Wishing Kate a very happy 68th birthday today! We hope you’re having a fantastic day and having lots of fun. Gives us a chance to say THANK YOU for being you and for giving us your wonderful music! xxx
In this very special episode of the Kate Bush Fan Podcast, Darrell Babidge chats to Seán about a memorable day spent in the company of Peter Reich at Orgonon itself! Peter is of course the writer of A Book of Dreams about his father Wilhelm Reich, the book that inspired Kate’s Cloudbusting. The visit took place at the Wilhelm Reich Museum which Kate currently also shares a link to on her official website.
Darrell with a Cloudbuster at Orgonon!
Because Darrell has so much visual content from the day Seán also created the visual trailer below for you to whet your appetite for the podcast episode:
Orgonon is located in the state of Maine, USA and is where Wilhelm Reich established his laboratory and observatory where he conducted his work and research into orgone energy among other things. Peter’s father Wilhelm was memorably played by Donald Sutherland in the celebrated 1985 music film for the song Cloudbusting.
Kate’s film imagery was used as the cover image for these editions of ‘A Book of Dreams’ by Peter Reich
You can subscribe to the Kate Bush Fan Podcast on iTunes, Audible, Spotify or on any podcast app you happen to use, such as Podcast Addict or Tunein or listen below on Soundcloud.
Darrell chats with Peter Reich at the Orgonon conference centreDavid Silver, Director of the Wilhelm Reich Museum, reads an excerpt from ‘A Book of Dreams’ to the author Peter Reich, in Wilhelm Reich’s study.A view of the Maine landscape at OrgononDarrell with Peter Reich at the Orgonon conference centre entrancePeter (Kate) discovers A Book of Dreams in his father’s pocket in the 1985 music video for Cloudbusting.
With many thanks to Darrell for sharing his day with us, to the wonderful Peter Reich, and to David Silver at the museum for all his efforts. Huge thanks to Brian Cloughley for his beautiful design work on our episode titles.
You can learn more about the Wilhelm Reich Museum at their website here.
The music video for Cloudbusting (1985)
The Hounds of Love Baskerville Edition Unboxing video (2023)Wilhelm Reich with his son Peter Reich, 1947
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Delighted to announce this! HomeGround and KateBushNews.com are proud to be working once more with Cabaret vs Cancer and The Royal Vauxhall Tavern to bring you another night of amazing music and cabaret, celebrating the one and only Kate Bush on Thursday 30th July … and YES, that is Kate’s birthday!
This show will be packed with world class singers and cabaret acts, each binging you their different and original takes on a whole range of Kate songs, from the much loved classics such as Running Up That Hill, Army Dreamers, This Woman’s Work and Wuthering Heights to album tracks and b-sides, if you love Suspended in Gaffa and Under The Ivy, as well as Babooshka and King of the Mountain, then this is the night for you.
The line up for this fith CvC Kate show includes, singer and comedian Sooz Kempner, Sarah-Lousie Young star and co-creator of An Evening Without Kate Bush), Queer dance collective Homoparody, plus Dosa Cat, Ripley, Ebony Rose Dark, Emma Dunlop and Michael Mayell on keyboards with the whole thing hosted and brought together by the amazing West End star Michael Twaits.
Advance tickets are £15 each, plus booking fee. No refunds Doors at 7pm, show from 8pm
PLEASE NOTE: This event will be mixed standing/seated with limited seats in the venue, first come first serve. If you have access requirements please contact [email protected]. ALL BAGS AND COATS MUST BE CHECKED IN. The RVT is an LGBTQ+ venue, please respect our space. No hen/stag parties. Money raised via ticket sales and a raffle on the night will go to supporting Cabaret vs Cancer, to help people affected by cancer. You can find out more about CvC at https://www.cabaretvscancer.co.uk/ [Artwork by Reece Connolly]
The animated short film, Little Shrew, that Kate directed, inspired by the war in Ukraine, is now a prize-winner! The four-minute film, which was released in late 2024, picked up the Animation prize at this year’s Carmarthen Bay Film Festival in Wales.
Kate has expressed her delight on the win in a short statement: “How wonderful! Little Shrew is incredibly excited that she’s been awarded such a huge honour. Thank you so very much from her, myself and all the team. We are over the moon!”
”What an incredible year it has been for the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival,” says festival curator Stifyn Parri. “This year’s success has been beyond anything I could have imagined – most notably because a lifelong inspiration of mine, Kate Bush, shared her remarkable work with us by entering her film.” Read more about Little Shrew at Kate’s official site here: https://www.katebush.com/news_article/meet-little-shrew/
Yanka Rupkina during her career with The Trio Bulgarka, and with George Harrison and Kate Bush
Truly one of the greatest singers the world has ever known, it was very sad to hear this morning that Yanka Rupkina, one of Bulgaria’s most celebrated folk singers and a member of TheTrio Bulgarka who recorded with Kate on both The Sensual World and The Red Shoes albums, has passed away at the age of 87 following a prolonged illness. Her voice was extraordinary, reaching stratospheric heights as it blended beautifully with the stunning voices of Stoyanka Boneva and Eva Georgieva of the Trio. Kate’s work with the exquisite, breathtaking, Trio Bulgarka remains one of the outstanding collaborations of her career to date.
