Live Music Review: Hue & Cry
Venue: Glasgow Pavilion Theatre
Dates: 25 October 2024
Celebrating a commendable forty years in the music industry, Scottish duo Hue and Cry booked one of the best venues Glasgow city centre has to offer for their homecoming gigs, the majestic Pavilion Theatre. I say gigs, but when bands play theatres, the word concerts seems more apt and I dare say one of the reasons The Pavilion was picked was because fans of the band in the eighties are now at a stage in life where standing for ninety minutes might be off-putting, regardless of who is on stage! I attended on Friday 25th October, the first of two nights as part of the band’s four-week tour of Scotland and England to toast their longevity and perform many a much-loved tune to their loyal fan base.
As is increasingly common in the modern day, a number of people sat looking at their phones as they awaited the band’s arrival on stage, no doubt texting friends telling them where they were or posting a pic or two on social media. However, regardless of the plethora of options a mobile phone offers, the best place to be looking to kill the time in the venue was upward, at the mesmerizing, ornate ceiling and intricate cornicing. It’s not very often you get exposed to such impressive architecture while seeing live music in Glasgow.
As the clock ticked ever closer to gig time, I couldn’t help but notice how many people were wearing glasses and/or had silver, grey, patchy or no hair. A few couples, holding hands on date night, which made me wonder if they met back in the eighties and bonded over their mutual love of the headliners. It also reminded me of a recent internet search I did on the band, which generated images of Pat and Greg Kane either with full heads of hair or none at all, there seemingly being no middle ground. In turn, this led to my own reflections on the years I spent hanging on to my own hair, a ridiculous island at the front of my head, the strands at the back brushed forward in a futile attempt to cover the ever-increasing gaps.
Anyway, to the music. The set-up seemed straightforward enough with no frills, the focus on ensuring what was needed to create the sound they are renowned for. Not that it’s ever nice to kick off with a negative, but I felt there was a problem with Pat’s mic. It seemed a bit bass-heavy to me, and with it being remote rather than wired (perfectly common in contemporary times), it was making a bit of a buzz and hum.
When the frontman spoke to the audience between songs, it was sometimes difficult to make out what was being said, and that was certainly the feeling from others around me. I had hoped the sound engineer would notice and address it, but unfortunately it never happened, so I felt Pat was always battling against the tech in his hand. In contrast, Greg’s mic was absolutely spot on, so maybe it was just down to a case of bad luck. To add to it, though, I got the impression that Pat was suffering from the dreaded lurgy, a common ailment in autumnal Scotland. Whether I was right or not, it didn’t stop him from belting out the hits, having banter with the crowd and cutting some Dad-dancing shapes centre stage.
Smartphone use (or over-use) grates on some performers, especially those who had their heyday at a time when pocket supercomputers were nothing more than gimmicks in sci-fi comedies that poked fun at the future. Hue and Cry, however, welcomed it, asking their fans to take as many photos and videos as they wanted and to post the party on social media. This was quite refreshing and shows the brothers will go with the flow.
Regardless of the amount of time that had passed though, the songs remained both fresh and strong with big hooks and infectious grooves. The instrumental sections, whether intros, outros or middle eights, reminded me of link scenes in eighties films, especially when featuring the saxophone. As we’ve seen with the recent insatiable demand for Oasis tickets, nostalgia is prevalent at the moment (which says something about the quality of new music, one might argue), but I loved being taken back to a time when things seemed simpler, and I equally loved that live music was the vehicle that took me there. It was a reminder of how powerful sound can be in stirring emotions and bringing smiles to faces.
Mid-set, when the band departed, leaving only the Kane brothers, engagement became participation as they asked for requests. This led to intimate and intricate performances of a number of tracks including the popular Mother Glasgow and a cracking rendition of Shipbuilding, although, personally, I didn’t think they did The Man with the Child in his Eyes justice, largely because taking on any Kate Bush song is a monstrous and potentially impossible task.
Overall though, it was a great segment that proved a level of intimacy was possible in a big theatre. The hits kept coming when the full band returned, including Looking for Linda, where the audience were tasked to sing the line ‘Looking out for Linda’. I’m not usually a fan of this as I don’t think it’s fair that punters should part with good money to hear the general public sing the songs, but Hue and Cry didn’t overcook it, striking the right balance between involving the audience and remaining in charge of the dynamic of the tune.
After Pat had finished his vocal for Little Man, he left the stage, allowing solos from each band member to commence, including drums, guitar, saxophone, trumpet and keys. You may (or may not) be wondering, what about the bass solo? Given that Hue and Cry’s big numbers have prevalent bass grooves, I had hoped to hear some bottom end licks in isolation, but instead the bass player did a form or Glaswegian hip-hop, which reminded me of Loki, Darren McGarvey’s musical alter ego. It was unexpected, almost at Andy Kaufman levels and whilst entertaining, I still can’t decide if I liked it or not.
Even if the mic and possible cold meant Pat’s vocals didn’t come across quite as powerfully as I’d expected, it was still a great night, and his patter was top notch. During the performance, he referred, sarcastically, to himself and his brother as “Cheery bastards, eh?”, advertised the limited edition Hue and Cry fortieth anniversary water bottle, used the term “music-gasm”, encouraged the audience to “give peace a chance” and made it clear that “if you remembered the eighties, you weren’t there”, a line that made me do a snorty laugh, partly because of the dry way he delivered it, but also because it makes no sense at all!
Early in the set, someone shouted “Fuck the Tories!”, which didn’t faze him or any member of the band in the slightest. Brilliantly, instead of ignoring it or responding awkwardly, it led to a sketch-like skit about feeling bad for Tories now that they’re no longer in power, and the creation of the Hug a Tory campaign, the only problem being that it’d be difficult because it would mean finding and talking to people who admit they are Tory voters.
The main set closed with the iconic Labour of Love, which, as expected, got everyone on their feet. The performance of arguably their most well known and celebrated song was top class, as confirmed by the joy on the faces of their many fans, who, if medical technology permits, will be listening to them for another forty odd years.
For all things Hue and Cry, head to their website here.
Dickson Telfer@DicksonTelfer
Links: