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Exact location of 1978 “red dress” Wuthering Heights video revealed!

Some ingenious fans on our site forum have meticulously researched, using mapping software and guesswork, the exact location of Kate’s 1978 red dress video for Wuthering Heights! While the studio “white dress” version of the promotional video is more widely known, the red dress video has now become iconic AND the go-to template for choreographed re-enactments of Kate’s dance moves ever since – as seen in “Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” reports on this site!

Initially thought to have been filmed in Surrey, or even Germany or Holland, the breakthrough came when a fan contacted the director of the clip, Nick Abson, who revealed: “It was the artillery range at Salisbury Plain. We couldn’t do better as we only had the morning due to filming “If it Ain’t Stiff it Ain’t Worth a F***.”, referring to an Elvis Costello video he was also shooting. Comparisons using Google Earth software convincingly confirmed a location which matched the hill seen in the distance behind Kate.

Google Earth Hill

The location is called “Baden’s Clump” near Sidbury Hill, close to the town of  Tidworth in Wiltshire. The exact latitude/longitude co-ordinates of where Kate is standing for most of the video is (51.2775278,-1.7398628)

Update & Warning: This location is on UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) lands, and despite being by a public road, there are signs in the area for the public to avoid touching anything (military debris) they see on the ground. See this page here, and watch this safety video. If in any doubt, contact the MOD for advice.

MODwarning

Red Dress video location

To prove it once and for all, two fans headed out to the area this week to get photographic proof!

Red Dress video location Red Dress video location

Special mention to Richard (photos) and Vron (model) who ventured out to report for fans! Read more at the forum thread here. Here’s the video:

Are you starting to feel it?

[youtube width=”640″ height=”480″]http://youtu.be/pZiadb3bpOI[/youtube]

‘Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe’ film is warmly received online

Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe

Blogosphere buzz on Kate’s beautiful new film has been very positive: Huffington Post “The simple tale matches the animation technique, which, in an era of stop-motion this and 3D that, is almost more impressive to watch and be completely taken with. Thank you, Kate Bush, for this short moment of reflection.” Perez Hilton: “What a beautiful music video. The exquisitely devine Kate Bush has released a new music video for her latest track…so, so lovely. The song matched with the animated video is really something you don’t want to miss.” BBC America: “Kate Bush – the last shadow puppeteer?” Chart Attack: “…still a master of her art — both sonically and visually” Stereogum: “I somehow had goosebumps for almost the entire running time, and I got a tiny bit choked up when the lady and the dog came face to face….Kate Bush has put together yet another bewitching piece of work.” Prefix: “visually engrossing” Electronic Beats: “What’s the perfect medium for Kate Bush’s thoughtful, melancholic music? How about some old-school shadow puppetry? ‘Eider Falls At Lake Tahoe’ is the simple story of a lost dog, his owner, and the house they share that is eventually washed away on a mysterious ocean. Perfectly performed, it captures the bleak beauty of the track, shortened here from its 11-minute length since we last heard it on Bush’s 2011 cold masterpiece 50 Words For Snow.” Fistfullofculture: “a simple but surprisingly moving video” Listenbeforeyoubuy: “one of the most beautiful videos we’ve seen in a long long time”

Wild Man animation tonight!

Kate has announced on her official website the premier tonight of the animation for Wild Man. Watch it below:

[youtube width=”640″ height=”360″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIF40L-_HjA[/youtube]

Hi everyone,

I am delighted to announce the premier of our first animated film tonight. It only runs for about 2 1/2 minutes but huge amounts of care and work have gone into this. I think it looks so atmospheric and has a beautifully crafted and unique look. It has been created by Finn and Patrick at Brandt Animation. It has been really exciting working on this. I hope you like it.

I want to say a very special thanks to Mike Solinger, the producer on this project. Without him this could never have happened. I would also like to thank the Yeti who was the inspiration for the song and this short film. I hope it remains an enigma.

With very best wishes,
Kate

You can watch the animation on Kate’s official site at 19:30 GMT here.