A few years back I put together a podcast episode exploring Kate’s musical journey with The Trio Bulgarka which you can hear below.
An international ambassador of Bulgarian folklore, she was born on August 15, 1938, in the village of Bogdanovo, growing up immersed in traditional music, inspired by her grandmother, also a folk singer.
Kate with The Trio Bulgarka (1989) From left: Stoyanka Boneva, Eva Georgieva, Kate Bush and Yanka Rupkina (Photo John Carder Bush)
Although she initially trained as a nurse, Rupkina’s passion for music never wavered. She joined the Bulgarian National Radio Folk Ensemble in 1961 and became a soloist for three decades, recording hundreds of songs from the Strandzha region, preserving Bulgaria’s musical heritage for future generations. Her signature song, “Kalimanku, Denku mari hubava”, remains an enduring emblem of Bulgarian folklore.
Rupkina’s international fame was further cemented with the creation of the trio Bulgarka in 1975, whose collaborations included legendary musicians like George Harrison, Kate Bush, and Prince. She contributed to the Grammy-winning album Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Volume Two, helping bring Bulgarian folk music to global audiences.
Yanka Rupkina performing at a public gathering in Burgas, on the Black Sea, May 6, 2022 (BTA Photo/Todor Stavrev)
Throughout her life, Rupkina remained devoted to sharing her art, performing worldwide, mentoring ensembles, and celebrating her roots in Bogdanovo, which inspired much of her repertoire. Her numerous awards include the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius and recognition as an Honorary Citizen of Burgas.
Reflecting on her career, Rupkina once said she worked “for the name, for the music, for Bulgaria,” dedicating 64 years to her craft. She leaves behind a legacy of musical excellence, cultural preservation, and inspiration that transcends generations.
Kate with The Trio Bulgarka (1989) From left: Yanka Rupkina, Kate Bush, Eva Georgieva, and Stoyanka Boneva (Photo John Carder Bush)
Reacting to the news of the singer’s passing, President Iliana Iotova said that “we have lost a voice that was close to the spirit, the East and life, a voice in which Bulgarian memory echoed”. “Bulgaria lost a personality that had her life dedicated to one of our biggest spiritual treasures: folk songs,” the President added.
Kate with Yanka in 1988 during the recording sessions for The Sensual World
The Culture Ministry, too, put out a message of condolences. “Her work remains permanently inscribed in Bulgaria’s cultural memory and continues to be a source of inspiration and a guide for fidelity to tradition. As a soloist in the Bulgarian National Radio Folk Ensemble, and as part of the vocal trio Bulgarka, she made a significant contribution to the recognition and promotion of Bulgarian folklore both nationally and internationally. Her performances are distinguished by deep emotionality, stylistic purity, and respect for tradition,” said the Ministry.
Kate with The Trio Bulgarka 1989 (Photo John Carder Bush)Kate with The Trio Bulgarka 1989. From left: Stoyanka Boneva, Eva Georgieva, Kate Bush and Yanka Rupkina. (Photo John Carder Bush)
Best of The Other Sides – Lothlorien Green Vinyl – signed by Kate March 2026!
Cabaret vs Cancer is a grant based charity that sends money where it is needed, to a number of other charities, including hospices and other support services to help people dealing with the effects of cancer. They raise money via live events, including brilliant Kate Bush themed shows, plus David Bowie, Twin Peaks, Star Wars, Doctor Who and others at various venues across London.
Signed Hounds of Love colour Fish People vinyl – signed by Kate in March 2026 for the CVC auction
They also run a series of annual online auctions, including the music auction (check it out online here). Now in its 6th year, Kate has donated signed items every year (!), and the auction has raised more than £25K for CvC. Dave Cross from HomeGround is a Patron of the charity and organiser of the auction, he tells us;
Kate’s support for Cabaret vs Cancer has made a huge difference to the music auction, not just in the money her items have raised but in the attention it has brought us, we are all very grateful. Thank you Kate. – Dave Cross
The auction also includes a whole range of signed items and special editions, from Taylor Swift to Kim Wilde, Cynthia Ervio to Elton John and much more.
As we have reported, Kate’s Running Up That Hill has been used yet again with Kate’s blessing in the newly released fifth and final season of Stranger Things on Netflix. Brief excerpts of the song are heard in three of the four episodes which have so far landed on Netflix on November 28th. Three more episodes will stream on Christmas Day, with a single movie-length series finale on New Years Day.
It has sent Kate’s biggest song rocketing back once again up to the upper reaches of the global streaming and digital download charts over the last week and more. The impact has been remarkable if not quite as seismic as what we saw happen in the Summer of 2022 – but how could we ever expect anything like that phenomenon again?! For one thing, the song finds itself in a global song chart situation chockful of seasonal Christmas hits that take over at this time of year. Also, the song was featured this time round in a more subtle, nostalgic way – not part of the epic action set pieces of Season 4 in 2022.
