Fans of musical brothers Pat and Greg Kane are being given a glimpse of a new version of the duo on their latest tour.
Near-constants on the Scottish scene as Hue And Cry since releasing their major label debut I Refuse in 1986, the pair bring their sold-out piano and vocal show to Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre on Thursday.
However, anyone expecting the Coatbridge-raised songsmiths to play it safe are in for a surprise, according to frontman Pat.
“It’s an interesting combination because we do all the favourites, as well as some songs from people like Sam Sparro and Hozier,” the singer explains.
“We also have an electronic record which we’re going to bring out towards the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025, and so we have all these digital versions of new songs – but also of classic old songs as well.
“So it’s an acoustic set – it’s piano and vocal at pace – but it goes all over the place. As well as piano, Gregory also plays guitar and he has a harmonizer on his voice so he sounds like a choir.
“It’s quite a varied gig. There’s a lot of different kinds of music and performance in it.”
‘How have I got here?’ – Hue and Cry singer
Pat, 59, sees the duo’s ongoing Scottish tour, which concludes with a brace of shows at Strathearn Arts in Crieff on December 1 and 2, as a chance to “experiment a wee bit” ahead of a full band excursion next autumn to celebrate Hue And Cry’s 40th anniversary.
That will see them play the likes of Perth Concert Hall and Whitehall Theatre – where Pat joined an all-star bill at a Timex workers benefit show in November 1993 – but smaller venues are in their sights for now.
“We have a kind of a map of the British Isles from all of our touring, and because we’ve decided to be working musicians in the last 10 years we sometimes find ourselves in places where we think, ‘Well, how have I got here?’
“People sometimes come out because it’s you, and sometimes it’s because you’re playing the place where they go to see live music, so it’s quite a challenge.
“You’ve got to kind of sell yourself to maybe half of the audience, even if it’s a full house, because a lot of people might be there in a curiosity-based way. But it’s a challenge we’re very much up for – we try to meet their enthusiasm and it’s not a bad way to spend one’s time and to make a living.”
‘Sibling telepathy’ on stage
Looking ahead to next week’s gig, the Labour Of Love and Looking For Linda hit-maker says he’s feeding off younger brother Greg’s virtuosity in the stripped-down format.
“It’s interesting, there’s an element of telepathy or intuition that goes on between the two of us and that’s the best part of it,” he explains.
“We can deeply get into the feel of what each other is doing and sometimes we just lock into a pattern that’s incredibly exciting and we know we’re really nailing a song.
“I’m also loving watching Gregory be the technological maestro who twiddles knobs and pushes levers and sliders while he’s making the music. It’s quite something to see – he’s not only a consummate pianist and guitarist, but he’s also producing the sound right in front of the audience every night.
“He made a point of saying that he wouldn’t just use a backing track and I’m loving his performance.”
Pat ‘loves’ to sing big ballad Violently
A few songs that haven’t been heard live for decades have made recent setlists thanks to the array of technological innovations the duo have enlisted.
But it’s a couple of proven standards that Pat reveals he’s been enjoying the most so far on tour.
“There’s a song called Pocketful Of Stones which is the title of an album that came out in 2017 and that’s about two 50-something men reassessing their lives in a kind of Beatles-esque way,” he says.
“The other song I love to sing is the big ballad Violently, because I think it’s very appropriate to a moment when we want the opposite of violence – we want peaceful times.
“So it has a certain relevance now, which has surprised me, but it’s definitely become apropos to the headlines of the moment. So I’m enjoying singing those two, they’re both good fun.”
Tickets for Hue And Cry’s 2023 and 2024 tours are available via the band’s website.
Conversation