Kevin Hewick is a Leicester, United Kingdom-based singer-songwriter associated with post-punk and the Leicester music scene. Born in 1957, he begins his career in the early Factory Records period and later records for Cherry Red, Sorted Records and Burning Shed.

Factory Records period

Hewick is an early member of the Factory Records roster. After the death of Ian Curtis, Tony Wilson places him in the studio with Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and producer Martin Hannett to record Haystack. His Factory releases also include a live side on the 1981 double album A Factory Quartet, which he says is drawn from a confrontation with a hostile audience, and the single Ophelias Drinking song, which features percussion by Donald Johnson of A Certain Ratio and a mix by Peter Hook.

He later recalls that Wilson often discussed ideas with him, including the concept that becomes The Hacienda. He says that, over time, he loses his novelty value at the label and feels he is handled badly in both creative and business terms, although he still speaks positively about Factory, Wilson and Alan Erasmus.

Cherry Red and compilation releases

In 1982 Hewick leaves Factory for Cherry Red Records. There he releases the album Such hunger for love and the 1983 EP Reality/Unreal, made with Adrian Borland and The Sound. After Cherry Red drops him by 1984, he experiences a period of writer’s block and a difficult time in both his musical and personal life.

Material from this period, along with much of the Factory-era work, is later collected on Cherry Red’s 2003 release Tender bruises and scars, which also includes sleeve notes by Hewick about his early-1980s experiences.

Later work and activity in Leicester

After a five-year period he describes as a black hole, Hewick remains active from 1989 onward as a regular figure in Leicester music. He performs frequently in the city and also works as an event organiser. He continues to write prolifically and issues much of his later work, including the album Helpline (1999), on Sorted Records, while material is also planned for Burning Shed.

He also appears on the London acoustic circuit after a gap of nearly five years, contributes reviews to Planet Sound on Channel 4 teletext, and writes for The Leicester Mercury, BBC Radio Leicester, Tight but Loose, Wears the Trousers, and a chapter for (The Book of) Happy Memories, an appreciation of Adrian Borland.

Collaborations and performances

Hewick supports both Joy Division and Showaddywaddy, and over the years also appears with or supports Roy Harper, The Fall, Durutti Column, New Order, Section 25, PJ Harvey, Martin Carthy, Kevin Coyne, Fairport Convention, Dr. Robert, BJ Cole, Bobby Valentino, Eyeless in Gaza, Sonja Kristina, Clive Gregson, Ben Watt, Tim Rose and Jackie Leven. He sometimes performs with Leven in The Stornoway Girls and appears on Leven’s live albums Greetings from Milford and Only the ocean can forgive.

He also guests on guitar and/or vocals on albums by The Freed Unit, Steve Cartwright, Meta-Tekki and King Martha by ist.

Community involvement

Hewick is involved with the online music community Pineapster, where he uses the forum regularly. He says this helps him connect more closely with local audiences and other Leicester artists, and he argues that Leicester deserves greater recognition within UK music.