This ex-Fine Young Cannibal is still hungry for success

ROLAND GIFT is no longer a cannibal but he is still hungry and he's heading to the Spiegeltent tonight. For those who may be alarmed, don't be. Gift only sang with the Fine Young Cannibals, as opposed to chew over human flesh, but the fact that this point even has to be explained tells its own story.
Back in 1989, FYC were one of the biggest bands in the world. She Drives Me Crazy was a worldwide hit, propelling Gift, guitarist Dave Steel and bass player Andy Cox into the superstar stratosphere.
Their album, The Raw and the Cooked, sold by the bucketload, a further four singles kept them in the charts into the following year and they were even a hit in Hollywood, providing a soundtrack and appearing in Barry Levinson's hit, Tin Men. They released just one new sinlge, The Flame, before ending their career with a best Of compilation, Finest, in 1996.
Fortunately, gift, who enjoys a dual career as an actor, has not turned his back on singing. And when he pitches up in the tent tonight, in many ways it will be like he was never away.
Fronting an eight-piece band, with guitar, bass, drums, two backing singers, keyboards and trumpet it's all live, organic instruments - and the same soulful brass sound that powered the Fine Young Cannibals.
"It's not a million miles away from it", he admits. "I mean, I wrote in FYC, and I'm singing the stuff, so it's not going to be that far removed."
"You see, it's not like I'm embarrassed by what FYC did. I don't want to escape the past. I wanted to have the trumpet there, just as a carry-line through from the Cannibals. It's still very song-based, but it's not gone dancey or groove-based or anything like that."
The FYC split was far from acrimonious. The trio drifted apart simply because there were other things each would rather pursue. Andy Cox often plays in Gift's band - though he won't be at the Edinburgh shows, which is indicative of the way the front man operates. His band's line-up is fluid - which means he can find himself backed by any one of three versions. "It does tend to vary from week to week, depending on who's available," he explains. "It makes life interesting, but it's like peas and carrots - it doesn't matter whether you eat one or the other, they're both good for you.
Gift's first appearance on stage was in a play rather than band, and acting has always been an important part of his career. He recently wrote, directed and starred in a short film, Gaffa Boy, and is to start shooting on a major feature film in October. Even when Fine Young Cannibals were going strong, Gift made acting appearances on stage and screen - including a turn as a nightclub owner in Scandal.
While he garnered rave reviews for that performance, he found his involvement in FYC hindered his acting ambitions.
"Now that I'm a solo performer it will be easier for me to do the acting stuff that I want to do - because I didn't really do as much as I would have liked to have done," he says. Only some of Gift's new songs have been recorded, and those only in demo form. It will be some time before any material is released, but he has firm plans to release a solo album next year. He is looking forward to his visit to Edinburgh - he has been here before as a performer in 1990, with the Hull Truck Theatre Company's production of Romeo and Juliet.
"I came up to the Festival last year," Gift says, "and I went and had a day where I wandered around and saw three plays and then met some people and went to see a gig, and it was really nice." "I said to myself then 'I think I'll come back next year and play'. It's quite nice to be up here and be on the inside."
Simon McKenzie