Pat's Hue And Try Again At Pop Stardom

Aug 10 2008 Billy Sloan

PAT KANE of Hue And Cry can't wait to have a second crack at pop stardom.

The singer claims he didn't enjoy his charttopping run with the Scottish group first time around.

In the 80s, Pat and brother Greg had a string of hits including Looking For Linda and Labour Of Love.

But Pat allowed his strong political views to collide with his music.

He said: "I was so grumpy and lefty I forgot to enjoy it.

"I made the mistake of thinking pop music was my only vehicle for my political ideas.

"One minute, I was dancing around, the next lecturing kids on Saturday morning TV."

Hue And Cry release album Open Soul on September 18 - their first record in 16 years - featuring single The Last Stop. They play Inverness Iron Works on September 11, Aberdeen Lemon Tree (12) and Glasgow's Classic Grand (13).

Their comeback was inspired by Westlife.

Pat said: "I saw them play the O2 Arena in London and imagined what it would be like for us to do a gig there.

"I began to wonder if we could write songs to fill such a place."

The band's return follows their success in ITV's Hit Me Baby One More Time.

They reached the final of the 2005 show and wowed fans with a cover of Beyonce's Crazy In Love.

Pat said: "It was a daring thing to do. We could've fallen flat on our Coatbridge a***s.

"But word from the Beyonce camp was they approved of it."