintain a career to this day.

“When you get the chance, you have to grab it and work hard,” he stressed.

“I lost touch with my friends, I lost my girlfriend, but that’s what you have to do.

“It was five years of real commitment to sustain a 30-year career.”

Life is still full-on for Greg today, but it’s no longer all about the music.

Although Hue and Cry are still going strong and Greg is on the board of the Scottish Music Awards, he also has his hands full with his toddler Eva Rose and a new house.

“House prices are crazy just now, so we’ve bought a fixer-upper.

“My partner and I stumbled on this place, so we took a deep breath and said let’s do it.

“Our daughter is two-and-a-half now.

“It clears my head when I’m with her. I don’t think about anything else and we just do whatever it is she wants to do. It de-stresses me.

“I meet the other fathers in the swing park and I have 15 years on them. I see them struggling and I just want to tell them to relax.”

Labour of Love, Looking for Linda and Violently were all sophisticated pieces of pop that took the brothers to the top and although they continued to make albums throughout the nineties, nothing would have the same impact on the charts.

They went off to do their own thing but their decision to take part in ITV show Hit Me Baby One More Time, which featured acts from the past battling against each other in a singing competition, returned them to the limelight 10 years ago.

Although they eventually lost out in the final, they realised the exposure had opened a door.

“We received 160,000 votes afterwards, we de-briefed and discussed how we could access these people,” said the 48-year-old.

“This was before Facebook, so we started reaching out to concert venues about accessing their databases and, depending on how nice they were, they would give out email addresses.

“We also looked at marketing our events around peak times, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.”

It was a successful strategy and one that has allowed Hue and Cry to keep ticking over ever since.

Later this year they’ll host their fifth weekender a two-day event in Glasgow where the brothers play two concerts to their most loyal fans and release a new album.

Both are called September Songs, a reference to last year’s Referendum where Pat and Greg supported the Yes vote.

“It was a big thing for us and we wanted to mark that a year on,” Greg continued.

“Not all the songs are about that, though. We started writing it two years ago and it takes us a while.”

The weekender has a stripped-back show on the Friday and a full band performance the following evening. A platinum pass is available that also gives access to soundchecks, Q&As and even a champagne reception.

“We’re lucky to have a band of thousands of faithful fans that allow us to make a living from this. And we have a group of a thousand superfans from all around the world who will come to everything and buy lots of merchandise, so we try to give them what they want.

“People come from America, Australia and across Europe.

“Lots connect our music to an experience in their lives and it’s a huge responsibility when you have that sort of relationship with people.”

The first show will feature the brothers performing with a string quartet and it’s driving Greg to distraction.

“Pat’s been leading this one but it’s me who has to write all the parts for the Glasgow String Quartet, something I’ve never done.

“I’m not going to have a life from now until September.

“Afterwards, you’ll see me running down Sauchiehall Street, throwing scraps of manuscript paper in the air and screaming that it’s finally over!”

Probably best to put the house DIY on the backburner for the time being!

September Songs Weekender. O2 ABC, Glasgow, September 25-26.