Cloudbusting with orchestra at Cadogan Hall, Saturday Nov 9th
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.
The band and orchestra during rehearsals for the shows
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.
Singer Mandy Watson exhausted but happy after the Cadogan Hall show!
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.
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
Kate’s music videos for the Hounds of Love album 1985/1986
Here’s a new episode of the Kate Bush Fan Podcast – the Hounds of Love videos!As we continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Hounds of Love album, Darrell and Paul from Bush Telegraph (and myself Seán, gatecrashing from Dublin) discuss Kate’s incredible music videos from The Hounds of Love album – Running Up That Hill, Cloudbusting, Hounds of Love and The Big Sky.
You can also read all our Hounds of Love 4oth Anniversary time capsule posts here – we did one for each day in September. And, don’t forget Bush Telegraph have also put together an episode remembering the release of Hounds of Love in 1985 – check it out here!
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.
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
Kate’s new rarities compilation is now on digital music platforms
Kate’s new rarities compilation, Best of The Other Sides has been hitting digital stores and streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music since midnight, a stunning collection that sounds truly fantastic. It features some slight reworkings to some tracks like Experiment IV, You Want Alchemy and Walk Straight Down The Middle. The CD/vinyl editions are released October 31st. Full tracklisting :
Experiment IV (remastered 2025)
You Want Alchemy (remastered 2025)
Rocket Man
Walk Straight Down The Middle (remastered 2025)
The Big Sky (Meteorological 12″ Mix)
The Man I Love
Under The Ivy
Mná na hÉireann
Lyra
Brazil (Sam Lowry’s First Dream)
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) 12″ Mix
New packshots of the CD and Lothlorien coloured vinyl versions (out on October 31st) reveal more of the artwork.
Best of The Other Sides – CD pack shot
The CD booklet includes an illustration of a beekeeper with a lyric quote from You Want Alchemy. The image is a detail from a 1568 pen and ink drawing called The Beekeepers by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Kate’s song, a fan-favourite b-side, tells the story of a meeting with an eccentric but wise beekeeper “on a Cloudbusting kind of day”. Kate has revealed on her site that the song was left off her album The Red Shoes for reasons of space.
The Beekeepers by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
In a 1985 interview with Melody Maker, Kate revealed that Bruegel was one of her favourite artists. “I would want to be Bruegel, definitely. His work is so real, and yet depicted in a fantastic way. It’s so beautiful and elemental. And his faces are so haunting.” Read more about The Beekeepers by Bruegel, here.
Kate has just announced on her official site a new 11-track compilation release, Best of The Other Sides. From her official site announcement:
Fish People are delighted to announce the release of Best of The Other Sides. Digital Release 26th September. Coloured vinyl (Lothlorien colour) release and also CD are available from 31st October. The Other Sides was a collection of all the B-sides and other songs that didn’t exist on any album. It was part of the Remastered Box Set that was released in 2018. That set is no longer available. Three of the tracks have been slightly reworked for the release. Pre-order is here.
Best of The Other Sides – CD package – open view
Best of The Other Sides has been designed for people who didn’t have access to that original box set. The title is self-explanatory.
Kate writes: “We have remastered ‘Experiment IV’ and ‘ You Want Alchemy?’ and both include a small edit. I felt ‘ Experiment IV’ would benefit from a longer intro featuring Alan Murphy’s magnificent guitar. ‘You Want Alchemy?’ also has a small edit that tightens up the outro and we’ve re-eq’d the track. ‘Walk Straight Down the Middle’ has also benefitted from being re-eq’d. Hope you enjoy the tweaks!”
Best of The Other Sides – photo from Kate’s official site
Interestingly, Kate reveals for the first time that “You Want Alchemy? was meant to be one of the tracks on The Red Shoes album, but because there was already so much material, it ended up as a B Side. I love Michael Kamen’s orchestral arrangement in this song. It really takes us to that lovely afternoon, up in the hills with the mad beekeeper.”
