Artist description The greatest singer/songwriter you've never heard.

Music Style Solo singer/guitarist

Musical Influences Hendrix, Jackie Leven, Dylan, Velvet Underground, Doors, Jeff Buckley, Neil Young, Roy Harper.

Similar Artists Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, Jackie Leven, John Lennon, Syd Barrett.

Artist History Nick Drake? Jeff Buckley? Tim Buckley? Dylan? They're great. But they're not exactly Kevin Hewick. A lost genius if ever there was one. From the raw, emotion-drenched early recordings with the legendary Factory (where he not only supported Joy Division, he even secretly recorded with them after the death of Ian Curtis) to his love-hungry work on Cherry Red to the wonderful Helpline - his first and still his only CD album - it has been a long and lonely journey for Kevin. A voice and a guitar out of step with the music trends of the day forever. Until now, maybe.

Instruments Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar

Albums SUCH HUNGER FOR LOVE (Cherry Red), HELPLINE (Sorted)

Press Reviews HELPLINE Reviewed in MOJO (1999). By Joe Cushley. In an earlier musical incarnation Hewick was the first singer to go into the studio with the Ian Curtis-less Joy Division. Nearly 20 years and one nervous breakdown later, he has produced an album that gloriously lives up to his youthful promise. Helpline enthrals from the glimmering guitar of the first track, Landscape, to the final sour-sweet paean to his native Leicester, Run Down Town. Throughout he exhibits a variety of musical approaches, moods and a vocal range that puts many other singer-songwriters to shame. Atmospherically, the synth-driven Entering The City of The Future recalls his previous life alongside New Order and Durutti Column. On tracks accompanied only by his maverick guitar playing, his aching, melismatic voice conjures up Roy Harper and Nick Drake. Ultimately, however, this is not a depressive or derivative record, but a luminescent collection, carefully and truthfully assembled by a talent whose time may finally have come.-------------------- HELPLINE Reviewed by Jim Harwood (1999). To define a Kevin Hewick song is difficult. His influences range from, say, Martin Carthy and many more from the folk end of the musical spectrum, all the way every colour and hue to the dark end of rock to where things like Velvet Underground lurk. The Sorted label is his third, preceded by Factory and Cherry Red, though separated by a lengthy period in exile. Over the years, Hewick has written prolifically, and with the years, his writing has gained a maturity and eloquence rarely seen in rock or indie circles, yet still retaining the innocence and fragility of youth. Though primarily an acoustic album, Helpline is classic Hewick; proudly proclaiming its Leicesterness whilst simultaneously despising it, in a kind sort of way, if you get my drift ...there is a romance that sometimes can be found / on the worn and weary streets of this run down town... being a typical lyric. Always personal, his lyrics often touch on those universal feelings we think we are unique in feeling, and his diamondcrystal voice cuts easily through any bullshit that might get in the way. His songs are seemingly gentle, but with an unflinching edge of total honesty, so be warned. This is a cohesive body of work which slides so slickly from one song to the next you cannot feel the seams, and the embroidery has that delicate touch that lets it shimmer and shine like the jewel it is. AOR? Maybe, but do you still live as close to the wind as you used to? The retro-rockers of today discovering Barrett, Harper, Drake, Buckley, etc could do much worse than try this first.-------------------- SUCH HUNGER FOR LOVE Reviewed in SOUNDS By Dave McCulloch (July 1983). Hewick is T.S. Elliot, Lawrence, punk-rock influenced. He tries to talk about love and sex (but centrally sex) in a new way. There are fascinating conceits here aplenty.-------------------- LIVE (Black Lion, Northampton) Reviewed in STRINGENT MEASURES By Chris Coleman. In short, this man is a f***ing genius. Just him and his guitar, he quite literally casts a spell over the assembled motley crew. Bittersweet lyrics accompanied by feeling guitar, as a solo artist this man has no peers. As unfamiliar as I was with his songs, even on first listen I felt I already knew them. Yup, that good, folks. Tonight the reception was sufficient for him to weep. To you, cynics, that will sound yucky. On the night, it was powerful stuff. Chant his name - K..E..V..I..N, H..E..W..I..C..K -------------------- LIVE (Guildhall, Leicester 24.9.94) Reviewed in LE1 Magazine by Shaun Johnson What Kevin manages to do in his work is to be very personal and emotional, without being overly intense or embarrassing. He deals in the stuff of human feelings and experience, of their inadequacies and vulnerablities, touching where we are all at, at the end of the day. And the thing is that he is genuine, one of the most genuine people you could ever hope to meet.-------------------- LIVE (Mean Fiddler, London. January 1995) Reviewed by Adam Houllier. Kevin Hewick opened with a dramatic thirty minute set. First things first. Should I ever need a new set of lungs, this is the man who bears the name on my donor card. With the vocal range that would put most people off karaoke for life, and the power that could only equal an unplugged Motorhead gig, the audience was easily silenced. In the bed-sit world of songwriting, it would appear that various unwritten rules do not always apply. His songwriting is a blend that is definitely unique to Kevin. His use of meter, rhyme and structure do not easily embrace the textbook notation, and he uses this to full effect. After a couple of songs there was an uncomfortable silence within the audience who were not used to his somewhat untraditional endings, or were they perhaps stunned by the performance? There was a certain angst in his performance that I had not seen before, possibly because this may be his last gig at the Fiddler. I get the impression that Kevin is 100% emotion. If he feels good - the songs are excellent, but if not they seem to fall into the Abyss.-------------------- LIVE (Great Wigston WMC, Leics. 22.9.94) Reviewed in the LEICESTER & LEICS. CLUB NEWS By The Kid. The word original was invented to describe Kevin Hewick, much touted songsmith of these parts.Mr.Hewick has a mind that works differently from others. He has one foot in the shoe we call contemporary. His other foot is somewhere else entirely. He certainly brings a refreshing thought to what he does. It is a joy to listen to. The show was never boring, always something to involve yourself with, whether it be the words of the song, an unusual turn of events or even Mr.Hewick on his knees, as they say in the trade... giving it some jip. Splendid stuff.

Additional Info One side of live recordings on the A FACTORY QUARTET double album. One 12 inch EP THIS COVER KEEPS REALITY UNREAL by Kevin Hewick and The Sound. Two singles: OPHELIA'S DRINKING SONG (Factory) and FEATHERING THE NEST (Cherry Red).

Location LONDON, LONDON - United Kingdom

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