One week to go…

Here’s an impressive feat of re-mixing and video editing to add to the party mood as Kate’s new album gets ready to roll out to the world from next Friday…

[youtube width=”640″ height=”510″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWUqFJqelHU[/youtube]

Robbie Coltrane takes up role as a geek for new Kate Bush music video

Scottish Daily Record 28th April 2011: “SCOTS actor Robbie Coltrane plays one of his oddest roles yet as a computer-obsessed geek in a new Kate Bush video. The Harry Potter star takes the main role in the film for a lengthened version of the song Deeper Understanding, which was initially released in 1989. In the six-and-a-half-minute feature, directed by singer Kate, businessman Robbie inserts a disc, titled Voice Console – Whenever You Need A Friend, into his computer.

He becomes so besotted with his new computer-generated friend that it leads to the break-up of his family. And he becomes jealous when a younger man, played by Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding, steals the disc.”

It is not a Lady Gaga video

Interesting review of the Deeper Understanding video and track in the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

It is not a Lady Gaga video, nor is it a contender for an Academy Award (sorry Inception fans). Let’s accept this fact and move on, because it is neither of those things. It is what makes it a Kate Bush music video! Although Kate Bush herself may not make an actual appearance in the video (with the exception of maybe her lips), she did direct it and it does feature stars Robbie ColtraneFrances Barber, and Noel Fielding. Her son Albert is responsible for the voice of the computer program. This reviewer will not be naive enough to think he could ever truly decipher the genius of Kate Bush. That’s for Bush alone to understand, but shall still give my review …

Kate’s film for Deeper Understanding debuts on Youtube!

Kate’s official Youtube channel has posted the new film, directed by Kate, which accompanies Deeper Understanding. The clip is also being made available for download on all international iTunes stores.

[youtube width=”640″ height=”518″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzqF_gBpS84[/youtube]

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Lily preview clip posted!

Confusion over Lily audio clip… we and many others reported a 30 second audio clip of the new version of ‘Lily’ being posted on Youtube, but none of the links are now working and there is no word on the official Facebook and Youtube pages. We will try and keep you informed when we establish the origin of the clips!

FURTHER UPDATE: We now understand that there was what is known in the music industry as a “cock-up on the video front” at YouTube which resulted in some some short audio clips and a number of email notifications being posted before they should have been. Understandably the lucky few who heard these clips got very enthusiastic and reposted these so that other fans could hear them. Having done this and noted that the clips had been taken down, one fan sent an email to KateBush.com and received a very polite reply explaining what had happened and requesting that the clip not be reposted until it was properly made public. We suggest you keep an eye on the official FaceBook and YouTube and of course here at KateBushNews.com for any further news as to when these clips will officially be made public.

FINAL UPDATE: The ‘Lily’ preview clip has been officially posted on Youtube. Wonderful stuff here from Kate 🙂

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNoF4tfg5BQ[/youtube]

 

Kate’s 1979 stage show recreated on Youtube – wonderful

As there is no sign that there is ever likely to be an official DVD of Kate’s 1979 Tour, here is a You Tube recreation of the typical full length live show, put together by A Rose Growing Old using available video from contemporary TV broadcasts, audio recordings and stills:

You can find the other 24 parts of this wonderful reconstruction here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/arosegrowingold

Originally from HomeGround issue 64, a description of the shows:

Stage Directions
Kate’s live show, song by song by Peter Fitzgerald-Morris

Twenty years on, many Kate fans only know Kate’s live show from the Hammersmith videotape, and from discussions we’ve had, it appears some fans think that the songs on the tape constitute the whole performance. In fact, the original shows were more than twice as long, and sadly most of the theatrical effects were lost in the video taping. This, therefore, for those who didn’t see it, is is a brief explanation of what actually took place in one of Kate’s shows.