The remaining material from The Other Sides will be re released digitally at a later date.
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 Wednesday 5th November! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!
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 and Wuthering Heights to album tracks and b-sides, if you love There Goes a Tenner 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 fourth CvC Kate show includes, Jonathan Hellyer (with Paul Cooper), Sooz Kempner, The Fat Black Duchess, Ripley, Ebony Rose Dark, Alexa Vox and Michael Mayell, with the whole thing hosted and brought together by the amazing Michael Twaits. 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 CvChere.
The first of our special Kate Bush Fan Podcast episodes celebrating 40 years of Hounds of Love! Longtime Kate fans Paul and Darrell (Bush Telegraph) reminisce about the release of Kate’s fifth studio album and all the excitement they experienced as fans, including meeting Kate herself before the release of the single. Heady stuff!
Snapshots from Paul and Darrell’s adventures in 1985!
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.
To mark 40 years of Hounds of Love we’re putting together a time capsule each day for the month of September – a daily miscellany of the people, events and objects that relate to this momentous work, whether back in 1985 or right up to the present day…
Hounds of Love – person of the day
Liam O’Flynn
The legendary Irish uilleann piper, and founding member of Planxty, Liam O’Flynn, passed away on the 14th March 2018 at the age of 72. Kate described Liam as “a beautiful musician and person“. He was regarded as a master piper and a global ambassador for traditional Irish music. His impact in the Irish traditional music world was immense and his performances on Kate’s songs Night Of The Swallow (playing penny whistle also) from The Dreaming album, and on Hounds of Love on Jig Of Life and Hello Earth are simply unforgettable.
From the Kate Bush Encyclopedia site: “In 1972, O’Flynn co-founded the Irish traditional music group Planxty with Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine and Christy Moore, and remained a member throughout the band’s various incarnations. While Seán Ó Riada and The Chieftains had reinvigorated Irish traditional instrumental music in an ensemble format during the 1960s, Planxty built on that foundation and took it one step further. They brought a punch and vitality to acoustic music that drew heavily on O’Flynn’s piping virtuosity.”
Liam O’Flynn
Following the break-up of Planxty in 1983, as well as working with Kate, Liam found work as a session musician with such prominent artists as the Everly Brothers, Enya, Nigel Kennedy, Rita Connolly, and Mark Knopfler. He also worked on film scores, including Kidnapped (1979) and A River Runs Through It (1992). He was adventurous enough to work with avant-garde composer John Cage, but his most natural alliance was with neo-romantic composer Shaun Davey on the classic albums “Granuaile” and “The Brendan Voyage”.
Planxty performing in the 1970s (L-R) Donal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn, Andy Irvine and Christy Moore.
When Liam passed away, Del Palmer, who had enjoyed working with the Irish musicians so much on Hounds of Love and other albums, wrote in a comment here at the Kate Bush News site about Liam:
A wonderful, serene presence in the studio… So completely confident in his own abilities… It was one of the real highlights of my life to have had the pleasure to work with him not once but on three occasions…
Those magic days in Ireland were memories I treasure above almost everything else.. A sad, sad loss indeed…
Hounds of Love – happening of the day
Kate with Dave Cross at the fan convention – Romford, Essex, 1985
It’s been an honour to collaborate over many years here on this site with Dave, Peter and Krys from HomeGround magazine. In the earlier part of Kate’s career HomeGround helped to organise several memorable fan events and conventions with the full support and involvement of Kate and her family. So, with the release of her hugely successful Hounds of Love album, the 1985 Kate Bush Club/HomeGround Fan Convention was held on November 30th 1985 in The Dolphin centre in Romford, Essex.
Lots of fun things happened: two rounds of a Kate Bush Quiz, conducted by HomeGround’s Peter FitzGerald-Morris. There was a slideshow, during which a tape of a then-exclusive Tony Myatt interview with Kate was heard. There were door-prizes, including one of Kate’s gold albums and Del Palmer’s Tour of Life leather jacket (presented by Del himself!).