Mild spoiler clip above – Kate gets a very nice namecheck on Stranger Things But…the numbers of people listening to Running Up That Hill again is nevertheless extraordinary. Kate has re-entered the Billboard Global 200 chart this week at no.58 – that chart compiles streaming, radio play, digital sales and more from the entire planet – truly the world’s most significant chart. She has a new entry in the Official UK Singles Top 40 chart at #37 – making Running Up That Hill a hit single for Kate in her home country…AGAIN! In Ireland, the song has re-entered the Official Singles Top 40 at number 33!
Kate is back in the UK Top 40 singles chart this week!
Kate currently has a new entry at #43 on the Spotify Global Weekly Chart – your reminder that that’s the biggest music streaming platform in the world. The track even peaked as high as #39 on the daily Global Spotify chart, even as those Christmas hits started monopolising the Top 50. Kate has now sailed past the 1.5 billion total streams marker on Spotify, averaging almost 2 million streams a day now. Incredible.
Running Up That Hill has performed very well on iTunes, Apple’s prestigious music download marketplace. Since the new episodes landed on November 28th it instantly climbed to the Top Ten in many territories, and hit an incredible peak of #4 worldwide! (see screenshot above) As I write it is still at #13 worldwide on iTunes and reached #1 in places as far apart as India, Hungary, Italy and Argentina! The song has been in the Top Ten most searched for songs on the Shazam app worldwide in recent days – testament to many new listeners discovering the song again through watching the show. We’ll have to wait and see what the Volume 2 episodes and the Stranger Things finale have in store for this extraordinary chapter in the life of this now 40-year old song and album.
A scene from an upcoming episode of Stranger Things – will we hear Kate’s music blasting out of that cassette player?
Various Artists – Is This What We Want? Limited vinyl
A limited edition of 1,000 copies of the silent protest album, Is This What We Want? on black vinyl will be released on Dec 8th. It is available to pre-order from The State51 Conspiracy store here, at Rough Trade UK here, and other record stores. All profits from sales of the album will be donated to the charity Help Musicians. Here’s a report about the vinyl album in today’s Guardian newspaper which highlights McCartney’s involvement.
As we previously reported when it was released digitally in February, this is a silent album from more than 1,000 musicians protesting the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright law. The vinyl edition includes a bonus track from Paul McCartney. Kate contributed one of the tracks (see our best guess below at which one it is). The vinyl release is out on 8th December. Publicity one-sheet sheet here.
In February, Kate wrote on her official site:
Over one thousand musicians are jointly releasing this album today to protest the UK government’s planned changes to copyright law.
If these changes go ahead, the life’s work of all the country’s musicians will be handed over to AI companies for free. None of us have a say in it.
The UK is full of pioneering, highly creative and imaginative artists. The government’s willingness to agree to these copyright changes shows how much our work is undervalued and that there is no protection for one of this country’s most important assets: music.
Each track on this album features a deserted recording studio. Doesn’t that silence say it all?
I’m very happy to have contributed a track to this project and to join the protest.
Please help protect the music makers and our heartfelt work. We make it for you, not for it to be taken and used against us.
In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?
Kate
The album was released in February on streaming platforms including here on Spotify. It includes contributions from Kate, Damon Albarn, Tori Amos, Annie Lennox, Pet Shop Boys, Billy Ocean, the Clash, Hans Zimmer, Imogen Heap, Cat Stevens, Max Richter, and many other names.
The 12 track titles spell out the following sentence: The British Government Must Not Legalise Music Theft To Benefit AI Companies. And we note that the final silent track 12, “Companies” does faintly feature the birdsong of a dawn chorus, a lot of cat purring sounds and what sounds like the sipping of hot tea (at the 3 minute 10 second mark)! So, do we think this is Kate’s contribution to the project? Listen and see what you think…
Various Artists – Is This What We Want? Limited vinyl
Various Artists – Is This What We Want? Limited vinyl is available to pre-order from The State51 Conspiracy store here, at Rough Trade UK here, and other record stores.
Well, perhaps inevitably, it has now been officially confirmed that Kate’s Running Up That Hill will feature again in the fifth (and final) season of the smash hit Netflix television series, Stranger Things. As we all know, the song became nothing short of a global phenomenon, becoming the biggest song in the world across global charts for the summer of 2022 and delighting Kate and her fanbase in the process – her biggest ever hit single.
We’ll keep an eye out for any chart action, but it’s very unlikely that we could ever see a repeat of that sort of worldwide impact again, and we don’t know how extensively the track will be used this time. Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, the writing/directing team, the Duffer Brothers (Matt and Ross), reveal that the song will return with Kate’s support, and also that she gifted them a beautiful bird-themed present:
Max and her original Kate Bush cassette – Stranger Things season 4 (2022)
“Season four, which came out in 2022, had a sizeable impact on pop culture. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) soundtracks a pivotal scene, when Max (Sadie Sink) finally escapes from the villainous Vecna in the Upside Down by using the song as a kind of anchor. The subsequent exposure gave Kate Bush her first UK No 1 single since 1978. “We had no idea it would go viral in the way that it did. We were surprised, and Kate was surprised, by how much it connected with younger people. Kate thought that was really cool,” says Ross (Duffer). There is even more Running Up That Hill in season five.
