It was 1984. The year of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Two Tribes , Prince's When Doves Cry , and Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go .
And there was another sound that lit up that blazing summer - the smooth pop sophistication of a band hailing from Seaham, in County Durham, called the Kane Gang. The trio - David Brewis, Paul Woods and Martin Brammer - had grown up in the town as mates and music fans.
They scored a huge hit with the luscious, self-penned Closest Thing To Heaven , and followed it up with another - a stomping interpretation of the Staple Singers' classic Respect Yourself . (Both, I can vouch from personal experience, were big nightclub favourites at the time).
