Hue And Cry / Roachford – Birmingham Symphony Hall – 16th October 2026
A stunning double bill creates the perfect pop/jazz/rock blend for a fabulous night out.
Top Notch
The usual tour features a headline act and a support act. Sometimes, the support act isn’t even named on the advertising. 30 minutes of somebody you didn’t expect and everyone waits in the bar, followed by 90 minutes of someone you did expect, squeezing the back catalogue dry to fill the time.
What if we did things differently? How about getting two amazing, top notch artists and giving them equal sets? So that they can deliver everything their fans would know and love? That would certainly seem like a better use of a night out on the town.
With jazz and blues square in the middle of the evening’s musical spectrum, we have the rhythmic, upbeat, punchy sound of Roachford leaning towards rock and the soulful, powerful, vocally dexterous sound of Hue And Cry at the pop end. The result is a Venn diagram with ‘stunning’ sitting right in the centre.
Pseudo Satisfaction, Baby
First of all, Hue And Cry grace us with their presence on stage with quite a big band. Things are looking good already. They even compliment the people of Birmingham on the attractiveness of the city. Straight into an audience singalong, they don’t keep us waiting, they’re straight into the big hits. Looking for Linda is a beautifully toned down version, the charged chemistry of the original replaced with a wistful reminiscence. A few thousand voices fill in the chorus.
Brothers Pat and Gregory Kane have been entertaining fans of stylish jazz pop since 1987 when Labour of Love hit the charts, 40 years near enough. The experience shows in their effortless stage presence and smooth delivery. Punchy, energetic compositions such as I Refuse and My Salt Heart lead towards that opening hit that put them at number six in the UK singles chart. Everyone was up and dancing at that point, demonstrating that this band really delivers across the full spectrum; songs that make you sit down and listen and songs that make you get up and jump about.
Those pacier songs contrast beautifully with the hushed reverence of Mother Glasgow and Violently, blended with Give Peace A Chance as a reminder of the band’s recurring message of love and reconciliation in this seemingly never-ending period of global conflict. These more thoughtful songs are punctuated by more of that trademark sound; Three Foot Blasts Of Fire, Strength To Strength and Headin’ For A Fall.
The brilliant, meticulous, thrilling set closes appropriately with a love letter to their fans – Ordinary Angel.
Get Ready
Onto part two of the show and Roachford greets the crowd in a four man setup. The sizzling energy of the band is infectious and Andrew Roachford spends most of the show with a huge grin on his face. He loves playing for this crowd, and the crowd loves him right back.
Runaway Soul Train
The opening song takes us back to 2019 and Roachford’s 11th studio album. The word ‘prolific’ doesn’t quite say it. Love Remedy has the crowd moving and bouncing around and it sets the scene perfectly for an energetic, joyful show.
High On Love continues the pace and Ain’t No Sunshine, the Bill Withers song, shows Roachford’s legendary soul capabilities.
All The Love, Get Ready and the original breakthrough hit Cuddly Toy show that what we’ve got here is a relentless, unstoppable, runaway soul train. An extended audience singalong deserves its very own show. Thoroughly entertaining and everyone loved it, including the band who worked together beautifully. They told us, thirteen times and no less.
This Generation is a tremendous song in itself, enriched by its weaving with Papa Was A Rolling Stone, originally recorded by The Temptations. The inclusion of a few covers is not for any want of decent Roachford songs. They’re more like signposts to the diverse range of influences and the broad appeal of Roachford’s music.
Funkier Direction
Kathleen takes us in a funkier direction, leading straight into Dancing In The Dark, Bruce Springsteen’s composition showing the mildly rockier end of the Roachford selection. Let me survive,
Follow You Follow Me is an interesting cover, linking Roachford to Mike Rutherford via the Genesis song. It’s a nice teaser for Over My Shoulder, a reminder of Roachford’s lengthy and memorable contribution to Mike And The Mechanics.
Cry For Me and Lay Your Love On Me bring the pace down and give the audience a welcome rest before the band explodes back into the thrilling conclusion of Only To Be With You.
This isn’t a gig. It’s not even a show. This is a spectacle. Utterly brilliant.
Roachford: Website
Hue And Cry: Website