“Again, she’s been so great about it,” says Matt (Duffer). Did she send a cake or flowers, to say thank you? “We did get a gift from Kate Bush, but it was way cooler than flowers,” says Ross. “It was this gilded bird cage with animatronic birds inside it, and you wind it up, and the birds chirp a little song. It’s very cool, very unique and very Kate Bush. Only Kate Bush would give this present.”
Set photo from Stranger Things Season 5 – showing Hounds of Love cassette tape
The hints that the character of Max would still be relying on her love of Kate’s music to help her, began with on set photos posted by Ross Duffer back in March 2024. Among them are shots of the actors Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin who play the characters of Max and Lucas, drawing attention to the cassette tape lying on the bedside locker in Max’s hospital room – Kate’s Hounds of Love.
While the actress Sadie Sink is awake and smiling in the photo above we are to understand that in the show she is in a coma due to the injuries she sustained in the dramatic finale of season 4 with the monstrous Vecna. The trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 also shows Lucas carrying Max in her hospital gown into an elevator along with her cassette player – and presumably Kate’s album! In the plot of Season 4, Kate’s music was the only thing that could save Max from the clutches of evil.
Set photo from Stranger Things Season 5 – Lucas comforts a comatose Max in hospitalPublicity photo from the Stranger Things Season 5 trailer – Lucas tries to save Max (and her favourite Kate Bush music!) from demonic forces
In a red carpet interview for the Season 5 premiere party (above), actress Sadie Sink (Max) interestingly mentions that she still loves when she hears Running Up That Hill and not only that “…but her entire catalogue“. The Duffer Brothers also mentioned on the red carpet that the involvement of Kate in the show has allowed them to secure the rights to another “needle drop” for the final season from an artist who normally doesn’t allow their music to be used in TV shows – another viral music chart hit for them? Who knows…
Best Of The Other Sides vinyl – features Running Up That Hill 12″ version
Perhaps we are no longer surprised that Kate has made a small selection of Running Up That Hillmerchandise available on her official site as well as just recently releasing her new Best Of The Other Sides compilation digitally and on CD and vinyl – it features the 12″ remix of Running Up That Hill with cover art from the original single cover shoot. The album also opens with a new 2025 mix of Experiment IV, a song we’ve always felt was very ‘Stranger Things’ coded in many ways.
Stranger Things Season 5 is being released on Netflix in three parts. Volume One, consisting of four episodes, is released at 1am (in the UK and Ireland) on 27th November, followed by Volume Two (three episodes) on December 26th and lastly, The Finale, airs on New Year’s Day.
To celebrate 20 years of the Aerial album, we’ve been putting together a time capsule each day this week leading up to today, November 7th (the release date anniversary!). It’s been a daily miscellany of the events, people and objects that relate to Kate’s extraordinary eighth studio album. We can’t believe it’s been two decades, for so many of us this still feels like a “new” album, and the album’s beautiful gifts just keep revealing themselves…I hope you’ve enjoyed looking back at Aerial with us!
Aerial – Happening of the day
Kate and Albert McIntosh live on stage, Before the Dawn (2014)
Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the Aerial album on November 7th 2005. Hearing A Sky of Honey live on stage, in its (considerably expanded) entirety, was a dream come true for me and so many fans…it still seems quite surreal. The 22 Before The Dawn shows were a triumph on every level. As we are celebrating Aerial, it’s thrilling to think back to Kate’s inclusion of two songs from A Sea of Honey in her opening act also.
So, today, for our final happening of this Aerial week, it’s enough to just marvel at the fact that Kate staged two of her most majestic, enduring conceptual works, and so many other incredible songs, live on stage to throngs of fans who never dreamed such a thing would ever happen.
The Before The Dawn sign at the Hammersmith Apollo, 2014Kate performs Nocturn – live on stage, Before the Dawn (2014)
Kate chose to perform Joanni, her song from a Sea of Honey about Joan of Arc, in the opening section of the show. Kevin McAlea had recently recorded cathedral bells in Rouen, France, where Joan met her fate, and he played them at rehearsal. Kate had changed the key to accommodate her more mature voice, and according to her “the first thing we all said was, ‘My God, they’re in tune!’” she recalled. “If we hadn’t taken the song down in pitch, they wouldn’t have been in tune.” The lighting rig at the back of the stage created the rippling upward effect of flames as the song was performed – Kate facing out into her “thousands of soldiers.”
Percussionist Mino Cinélu and drummer Omar Hakim featured in Rhythm Magazine, 2014
King of the Mountain was a live highlight for many who attended – it was utterly transformed from the album version, building and building to evoke the catastrophic storm to come in The Ninth Wave section – Kate belting out the song, “there’s a storm rising!”, ending in an explosion of golden confetti and lightning effects as the sound of Mino Cinélu’s incredible twirling bullroarer hit the back of the venue.
Before the live album was released, on October 16th 2016, King of the Mountain (Live) was exclusively played on BBC6 Music radio. “SWEET JESUS, THAT’S AMAZING!” was the immediate on-air reaction from DJ Shaun Keaveny after he played the full 8-minute track. Joined in studio by Matt Everitt, the giddy praise from the duo continued – “incredible”, “beautiful”, “remarkable”. Such was the ecstatic reaction from both listeners and presenters, the show played the track in its entirety again an hour later!