John Carder Bush and Paddy Bush (with didgeridoo!) at the 1985 fan convention
There was a lot of official Kate Bush merchandise on sale in a back room. Also, a lot of exclusive video clips were shown, including coverage of Kate’s trip to Japan and outtakes from the Hammersmith Odeon film. An interview happened on stage between Kate’s brothers Paddy and John Carder Bush. Kate’s entire family and Del Palmer were at the back of the main room throughout the entire event, ready and willing to chat with any and all fans who were interested. A really friendly atmosphere.
Everyone had cleverly been led to believe that Kate would “probably not attend” the convention and when at the very end Kate did turn up onstage, the crowd went wild with excitement, rushed en masse to the foot of the stage, and then held their breath to hear Kate thank everyone for coming, and to watch her as she was presented with a platinum album for Hounds of Love – a great moment!
Krys Fitzgerald Morris, Peter Fitzgerald-Morris, Kate and Dave Cross!
While we don’t have video footage of the event (this was a long time before smartphones were invented!) the HomeGround crew have shared with me this great archive piece of audio below from the day, our wonderful MC Dave Cross explaining to the crowd that Kate would be donating all proceeds of the event to the Band Aid charity, pleading with fans not to remove the various poster displays around the venue(!), the lovely Lisa Bradley can be heard at one point (Kate’s friend who ran the Kate Bush Club for its entire existence) explaining a competition, and finally Dave gives a run-down of all the great rare Kate video clips about to be shown – a unique treat for many fans in that pre-Youtube era!
Kate’s message to fans in the 1985 convention programme.
And here’s audio of Paddy Bush giving a demonstration of the backward singing on the album, and the moment that Kate arrives on stage (thanks to Peter, Krys and Dave for the audio and photos!)
And here’s audio of Paddy Bush giving a demonstration of the backward singing on the album, and the moment that Kate arrives on stage (thanks to Peter, Krys and Dave for the audio and photos!)
In June 1997, one of the most expansive editions of Hounds of Love ever released was issued as part of the EMI 100 Centenary celebrations. A special remastered limited edition (significantly punchier sounding), the CD in a standard jewel-case is contained in a cardboard slip-case which also contains a 28-page centenary booklet on the history of EMI records.
EMI 100 Centenary remastered CD release of Hounds of Love – disc detail
The CD itself has been enhanced with new photos and layouts, an introduction by Peter Fitzgerald-Morris (of Homeground), and there are six additional bonus tracks; The Big Sky (Meteorological mix), Running Up That Hill (12″ mix), Be Kind To My Mistakes (the B-side of the 1989 single This Woman’s Work), Under The Ivy, Burning Bridge and My Lagan Love. The reissue received excellent reviews in the music press and received a 5 star review from Q magazine.
EMI 100 Centenary remastered CD release of Hounds of Love – slipcase spine view.
Hounds of Love – trivia of the day!
1985 Hounds of Love UK cassette album inlay detail
Speaking of album formats, the original cassette releases of Hounds of Love included the Running Up That Hill (12″ Single Version) at the end of side 1, to make up for the duration discrepancy between both sides, except in the USA. Interestingly, a run of the original European CD also showed it on the track list but didn’t actually have it on the CD….
To mark 40 years of Hounds of Love we’re putting together a time capsule each day for the month of September – a daily miscellany of the people, events and objects that relate to this momentous work, whether back in 1985 or right up to the present day…
Hounds of Love – Person of the day
Donald Sutherland with Kate, Cloudbusting video, 1985
In June last year, we were very sad to hear the news that the great Canadian actor, Donald Sutherland, had died at the age of 88 after a long illness. He was the star of well over 100 films including Don’t Look Now, Kelly’s Heroes, M.A.S.H and The Hunger Games, but Kate Bush fans will of course always remember Donald for his appearance in the Cloudbusting video in 1985, playing the role of Wilhelm Reich.