Act One

The whale song begins, and projected onto a stage wide gauze curtain is a huge shadow of Kate moving gently to the rhythm of the music as she descends the ramp from the back of the stage. The curtain parts as Kate, dressed in an electric blue leotard snaked with silver sequin trails, begins to sing Moving. Kate dances alone to the song, and in the closing notes strides over to the piano to sing Saxophone Song whilst on the back of the stage appears a shadow projection of the saxophone player. As the final notes die away, the sound of a thundering heartbeat takes over, reflected in a pulsing red light. In the otherwise darkness, the piano is removed, and Gary and Stuart bring on stage the large oval box lined with red silk, from inside which Kate, now wearing a sequinned top over the blue leotard, begins Room for the Life. As Kate sings, Gary and Stuart roll the box, and Simon Drake appears, dressed up as Carmen Miranda, complete with fruit headdress. For the final chorus Kate emerges from the “womb” and joins in the dancing. As the song fades, Kate disappears behind the “womb”, and emerges in the old mac and trilby. Gary and Stuart roll the “womb” offstage. Kate begins Them Heavy People and sings and dances alone until the first chorus when she is joined from the wings by Gary and Stuart, similarly attired. At the end of the song, the band play a linking sequence. Whilst Kate dances with Gary and Stuart, she removes the mac, takes a glass of water, and dances over to the piano, and the music mutates into the intro for The Man With the Child in his Eyes. At the end of the song, the stage is blacked out, the piano removed, and when the band begin the intro, this first, funky version of Egypt. Gary and Stuart dressed in Egyptian costume start an animated dance, until Kate emerges down the ramp from the back of the stage, wearing an Arabic headdress and a red and gold wrap around skirt over the leotard. On the way down she dances in and out of the band and the lights find Paddy also decked out in Arabian clobber. At the end of the song the stage is blacked out, and the band begin the long intro into L’Amour Looks Something Like You. The lights return to reveal Kate in a black leotard and a red wrap around skirt, centre stage with a long pivoted mirror. As she sings the mirror pivots and Simon appears through it with his magical floating cane. Whilst Kate sings, Simon moves around the stage with the mysterious cane, and finally disappears back through the mirror. The stage darkens and the band start the long (it got longer through the Tour!) intro to Violin. The lights find Kate wrapped in the gauze curtain stage left, (still in the black leotard with the red skirt) from where she sings the first verse. When she emerges to centre stage we see now that she has the bat wings. She’s then menaced by the full size dancing violins, until they all end up in a heap centre stage. The stage darkens. For the first time the voice of John Carder Bush is heard in a spoken introduction which begins “Let the wasp rest for a moment on the down of your arm”, and ends in an eerie spoken duet with Kate “don’t let me see – two in one coffin!”. Meanwhile, the spot picks out Kate, still in black leotard and red wrap around, making her way cautiously from obstacle to obstacle across the stage to the piano where she begins The Kick Inside. At the final words of the final chorus a black figure drapes a veil over her head, the stage darkens, and the curtains close.

Act Two
The curtains open to reveal Kate dressed in a long black dress with a lace top, and a long dark red wrap around skirt, sitting on the piano centre stage from where she sings In the Warm Room alone, simply picked out by the spot. For the British Tour and most of the European Tour, (but not at any of the Hammersmith dates where for some reason the song was omitted), Kate then moved down to sit at the piano for Fullhouse. At the end of the song the stage darkens, and the band begin the long intro (big costume change!) to Strange Phenomena. Finally the ramp lifts, and Gary and Stuart emerge dressed as space cadets, followed by Kate dressed as the magician in tailed jacket and crumpled top hat. They dance the routine as Kate does her prestidigitation stuff. With the end of the song proper, the ramp opens again and Gary and Stuart disappear back into the darkness. Simon emerges, with that cane again, for a long play out with tricks and illusion, and strobe light effects that batter the eye. Kate disappears whilst Simon is doing his stuff. He finally retreats up the ramp until he disappears behind a black cloth he holds up, it drops, and it is Kate standing there, in the long black dress and veiled hat. She runs terrified down the ramp to begin the mime to Hammer Horror. This was the only song in the performance Kate did not sing live, so that she could concentrate fully on the complicated dance routine, with the veiled black figure who haunts her. At the end the stage is plunged into darkness, and the band begin a strange oriental chant which dies away with the first notes of Kashka from Baghdad. Kate has reappeared now with a dark blue top wrapped around the black dress. She sings at the piano, and at the end the stage darkens. The roar of traffic noise is heard. The spots pick out Gary and Stuart, dressed in leather jackets, picking their way with torches around the street scene, complete with mesh iron fences. Another spot finds Kate stage centre, similarly dressed, behind one of the mesh fences. The band begin the intro to Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake. Kate and the dancers do a West Side Story type street dance. The stage darkens and the curtain drops.