The truth is I could talk all day about the show, and A Sky of Honey in particular – but I already have! As part of my epic three-part series of podcast episodes about Before the Dawn for the Kate Bush Fan podcast. Here’s a 30-minute extract below in which I talk through the entire A Sky of Honey on stage. I tried as best as I could to describe my memory of having seen the show on opening night. Enjoy!
Belinda Clisham paints the Silk feather curtain that dropped over the stage during the interval – signalling A Sky of Honey was to come next – Before The Dawn (2014) Kate’s A Sky of Honey costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel www.brigittereiffenstuel.comAlbert McIntosh as ‘The Painter’ – A Sky of Honey – Before The Dawn (2014)Kate performs Somewhere in Between – A Sky of Honey – Before The Dawn (2014)Bob Harms in costume – A Sky of Honey – Before The Dawn (2014)Kate with puppeteer Ben Thompson, puppet ‘Tesoro’, and also photographer Tim Walker during rehearsal for A Sky of Honey – Before The Dawn (2014)Dick Bird designed stage set design of A Sky of Honey – Before the Dawn (2014)David Rhodes in bird mask performs Aerial with Kate – A Sky of Honey – Before The Dawn (2014)The reviews for Before The Dawn were universally ecstatic
Aerial – People of the day
Well, I highlighted many musicians in September when I put together 30 daily time capsules for Hounds of Love (check those out here), but today, I just wanted to give a quick nod to some of the outstanding people who worked with Kate yet again on Aerial. They are truly Kate Bush ‘All-Stars’, and while some of them are no longer with us, they live brightly forever in the grooves of magnificent records like Aerial.
So, a round of applause then, for the great Del Palmer, who was not only the brilliant recording and mixing engineer on Aerial, but played bass guitar on five of the album tracks also; King of the Mountain, How To Be Invisible, Joanni, Somewhere in Between and Aerial.
Paddy Bush must have been excited to hear his backing vocals on his little sister’s comeback single, King of The Mountain, when it stormed the charts in October 2005 – “The wind it blows…” Stuart Elliott, another gifted veteran of so much of Kate’s work, plays drums on four tracks; Pi, How To Be Invisible, Sunset and Somewhere in Between.
John Giblin added his impeccable bass to three songs; An Architect’s Dream, Sunset and Nocturn. Eberhard Weber returned to work with Kate on Pi and Prologue, playing electric upright bass, and Michael Kamen completed his orchestral work on the album with Kate at Abbey Road, scoring Prologue and The Painter’s Link, mere weeks before he passed away in November 2003. Keeping the much-missed Del, John and Michael in our thoughts.
Kate 2005 by Trevor Leighton
Speaking of superheroes (see what I did there?) these artworks below are wonderful and I had to share them somewhere – artist Liam Alexander has published an entire set of Kate Bush comic book covers, one for each album. Aerial’s two covers are shown below. Every song on each album is referenced in some of the details. Prints available at his shop here.
Kate Bush Aerial comic book covers by Liam Alexander
Jordan Atkinson worked on much of the inspired merchandise available at Before the Dawn and the attention to detail on these items was often staggering. On his site he says: “Working with Firebrand, Kate Bush and her creative team, I oversaw the merchandise creative. We designed a number of products that reflected Kate’s vision for the show. Including a variety of apparel, a rescue kit and tour programme.
Feathers and bird imagery abounded, but one of the items that relates to A Sky of Honey was this truly great Nocturn t-shirt with a very special design.
Before the Dawn ‘Nocturn’ t-shirt – designed by Jordan Atkinson
Jordan Atkinson writes: “As well as producing the back print, based on the moon cycle on the dates of the tour, I was able to produce more illustrative concepts. Kate had requested the lyrics to the song Nocturn be illustrated inside bird wings. Here is the initial concept within a blackbird. As well as the final chosen pair of wings on the back of the t-shirt.”
Original design for the Before the Dawn ‘Nocturn’ t-shirt with song lyrics incorporated into the feathers – designed by Jordan AtkinsonDetail of final design for the Before the Dawn ‘Nocturn’ t-shirt with song lyrics incorporated into the feathers – designed by Jordan AtkinsonBefore the Dawn Feather/Birds design t-shirt with moon cycle of tour dates on back print – designed by Jordan AtkinsonBefore the Dawn feather pin badge incorporating tiny KT symbol – designed by Jordan Atkinson
Aerial – Trivia of the day
Okay, so we’ve been staring at this soundwave that appears on the cover of Aerial all week, and of course by now everyone knows that it is the soundwave of a Blackbird song. But, did you ever wonder exactly what bit of blackbird song it represents? Well, some clever people online have already figured that out for you. A big clue was the timings given in the Aerial booklet artwork – this soundwave represented just less than two seconds of audio…
Isolating the blackbird song from the record, you can hear the soundwave in its glorious original blackbird language in the clip below:
In 2005 Kate issued a mauve cotton t-shirt with yellow soundwave graphics on front and back. It was available in the online store and also issued for promotional purposes. Geeky fact: The back print had a different soundwave…
Official Aerial soundwave graphic t-shirt
However, Kate wasn’t done with her iconic soundwave imagery just yet. In 2018, Kate revisited her Aerial bird/soundwave imagery to convey the sound remastering that had been carried out on her entire catalogue for the extensive Remastered project. A sparkling fresh remaster of How To Be Invisible from Aerial was used in a TV ad, narrated by Irish actor John Lynch.