Donald Sutherland, Cloudbusting video, 1985
Donald spoke about making the video with Dazed in 2015: “Barry Richardson, who was the hairdresser on Nic Roeg’s Don’t Look Now, asked me if I’d do a music video with Kate Bush. I told him no and we went on to other conversations. A couple of days later there was a knock on my door. I lived in the Savoy Hotel (in London). On the river. Suite 312. I loved it there. So cosseted. So private. Only the floor butler rang the door. I opened it. There was no one there. I heard a voice saying hello and I looked down. Standing down there was a very small Kate Bush. Barry had told her where I lived. What can you do? She wanted to explain what her video was about. I let her in. She sat down, said some stuff.
Donald Sutherland with Kate, Cloudbusting video, 1985
All I heard was ‘Wilhelm Reich’. I’d taken an underground copy of his The Mass Psychology of Fascism with me when I went to film (Bernardo) Bertolucci’s Novecento in Parma. Reich’s work informed the psychological foundations of Attila Mellanchini, the character Bernardo had cast me to play. Everything about Reich echoed through me. He was there then and now he was here. Sitting across from me in the person of the very eloquent Kate Bush. Synchronicity. Perfect. She talked some more. I said OK and we made ‘Cloudbusting’. She’s wonderful, Kate Bush. Wonderful. I love that I did it. (What do I remember) about doing it? I remember being in the car and the hill and them taking me, taking Reich, away and looking back through the back window of the car and seeing her, seeing Reich’s son Peter, standing there.“
Donald Sutherland with Kate, Cloudbusting video, 1985Donald Sutherland with Kate, Cloudbusting video, 1985
In 1985 interviews (and ever since) Kate expressed her delight and good fortune at having secured Donald to play the part in her film: “When we were thinking about someone to play the part of the father, we just sort of instantly came up with Donald Sutherland, and everyone laughed, because it’s like, you know, he’s one of the greatest actors in the world, really, and we jokingly thought “yeah, yeah wouldn’t it be great.” So we did actually approach his agent, who immediately said no, he couldn’t because he’s just too busy. But a friend of ours knew a friend of his, who asked him, and he gave us three days of his time in between shooting two other films. And I still can’t believe he did it.
Cloudbusting video, 1985
It was a wonderful thing for him to do, give us that time. Made it a very, very special thing for me…I still can’t get over the fact that he did it! It was great! It means a lot to people that someone who is supposedly so famous and inaccessible makes the effort to make themselves accessible for such a little project. I was extremely moved by the fact that he did it; it meant a tremendous amount to me. And to work with him – Jesus, I thought I would never have the luck. I was his co-star! Ridiculous!…He puts out such an energy of sensitivity to the situation that I just had to re-act to him. He was – As far as I was concerned, whenever we were shooting, he *was* my dad. He’s wonderful.”
Hounds of Love – Happening of the day
Kate in a rare performance of Cloudbusting on Italian TV
A delightfully unique performance of the song Cloudbusting from Kate happened in December 1985 on the Fantastico programme on the Italian TV channel RAI. She would also perform Running Up That Hill on the same broadcast. Prior to Before The Dawn, Cloudbusting was only ever performed by Kate in the flesh a couple of times, and it’s a blessing that Youtube is here to let us see it as it happened. Seemingly recorded in London and sent over on tape for the show, it underscores the joy and exuberance in the track, with Kate smiling throughout, a precursor for how she would deliver the song on stage on 2014.
Joined by nine friends on stage, firstly Paddy Bush and then Del Palmer who stands right beside Kate, they all have opened umbrellas as they sing along with her. It was also the first time since her 1979 shows that Kate was joined in a performance by other females. And, you just know that if time had allowed, Kate would have had a rain machine in there! An utterly lovely performance.
