Category: Cloudbusting (band)

A sell-out crowd in the luxurious surroundings of London’s prestigious Cadogan Hall were on their feet as one on Saturday night, simply mesmerised by what the people on stage had achieved. Regular site visitors will know that we’ve been following this band for well over a decade as they’ve evolved and gained a large following of their own. Cloudbusting, fronted by singer Mandy Watson, have been putting on sensational shows across the UK and Ireland for years. No-one who attended will ever forget the 40th Anniversary of The Kick Inside concert in Islington, where Del Palmer made a surprise appearance to play on Kate’s songs live again for the first time in decades. It was a triumph.

So, on Saturday November 9th, perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised that they’d take things to this next level. Joined by the excellent West London Sinfonia orchestra (approaching it’s 55th year anniversary in existence), conducted by Philip Hesketh, with arrangements by renowned composer Rob Lane and his team, the night delivered a remarkable programme of Kate’s music in that rich, stirring, classical setting – filled with reflection, passion and drama.

To talk about which songs are performed would be a spoiler, but it’s a true wishlist of Kate’s greatest moments. I’m fairly sure at least twenty two songs were performed that night, programmed in specially arranged thematic sections (accompanied by tastefully projected graphics), and encompassing the full breadth of Kate’s recorded output. Mandy’s voice and stage presence are exquisite, she runs the gamut of Kate’s catalogue and range and makes it seem effortless – these songs are in the best of hands with her.

Sonic treats, and special little musical details that only a production like this can bring are peppered throughout the show. The band’s Dave Roberts playing Del Palmer’s own upright bass so beautifully with the swirling strings around him, an emotional highlight. One “ascending” moment on violin from orchestra leader Iwona Boesche made me gasp out loud. The challenge was to reflect the dynamics of Kate’s vast studio wizardry within the “confines” of a traditional orchestra, and the band and arrangers did this with aplomb on every single song!

Tickets for tonight’s Birmingham show are SOLD OUT but some remaining tickets can be grabbed for Basingstoke tomorrow, Friday 14th November at the Classical Kate Bush website.

Update: Thanks to the nice people at Immersive Music we have 5 pairs of tickets to give away! To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is answer the following question:

On one song on the Hounds of Love album, something gets hidden in a garden. What is it? Update: Competition is now closed and winners have been chosen – thanks! p.s. the correct answer is: a yo-yo 🙂

Please send your answer to [email protected] – if you are successful I will then be in touch by email to get your ticket details to you. The competition runs till the end of Wednesday March 22nd at which point the random draw will be made. Winners can choose to attend on either Thursday 20th, Friday 21st or Saturday 22nd April shows at an as yet undisclosed location in London. Good luck! p.s. if you can’t wait, tickets are available here.

Competition Rules: Competition ends March 23rd, 2017 at 23:59 (GMT). One entry per person. Multiple entries, the registration of multiple email addresses for one person and incomplete entries will result in disqualification. katebushnews.com is not responsible for the timeliness of delivery or electronic or computer malfunctions that may affect the delivery or content of entry. Winners will be selected in a random draw from all eligible entries on or about March 24th, 2017. Winners will be notified by email. If winners cannot be reached within 3 days of notification, alternate winners will be selected. Event takes place in London, UK and winners need to be available to make their own travel arrangements to attend. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Prize is non-transferable and non-exchangeable. No substitution or cash equivalent will be made. All decisions of katebushnews.com is final.

Here’s some news about an event happening over 3 nights in London in April. Immersive Music presents: ‘Hounds of Love’ From the Press release: “Following the success of last year’s sold-out event, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Immersive Music is back, and it’s taking on another iconic album. This time you will be taken deep into the heart and soul of Kate Bush’s highly-acclaimed fifth album, the self-produced ‘Hounds of Love’. For a limited time this April, this famous album will be brought to life at a secret location with a unique, multi-sensory experience like no other. Guiding you on a fully interactive adventure using performance, artwork and music, Immersive Music will give you a unique insight into this pivotal album and you will be able to experience it in ways unimaginable.

All of the night’s activities will culminate in a live performance of the album in its entirety (by leading UK tribute act, Cloudbusting). So, if you’re a Kate Bush fan, it’s kind of  compulsory. Celebrate one of the world’s best-loved musicians with a completely out of this world experience where you can look, listen, feel and interact with ‘Hounds of Love’. You’ll get to live the legend as if you were part of the songs themselves. Make a deal with god, wake the witch inside you and let them transport you into the tranquil, frantic, dreamy and chaotic world of Kate Bush. The event takes place at an undisclosed location in North London on Thursday, Friday and Saturday 20th – 22nd April.”

See www.immersivemusic.co.uk for more details. Or find details on social media: Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

An important change-of-venue announcement from Kate Bush tribute band, Cloudbusting, on their special Hounds of Love 30th Anniversary concert in London on September 16th:

“30 years to the day after it was released, on Wednesday 16th September, Kate Bush’s astounding album Hounds of Love is going to be performed in full by Cloudbusting at the Islington Assembly Hall which, according to The Guardian, is ‘one of London’s best mid-sized music venues’.

That’s only half the story! We are performing a full 2 hour set spanning the whole of Kate’s career including some songs which we are pretty sure have NEVER been played live before.
We will be joined on stage by Kate’s drummer Preston Heyman who is planning something VERY special for Sat In Your Lap.

Members of The London Bulgarian Choir will help us recreate the magic of Kate’s music throughout the evening. Our very good friends from the South West’s greatest folk/rock band Mad Dog Mcrea will pile on the Celtic authenticity for many of the songs from Hounds of Love.

Any tickets that have been sent out from The Bloomsbury will be valid on the door. We will have in our possession on the evening the tickets that were to be collected at the Bloomsbury box office. The Bloomsbury box office team have assured us they will be contacting everyone with full details of the venue change. Anyone who is unable to make it to the new venue will be offered a full refund by the Bloomsbury Theatre. To these people we offer our most sincere apologies.

There are a handful of tickets still available. The Islington Assembly Hall does not have its own box office so we’re not quite sure how to allocate these. If you know anyone who might want one please get them to contact us on this page. We will do our best to ensure you get similar seats to the ones originally purchased. If you have any further questions please get in touch!
Now, who knows a good pub nearby where we can all celebrate afterwards?”

More at the band’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cloudbustingkatebushtribute

[youtube width=”640″ height=”320″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea0J5xkPjXM[/youtube]