The Remastered logo with soundwave appeared on posters, tote bags and lithographs and was used to promote a special 5-day pop-up shop event in London’s Coal Drops Yard 5th-10th December 2018 – in aid of the Crisis homeless charity. Read more about the shop in my news item here.
Soundwave branding for pop-up shop event in London’s Coal Drops Yard, December 2018Kate Bush Remastered promotional poster with soundwave design – November 2018
A remarkable piece of design work Kate wanted was this amazing hoodie print design – the soundwave made up of all of Kate’s song titles in tiny letters, with some extra lyrics from Lily thrown in for good measure. I believe credit goes to Stuart Crouch for this brilliant work – amazing, as always. You can still buy this (and a tote bag with the design) at Kate’s official site here.
Kate Bush Remastered Hoodie with soundwave song titles design
Aerial – Bird of the day
The Blackbird song is rather slow, mellow and fluty, the notes ranging widely and the sound quite far-carrying. The quality of sound resembles Song thrush, but the phrases do not repeat, but ramble on continually changing slightly. Calls include an agitated “chink, chink, chink” or “chack, chack..”, a whinnying horse-like cry and a thin “psew”.
Well look, today it could only be the star of the show, Mr Soundwave himself, the Blackbird! It is the commonest and most widespread member of the Thrush family In Ireland and the UK. The all black plumage and yellow bill of the male is unmistakable. However, females are much browner, with speckles on the upper breast and at first glance resemble a Song Thrush. Often cocks long tail when alarmed or when running along ground.
To grasp just how much Kate LOVES blackbirds, the author Leah Kardos detailed examples from throughout Kate’s entire career in a section of her highly recommended book, Hounds of Love (33⅓) which is available to purchase here. I’m summarising some of Leah’s excellent examples:
1980: Nick Price’s Never for Ever cover artwork includes a blackbird flying out from under Kate’s skirt which Leah notes had “musical notes trailing in its wake.” 1985: In Waking the Witch from The Ninth Wave, as the woman lost at sea is accused of witchcraft, she cries, ‘Help this blackbird! There’s a stone around my leg…’ These lines were also heard live on stage in 2014 in both The Ninth Wave and during Nocturn. 1993: An early demo of Why Should I Love You?, leaked online in 2007, with the lyric ‘If I could sing like a blackbird, just like my heart was filled with summer’ 1993: Promotional photos for The Red Shoes taken by Anthony Crickmay, have Kate wearing what Leah describes as “a black and red gown, its bodice decorated with iridescent feathers. A blackbird is positioned on her head like a fascinator hat.”
Anthony Crickmay photo of Kate, 1993 – blackbird headpiece and feather costume detailing.
1993: The And So Is Love music video from The Line, the Cross & the Curve, has Kate encountering “a trapped blackbird in her darkened dance studio; she catches and releases it, but it hits a glass window and dies. She picks up its body and kisses it to sleep. When she enters the mirror world to break the curse of the red shoes, she is dressed in the feathered gown from the Crickmay shoot, the blackbird placed in her hair, its wings pointing up.”, as described by Leah Kardos in her book.
1996: Lyricist Don Black tells the following anecdote about Bush on an edition of the BBC Radio 2 programme They Write the Songs: “I met Kate just a few weeks ago . . . I asked [her] if she had a favourite singer and she said her favourite is the blackbird and her second favourite is the thrush – well, I told you she was different.”
Blackbird soundwave from the Aerial album artwork
2005: Aerial!Obviously there’s the album cover image with blackbird soundwave. Blackbirds are also heard throughout A Sky of Honey, in particular Aerial Tal “where Bush mimics the bird’s song in the style of Indian tala music” writes Leah Kardos. “And the title-track finale, where a blackbird is given an entire section of the song to sing solo, with Bush laughing along.”
From the Tom Doyle Mojo interview in 2005: Kate says: “It’s almost like they’re vocalising light …And I love the idea that it’s a language we don’t understand. Obviously, a lot of it is like, “Fuck off! This is my spot.” And obviously, “Cor, you’re a bit of all right!” But there’s more to it than that. It’s incredibly complex.”
2011: Leah points out in her book that the fourth word for snow on the title track from 50 Words For Snow is ‘Blackbird Braille’.
2014: Before The Dawn (see our ‘Happening of the day’ and podcast excerpt above). Leah Kardos writes: “Bush is seen wearing black wings momentarily at the end of ‘Waking the Witch’ and again at the gig’s conclusion, when in the final seconds of ‘Aerial’ she takes flight.”
Hounds of Love (33⅓) by Leah Kardos is available to purchase here.
The lyrics for Aerial Tal as included in Kate’s book of lyrics, ‘How To Be Invisible’
Thanks to the Birdwatch Irelandwebsite for feathered friend info this week! Many thanks to James at the amazing katebushcollectibles.com site for all the help with the artefacts posts, to Brian Cloughley for his lovely 20th anniversary graphic, to Tristan, Peter, Krys, Dave, Darrell, Pekka, Paul and all the KB pals who helped along the way. Endless thanks to Kate for making Aerial and putting it out into the world. And thanks to all of you for reading our Aerial celebration for the last week!