Well, after featuring the performance above, today’s artefact just had to be this Cloudbusting umbrella, which unlike many of the items we have been featuring, is actually easy to get hold of as it’s for sale on Kate’s official site! The brolly is something she describes on her Hounds of Love site page as being “for those cloudbusting kind of days … ”
Cloudbusting umbrella – from Kate’s official site storeCloudbusting umbrella – from Kate’s official site store
It features a spiral design with the following lyrics from the song: “Every time it rains, you’re here in my head, like the sun coming out, I just know that something good is gonna happen, I don’t know when, but just saying it could even make it happen” When this item first went on sale in November 2023 it sold out instantly, Kate’s team underestimating the demand. It has been restocked several times since.
Hounds of Love – Trivia of the day!
In 2014, for the stunning filmed sequences of Kate in the life jacket projected on screen at Before The Dawn, several days filming in a huge water tank and a large team of film professionals and divers at Pinewood studios were called for (Kate contracted mild hypothermia too!). However back in 1985, a more intimate arrangement was decided upon.
The photo session was of course conducted by Kate’s brother John Carder Bush. In his (essential!) 2015 book, Kate: Inside the Rainbow, John describes the set up for the shoot: “I had sent off for an Australian garden pool, a primitive circle of corrugated metal with clips to hold the plastic pool in place. With the flowers and weeds arranged, we were back in the pre-Raphaelite world of Cathy. I was on a scaffold hanging over the pool, and again, this was right: the warm water that was poured in from the kitchen tap looked black and menacing.”
Photo shoot for The Ninth Wave – photo by John Carder Bush from his book “Kate: Inside the Rainbow”
John also wrote about this shoot in 1985 for the Kate Bush Club newsletter: “This was in many ways much simpler to organise, but a lot harder to take. Because it relates very specifically in image to The Ninth Wave, Kate had to be in water. To be comfortable in the right clothes–in this case a Victorian nightgown–the water had to be warm. To get the feeling of night, sea, the proximity of a large ship, etc., studio lighting was essential. We found some big tanks used in the film business, but they weren’t right visually–and they would pose the problem of filling them with a couple of hundred gallons of warm water and then getting rid of it.
We eventually located a large but shallow paddling-pool, and adapted this so as to minimise the quantity of water we would have to deal with while allowing enough to suggest deep sea and cold night around Kate. Because of the large amount of electricity being used in the lights, leaks of water or big splashes could have been dangerous, and someone was standing by the mains throughout the session. I threw some pond weed into the now steaming water and added the flowers to hint at the debris from a shipwreck. The logistics involved in setting up and blending with Kate’s work in the studio had left no time for rehearsals, so Kate went straight in and I hovered around, first on a ladder, then on the ground, looking for the right angle. And it’s in these cases that polaroid is so useful: I was able to take polaroids and show them to Kate, and in this way we decided that I had to get in the water too in order to get the best angle.
Photo shoot for The Ninth Wave – photo by John Carder Bush from his book “Kate: Inside the Rainbow”
It was while I was printing up the best shots that I noticed that the viewer’s perception of the scene changed dramatically when I altered the natural horizon by printing the photo slightly out of true. So actually, in the original negative, she is obviously lying on her back in water, but in the final print she appears to be standing or floating or running or flying. Also, this change of perspective made the “sea” into a very surreal backcloth, so that you wonder is she part of it, is she in it or what?”
Extra trivia: Apart from the original album back cover shoot and the Before the Dawn filming, there was a third occasion that Kate posed in a water tank in a life jacket – her photo session with Trevor Leighton for the Before the Dawn announcement, poster and publicity in March 2014.
