The Kane Gang are an English pop trio formed in Durham in 1982. They scored several UK and US hits in the 1980s. The group announced a 40th anniversary comeback tour, of three dates, on 14 August 2024.
History
Vocalists Martin Brammer (born 13 May 1957, Seaham, County Durham) and Paul Woods, with multi-instrumentalist Dave Brewis, formed the trio in 1982, after meeting while in small local bands, and signed to Kitchenware Records, which led to a deal with London Records in 1984. (No. 21). The latter was also a hit in Australia, reaching No. 19. The album was co-produced by Pete Wingfield, and featured P. P. Arnold and Sam Brown as backing vocalists. Two tracks "Gun Law" and "Take This Train" were produced by Robin Millar.
The band's next album, Miracle, also co-produced by Pete Wingfield, was released in 1987 and spawned two US hit singles: "Motortown" (No. 36 US / No. 45 UK) and another cover – this time of Dennis Edwards' "Don't Look Any Further" Woods and Brewis also worked on songs leading to releasing an album, Infiniti Drive as Autoleisureland in 2022, named after a 1970s Sunderland car-themed retail unit, and continue to write and record.
It was announced that the Kane Gang would reunite for concerts at Sunderland's The Fire Station music venue on 2 November 2024, at London's Dingwalls on 24 January 2025, and at Glasgow's St. Luke's on 25 February 2025.
Other works
The Kane Gang performed the music for the "Ooh Gary Davies... On Your Radio" jingle for BBC Radio 1. As was the fashion around that time, bands would adapt songs to provide the radio station with a jingle, and embed the hook of the track in the public's consciousness. The Gary Davies jingle was based on their track "Smalltown Creed"
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of albums, with selected chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:20em;" | Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:20em;" | Album details
! scope="col" colspan="3" | Peak chart<br />positions
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" style="width:40px;"| UK<br>
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" style="width:40px;"| US<br>
|-
! scope="row" | The Bad and Lowdown World of the Kane Gang
|
- Released: March 1985
- Label: London Records (820215–1)
- Also: Kitchenware Records (UK, KWLP2, 1985)
| 21 || 65 || —
|-
! scope="row" | Miracle
|
- Released: March 1987
- Label: London Records (828057–1)
| 41 ||82 || 115
|}
Compilation albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! Title
! Album details
|-
! scope="row" | The Miracle of the Kane Gang
|
- Released: 2007
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1983
| "Brother Brother"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1984
| "Smalltown Creed"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | 60
|-
| "Closest Thing to Heaven"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | 57
| align=center | 12
|-
| "Respect Yourself"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | 19
| align=center | 21
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1985
| "Gun Law"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | 53
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1987
| "Motortown"
| align=center | 36
| align=center | 12
| align=center | —
| align=center | 87
| align=center | 45
|-
| "What Time Is It?"
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
| align=center | —
|-
| "Don't Look Any Further"
| align=center | 64
| align=center | —
| align=center | 1
| align=center | —
| align=center | 52
|-
|-
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}
See also
- List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
- List of number-one dance singles of 1988 (U.S.)
- List of one-hit wonders in the United States
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- Bands and musicians from Yorkshire and North East England
- Now That's What I Call Music 4 (UK series)