Belvedere Kane - Such Trying Times
Now seeing the light of day after 30 years, the album’s highlights include “Legends (Forever Young)” featuring the late Pete Burns.
In the hallowed, chaotic halls of PWL Studios—the “Hit Factory” that defined the 80s and 90s—an aspiring songwriter named Barry Stone was busy making tea for Mike Stock and Matt Aitken while secretly plotting a revolution. Obsessed with the electronic pulse of The Human League and the flamboyant defiance of Dead or Alive, Stone wasn’t just an assistant; he was the architect of an alter ego that the world is only truly meeting now. And now, exactly three decades after its lead single first hit the airwaves, the “lost” Belvedere Kane album, Such Trying Times, has finally emerged from the attic.
The story begins in 1989 when Stone moved to London, fueled by a teenage obsession with Pete Burns. After landing a job at PWL, he spent his nights in the basement studio of mentor Ian Curnow, crafting a “spook pop” sound—a dandyish, gothic aesthetic that sat somewhere between Edward Scissorhands and Adam Ant. While label boss Pete Waterman initially saw Stone as “Barry the tea boy,” the tune changed when Stone presented “Never Felt As Good.” A euphoric anthem inspired by ABBA and Army of Lovers, the track was so undeniably catchy that Waterman suggested pitching it to the Pet Shop Boys or Cliff Richard. Stone, however, had other plans: he wanted to be the star.
Stone’s journey was intertwined with his idols in ways most fans only dream of; having moved to London as a teenager specifically to be closer to their sound, he remarkably transitioned from a dedicated superfan to a key creative collaborator when he co-produced Dead or Alive’s 1995 comeback album, Nukleopatra. The legendary Pete Burns and Steve Coy became like family, with Burns even letting Stone raid his Vivienne Westwood-filled wardrobe for press shots. Belvedere Kane soon became a fixture of the burgeoning Romo (Romantic Modernism) movement, a peacocking, stylish riposte to the lad-culture of Britpop. Backed by a trio of Romo regulars and coached in stagecraft by a pre-Strictly Bruno Tonioli, Stone debuted at G-A-Y in 1994, introduced by Burns himself to a “bunch of straight queens” in the audience.
Despite the critical acclaim and a debut single described by Popjustice as one of the 20 best of the 90s, the album was shelved. The musical climate, increasingly dominated by the Spice Girls and Britpop, left little room for “spook pop” dandies. Stone pivoted, forming the powerhouse production duo The Alias (formerly Jewels and Stone) with Julian Gingell. Together, they conquered the charts from a different angle, writing the American Idol theme and producing hits for the likes of Selena Gomez, Kylie Minogue, and Steps.
The revival of Belvedere Kane began recently when Stone started digitizing old tapes found in his attic. The “unfinished business” of his youth began running through his veins again, leading him to assemble Such Trying Times as a love letter to his younger self. The album is a masterclass in pop history, featuring a brand-new collaboration, “Legends (Forever Young),” built around a previously unheard Pete Burns vocal fragment discovered during the archival process. With the blessing of the Dead or Alive estate, the track serves as a high-energy, club-ready tribute to the late icons.
The record is packed with the kind of meticulous detail that only a true pop scholar could provide—the title track is an effervescent Marlene Dietrich cover; “Sleeping Dogs” features backing vocals from 90s legend Cathy Dennis; the shimmering “Isabella Rossellini” opens with the evocative, cinematic line, “Even when I hate you, I love you” and “Magazines” serves as a nostalgic roll call of defunct print publications like Q and Select.
It is an exhilarating time capsule of a colorful period that feels remarkably fresh in 2026, finally bridging the gap between a shelved dream and a triumphant reality while ensuring that Belvedere Kane’s brand of “spook pop” claims its rightful place in the pantheon of pop history.
Such Trying Times is now available for streaming on all platforms, as well as on physical media, including vinyl and CD.
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