Act Three
The curtains part to find Kate in that purple dress, standing on the raised end of the ramp now doubling up as a pier. Gary and Stuart are below in the dry ice dressed from waist down as whirling dervishes. Kate sings Wow usually with the head mike so that she can use both hands, though there were sometimes technical problems, and Kate was stuck with the hand mike! The lights fade, and as the band play the intro to Coffee Homeground. Gary, Stuart and others mime demented stage hands setting up the poisoner’s cellar. As the music gets more raucous, Simon appears as the poisoner punctuating the musical phrases with thunderflashes. Gary and Stuart bring on two chairs, and then escort Kate (now dressed in a tweed jacket over the blue leotard) to centre stage. She sings from the chair as Simon mimes around her. In the chorus she gets up to examine the cellar, and dead bodies fall out of walls. The lights fade and the band begins a long intro into In Search of Peter Pan. John Carder Bush recites another spoken introduction. The spot picks out Kate, in leather jacket with silver and blue scarf over the blue leotard. She sings and dances alone until Simon appears with a dancing globe. The globe moves around Kate as the outro mutates into Trios Gynopodies, the intro to Symphony in Blue. Whilst others bring on the piano, Gary and Stuart dance with Kate, removing the scarf, giving her a glass of water. For the first time, but staying in time with the music, Kate waves to the crowd and blows a kiss, making her way to the piano. During the song blue skies with white clouds, or red hearts are alternately projected onto the piano lid and stage. At the outro the stage is invaded by party types who throw streamers over Kate and remove her leather jacket. Simon is now a party goer in formal dress, offering Kate a glass of champagne whilst his own glass floats in mid air. He moves in for the pickup, but Kate refuses and retreats to the piano, streamers still in her hair for Feel It. The stage darkens, someone whistles, then the sound of thunder. A strange character in a flying jacket walks across the stage, head buried in a glossy magazine. The wind picks up, and the band strike up the intro to Kite. The stage is projected with clouds, Gary and Stuart appear down the ramp, and then Kate in her blue leotard with wings. At the end of the dance Kate is blown off stage first, followed by Gary and Stuart. The band continue the outro as the character in the flying suit reprises his walk, now against a harsh wind, and loses the pages of his magazine over the stage. He disappears and the band begin the intro to James and the Cold Gun. Kate comes on from the wing, dressed in Wild West gear, and stows her shotgun backstage. That’ll be needed later! She dances alone, and with her six gun. In the extended play out, Gary and Stuart come on from the wings, dressed as gunslingers to challenge her, and are shot down; Paddy appears from the back of the stage and is shot too. Kate revels in the violence, retreating up the ramp, waving the shotgun as the play out ends and the curtain drops.

Encores
The curtain opens to Kate centre stage, wearing a flying jacket, with Gary and Stuart sitting nearby in flying suits. A parachute is draped across the stage. John Carder Bush recites an introduction with images of a Romantic England, and without moving from where she sits, Kate sings Oh England My Lionheart. The curtain drops again and after a decent interval opens to the intro to Wuthering Heights. The stage is covered in dry ice and draped in a purple haze. Trees and woods are projected on the back of the stage. At the second line of the intro Kate appears from out of the mist, dressed in purple leotard and ragged skirt; she is the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw. In the play out, as she retreats back up the ramp, she switches from the slow wave of the lost ghost, to the enthusiastic wave of the artist to the crowd, at last breaking character as the curtain drops and the music ends.

After a few moments, the hall is filled with a reprise of the Wuthering Heights outro, the curtain opens, and the band come running down the ramp in pairs to take a bow, the musicians, the backing singers, finally Gary and Stuart, and then Kate comes to take her bow, and throws the contents of a large bouquet of flowers over the audience, then takes the microphone to express her heartfelt appreciation.

Night of the Demon

How great is this video by Robb McCaffree & Bryan Harrison? Brilliant.

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