Kate by Trevor Leighton – March 2014Kate by Trevor Leighton – March 2014 – alternate shotKate by Trevor Leighton – March 2014 – alternate shot
To mark 40 years of Hounds of Love we’re putting together a time capsule each day for the month of September – a daily miscellany of the people, events and objects that relate to this momentous work, whether back in 1985 or right up to the present day…
Hounds of Love – Person of the day
Kate performs on TV in 1985 with Kevin McAlea
A truly fantastic and renowned musician with impeccable timing and touch, we have been blessed to have had KevinMcAlea‘s wonderful contributions to Kate’s work going all the way back to her 1979 tour! Kate described getting to work with Kevin on the tour as “an incredible find, because I’ve never met anyone else who plays the piano, or who can play it if he wants to, so like me. My style is really quite simple, and that’s the problem. Professional pianists tend to sort of flourish everywhere, and that doesn’t work in my songs because I use a simple style.” Kevin played piano, keyboards, saxophone and twelve string guitar on the tour.
Hailing from Belfast, Kevin played keyboards with bands like Skid Row and having done session work with X-Ray Specs vocalist Poly Styrene, he joined Kate for the Lionheart Tour in 1979. Interested in electronic music, McAlea built his own synthesizers, one of which he used on the Tour. On the liner notes of the album Never For Ever, Kate thanks him: “Kevin McAlea for his ingenuity and for playing me Chopin.” Over the years, Kevin has also worked with Bees Make Honey, Clannad, Barbara Dixon, Dr Feelgood, Enya, David Gilmour, Roy Harper, Kirsty MacColl, Seal, Poly Styrene, and Kim Wilde. He has his own band, Celtic Orbis.
Kevin (right) performing Running Up That Hill with Kate and Del Palmer on German television
For the Hounds of Love album, Kevin is credited with synthesizer sequencing on Waking The Witch and plays his own designed synthesisers on The Morning Fog, and you can spot Kevin making several TV appearances with Kate during the promotion for the album. Things came full circle in 2014, when Kevin became the only musician from the 1979 tour to perform on stage again with Kate, playing keyboards, uilleann pipes and accordion.
Jon Carin (keyboards, guitars and more on Before The Dawn), shared the photo below on his Instagram, and described his friend Kevin as “one of the loveliest, smartest & most talented persons I’ve ever shared a stage with. The only musician Kate Bush invited back from her first tour in 1979, Kevin is a prodigy playing on Kate’s albums, even designing his own synths he played on Hounds of Love.” And, fun fact: in 1984 Kevin also found time to write the English lyrics for Nena’s worldwide hit 99 Red Balloons! Hats off, Kevin.
Kevin McAlea playing Uilleann pipes – Before The Dawn 2014 (photo Jon Carin)
Hounds of Love – Happening of the day
On February 10th 1986, at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, Kate gave a performance of her forthcoming single Hounds of Love at the BPI Awards, which are now widely known as the ‘Brits’. The single, the third from the album, would be released a week later. This was the sixth edition of the prestigious annual event, and saw performances from other big name acts including Huey Lewis and the News, Phil Collins and Tears For Fears.
On stage with Kate are Paddy Bush and Jonathan Williams (both on cellos), Del Palmer on keyboards, Stuart Elliott and brother Lindsay Elliott both on drum kits, and Charlie Morgan in the centre of them (sporting a fitting fedora) hitting an electronic kit. At the end of the performance, Gow Hunter appears and does a twirl with Kate in a wonderful moment, fresh as they both were from having completed the music video the previous month.
Kate performs Hounds of Love at the BPI Awards, February 1986Kate is joined by Gow Hunter at the end of the performance
Kate was nominated for Best British Album for Hounds of Love, and was competing with Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required, Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms, Eurythmics’ Be Yourself Tonight and Tears for Fears’ Songs From The Big Chair. And while now the album is considered one of the greatest albums of all time, Kate lost out to to Collins, and actually went home with no awards from the event, despite also being nominated for Best British Female and Best British Single for Running Up That Hill. Kate would, however, triumph at the following years awards in 1987 when her status in the industry was simply undeniable.
