Hue And Cry

In the late 1980s, when Scottish acts dominated the UK charts, blue-eyed soul pop duo Hue & Cry stood among the most prominent alongside Wet Wet Wet, Texas, and Deacon Blue. Originating from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, brothers Pat and Greg Kane began collaborating on music in 1983, coinciding with Pat's impending university graduation and Greg's time in school. Their initial single "Here Comes Everybody" appeared via the independent Glasgow imprint Stampede in 1984, leading to a deal with Circa, an offshoot of Virgin Records. There, they issued their first full-length Seduced and Abandoned and achieved their peak success with the 1987 hit "Labour of Love." Subsequent Top Ten releases included Remote in 1988, Bitter Suite in 1989, and Stars Crash Down in 1991. However, commercial momentum declined by the 1992 effort Truth & Love on their short-lived Fidelity imprint, and following the 1993 compilation Best Of, they ceased to appear on the charts. Unburdened by mainstream expectations, the '90s brought experimental projects such as the 1994 collaboration Showtime! with composer Richard Niles, the jazz-oriented Piano & Voice from 1995, JazzNotJazz in 1996, and Next Move in 1999, which blended drum'n'bass, R&B, and Latin funk elements. A 2005 appearance on the ITV Popstars revival Hit Me Baby One More Time brought temporary mainstream attention, though they ultimately finished behind Shakin' Stevens in the finale. This visibility secured opening slots for Jamie Cullum and Al Green, prompting the 2008 studio return Open Soul—their first in nine years—and the follow-up Xmasday in 2009. Three years afterward came their eleventh album Hot Wire, accompanied by a UK tour and the singles anthology A's & B's. The 2014 package Remote: Major to Minor revisited their landmark record Remote alongside a book on their early days, plus reinterpretations, B-sides, and contemporary live recordings. Their admiration for Frank Sinatra prompted the 2015 collection September Songs, featuring personally selected standards rendered in their distinctive approach to mark the singer's would-be centenary. In 2017 they revisited original songwriting for the fourteenth album Pocketful of Stones, which drew from themes of relationships, family life, and the British political climate while infusing their established pop style with alternative electronic touches.