Souvenirs of a lovely afternoon…
And finally, I’d like to thank Pete Murphy who worked as Head of Media in EMI Music Ireland back in October 2005, for allowing me to hear Aerial a few weeks in advance in their beautiful offices, here in Dublin. I felt sure my chest was about to explode. It was the album I was hoping that Kate would make and I really did float out of that building. Above is a pin badge and postcard I was given by him on that unforgettable day, cheers Pete! – Seán
Detail from Child of War by Peter Doig, one of the pieces in the auction.
Kate is harnessing the power of her global hit Running Up That Hill in collaboration with leading names in British art to raise money for children caught up in global conflicts. From the announcement in TheGuardian newspaper today:
“The singer-songwriter invited 52 visual artists to respond to her lyric “If I only could, I’d make a deal with God” from her 1985 anthem. One of her best-loved songs and hailed as “one of the greatest songs of all time” by Rolling Stone, it became a hit all over again in 2022 when it featured in the fourth season of the US TV series Stranger Things.
Maggi Hambling, once described as the “original bad girl of art” and Peter Doig, whose paintings have sold for millions, are among those to contribute works interpreting the lyric for the fundraiser Sound & Vision, named after David Bowie’s 1977 hit. All the works will feature in an online auction, from 28 October to 13 November, with starting bids at £100, to raise money for the charity War Child, which protects, educates, and stands up for the rights of children living in war zones.”
The exhibition catalogue can be viewed online here (Note: that the auction site has more detailed information than the catalogue about the inspirations for the Kate lyric inspired pieces.)
Announcing the project, Kate said: “All wars leave horrific scars; ruined lives, families ripped apart, life-changing injuries, trauma, and loss on a massive scale – but it’s the children who suffer the most in so many ways. Their past, present and future melt away into fear and uncertainty.
“It is more important than ever we support War Child and their invaluable work providing immediate aid to children caught in conflict all over the world including in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Syria. Projects like Sound & Vision harness the power of art and music to make a real difference to children living through war.”
Boo Saville – Kate on Wogan, 1985
The Guardian reports: “Doig has contributed two signed pieces: The Hill, on the theme of the crucifixion, and Child of War depicting a child looking at a figure on horseback. Hambling’s contribution is titled Midnight Wave.
Charlie Calder-Potts, Britain’s youngest female official war artist who worked with the British army in Afghanistan, and who has since travelled the world creating work in Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and at Yazidi refugee camps in Iraq, has created a new work.
Artworks created for the Sound and Vision auction based on Kate’s Running Up That Hill lyrics.
So too have Corbin Shaw, known for textiles, prints and flags capturing modern-day Britishness through ancient crafts; Susie Hamilton, a former artist-in-residence at St Paul’s Cathedral whose portraits of doctors, nurses and patients facing Covid-19 are held by the Science Museum; and Unskilled Worker, AKA Helen Downie, who discovered painting aged 48 and shot to industry-wide fame, growing an Instagram following of more than 280,000 followers.
Midnight Wave by Maggi Hambling. Photograph: Maggi Hambling
The exhibition, curated by ART on a Postcard and sponsored by DHL, will go on display at Iconic Images Gallery in Piccadilly, London, from 4-8 November. Contributors also include LUAP, Hannah Lim, Kate McCrickard, Erin Lawlor, Gill Button, Adam Dix, David Harrison, Gideon Rubin, Boo Saville, Shezad Dawood, Natalia González Martín, while Peter Messer and Nick Grindrod will return after taking part in last year’s Sound & Vision.”
And If I Only Could I’d Make a Deal With God by Susie Hamilton. Photograph: Susie Hamilton
Kate follows in the footsteps of Bowie as a supporter of War Child. Bowie helped curate a fundraising exhibition for the charity in 1994 called Little Pieces from Big Stars, which 30 years later was the inspiration for the first Sound & Vision last year with artists responding to the lyric “We like dancing and we look divine” from his song Rebel Rebel.
From today’s Guardian piece: “The curator Gemma Peppé, the founder of Art on a Postcard, said Bush’s lyric had “prompted some great contemporary artists to produce some vibrant and evocative work”. She said Doig had asked if he could take part. “I nearly fell off my chair. That’s a testament to the great work War Child does.”
Charlotte Nimmo from War Child UK, which is present in a number of active conflict zones including Ukraine and Gaza, said: “We are delighted to announce that Sound & Vision is returning, this year inspired by lyrics from the incredible Kate Bush. This is made possible thanks to the immense generosity of both Kate and her team, as well as the iconic artists that are creating and donating pieces inspired by Kate’s lyrics.”
War Child’s Sound & Vision 2025 will be exhibited at Iconic Images Gallery from 4-8 November. The online auction takes place from 28 October to 13 November via Givergy.
Kate has given a new interview to Ramin Zahed at Animation Magazine about her beautiful short animated film, Little Shrew. You can read the interview here.
In it, she discusses what inspired her to make the film, her use of the song Snowflake, incorporating a photograph by the late Ukrainian photographer Makxim Levin, and her hopes for the world in 2025.
Kate is also asked by Animation Magazine what some of her favourite animated films are: “…the magic of those early Disney movies never really goes away. Snow White, Dumbo, The Jungle Book have especially stayed with me. I’d have to add Pixar’s Ratatouille and Monsters Inc. to the list. I also love Allegro non Troppo and Belleville Rendez-Vous (The Triplets of Belleville).”
On September 18th, Little Shrew was screened at the close of the Together For Palestine concert event at Wembley Arena, organised by Brian Eno. Kate’s simple plea over the end titles says it all: “Please stop the killing and the starvation of children in Gaza – Kate Bush”
Kate’s message at the end of her film on Sept 18th.
Little Shrew will screen as part of the rich animated shorts program of this year’s Woodstock Film Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m.
A new 50-minute television documentary, ‘L’odyssée musicale de Kate Bush‘, has started streaming on the ARTE channel’s website in France, by director Sonia Gonzalez. The documentary is in the French language with only French and German audio/subtitles available, the French commentary is without overdubs during the interviews in English, so if you don’t have French you can enjoy those portions anyway! Watch the documentary online here. It will be aired on TV in France on October 10th.
Translated from the blurb: “A unique voice and a lush imagination: for nearly half a century, Kate Bush has captivated audiences and inspired generations of artists. A stroll through the enchanting world of this atypical pop star, celebrated as much for her musical genius as for her enduring independence.” One person interviewed is Leah Kardos, author of the new 33⅓ book on Hounds of Love, and it includes a clip of Leah’s great performance of Suspended in Gaffa. Hear our podcast interview with her here. The documentary also features some brief, largely unseen footage of Kate arriving at the ‘People’s Banquet’ reception for the Queen’s 50th wedding anniversary in Whitehall, London on November 20th 1997, and also Kate attending the Q Awards in October 2001.
We are very saddened to hear that the incredible musician, Danny Thompson, has passed away at the age of 86. We only recently featured him a couple of weeks ago as our Hounds of Love Person of the day…we know that Kate adored him. Pull Out The Pin, Watching You Without Me, Rubberband Girl (Director’s Cut) and Misty are all Kate Bush tracks that Danny played on.
You never just worked with Danny. You also worked with his double bass he called Victoria. The two of them were joined at the hip and together they were the most fascinating storytellers – earthy and of the wild.
Danny was the sweetest, dearest man and a real character. A rare and special treasure.
I remember seeing him play live many times with the brilliant John Martyn and I never dreamed that I would get to work with such an incredible talent.
Thank you Danny for setting the work on fire with Victoria. I’m going to miss you so much!
Kate.
Danny was an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Martyn, as well as Nick Drake, Donovan and Bert Jansch, and was a founding member of the British folk-jazz band Pentangle.
Danny first worked with Kate on The Dreaming album, adding string bass to Pull Out the Pin. “She used to come and see me with John Martyn. She is a wonderful lady, fantastic. On Pull Out the Pin they put the bass through a sampler. Instead of having a pure acoustic sound they did their own thing. They asked ‘Is that ok?’ I said ‘I’m just the server. You paid me to work for you, do what you like.’ I am not going to get precious, ‘Don’t mess with my bass sound.’” On Hounds of Love, Danny can be heard playing on Watching You Without Me. “She is a dream person to work with. People assume that these iconic people are beyond touch. You pull out to her house and she says ‘Hello Danny, want a cup of tea?’ Then you go in the studio and it is the other person that is serious about the music. It is a great profession to be in when you work with great artists who are also really fine people.”
Danny Thompson in 1978
As with Eberhard Weber, Kate knew where best to use Danny’s unique bass gifts. Writing in the Kate Bush Club newsletter, she said: “With Danny we used a quite live sound–you can hear him plucking and pulling the strings in the ambient room, which we found attractive. Paul (Hardiman, engineer) got a great sound and balance between the sound of the bass and the ambience of the room, and Danny got a fabulous feel for the track — like a jungle cat, and very moody. Danny is a very sensitive player, and again, he loves to know what the track’s about, and who or what he’s meant to be; he has a real “feel”.“
Later in Kate’s career, Danny was asked back to add his bass touches to the re-worked Rubberband Girl on Director’s Cut and Danny’s bass also underscores Kate’s magnificent epic track, Misty, from 50 Words For Snow, both released in 2011. Last year, when interviewed for Louder magazine, Danny had this to say about Kate: “It was just a great creative process. She was definitely in control. I saw her recently, and she was just that same beautiful person. It’s so refreshing…the really great ones are always ‘normal’ – they’re not different at all or affected by it all. They’re not touched by all that’s going on around them; they’re just doing something they really love.”
The great producer, Tony Visconti, remembered Danny on his Facebook page yesterday: “Even though he was a first call bassist for recording sessions, he was actually a bit insecure about his status. Other musos would fall over to work with him, but Danny didn’t think he was all that good, because he was a humble man, a charming man, a salt of the earth man, and, man, he could make that bass of his sing!”
Danny Thompson on his official Youtube page
p.s. Danny has left us with a wealth of wonderful clips on his official Youtube page. Check them out and get to know this lovely musical genius a bit more. Farewell, humble, brilliant Danny x