Kate performs Hounds of Love at the BPI Awards, February 1986
There are some interesting variations in track listings across territories when it comes to Kates 7″ and 12″ single releases. Take this 12″ USA 12″ vinyl release of The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix) for example, on card sleeve with grey ‘EMI America’ labels (Cat Number V-19213). While every other territory had Not This Time (a great Hounds of Love b-side! Too-ree-ay!) and The Morning Fog as the b-sides, this edition is unique in having the special single mix of The Big Sky on the b-side, instead of The Ninth Wave’s closing track. Extra value for US fans who had already bought the album, then!
Hounds of Love – Trivia of the day!
Dick Bird set design model for Watching You Without Me – Before the Dawn, 2014
Did you know that one set in particular for Kate’s Before The Dawn concerts went through 12 different designs?
The exquisite Watching You Without Me on The Ninth Wave is one of my favourite tracks from the album and one of the eeriest dreams/nightmares that the shipwrecked character in the song suite experiences. Kate explained the song in her fan club newsletter in 1985:
“..it’s about how she wants to go home. That’s really the thing she wants most, just to be in the cosy atmosphere of her belongings all around her, and the security of those four walls and the firm ground, and being with the one that she loves. She finds that she’s there in spirit, and there’s her loved one sitting in a chair by the fire, but she hadn’t conceived the idea that she wouldn’t actually be there in real terms. She’s not real. And although she can see her man, he can’t see her – she can’t communicate with him in any way. It’s more of a nightmare than anything so far, because this is the closest she’s been to any kind of comfort, and yet it’s the furthest away.“
Dick Bird set design model – detail
For the Before The Dawn concerts, when Kate would finally visualise the song on stage and in performance, she turned to designer Dick Bird. Dick says: “I haven’t done rock n roll before and it was the most extraordinary 18 months of my life. In a way, it started very unusually for me because she started by assembling a team like the Magnificent Seven – slowly putting together a team of reprobates and drunks and knocking them back into shape till they are a fine fighting crew!” laughs Dick. “That is sort of what Kate did, slowly assembling this fascinating team, but she wanted everything to be completely original. So we did a lot of workshopping. We would hire the Hammersmith Apollo for a week to do our experiments in – or go off to some incredibly draughty hangar in Northampton and play with silks and LED screens. I’ve never made so many models for one show.“
Kate appears behind her son, Albert McIntosh and actor Bob Harms in the scene.
The stunning Living Room set went through 12 different designs before the final one was chosen. In the show, it was rolled silently on to the stage and tilted from side to side throughout, as if in the sea waves itself, making the TV set in front slide amusingly left and right. A hidden panel meant that “spirit Kate” could appear suddenly when a door was closed over, to audible gasps from the audience, a neat trick. Above, life-jacketed cast members observed from the “roof” of the structure as a domestic comic scene played out between actor Bob Harms and Kate’s son, Albert McIntosh…as they wondered why “Mum” was so late…
For Dick Bird it was the chance to meet a boyhood idol. He laughs: “I was absolutely, madly in love with her when I was 13. She was my first big crush, so it was very interesting to meet her 35 years later. Dick’s friend, costume and props maker Rob Allsopp had worked with shadow puppets – as Kate wanted to – and Rob recommended she see a show Dick had also been working on using puppets.“
Dick Bird – set designer
But before Kate phoned him, Dick had been sounded out in a slightly mysterious way about whether he’d be free to do the show. He recalls: “About three-quarters of an hour before, someone else rang up and said ‘Would you be free at this time but I can’t tell you why I’m asking!’. “Then 45 minutes later the phone rang and it was Kate Bush – my unrequited crush of 35 years!” laughs Dick. “I was very tongue-tied, but she was saying ‘I really love your work!’ and I was replying ‘I really love YOUR work!’. She’s a very extraordinary and wonderful person.”
Longtime Kate Bush fan, Max Cookney, has written a new book called Kate Bush: On Location, which is available now. Max tells me: “It’s a book about locations across the world that have an association with Kate and one I’ve been wanting to write for a very long time.” Of course an immediate concern from me would be that a book like this might discuss Kate’s private homes but no, the author assures us “for reasons that I hope are obvious, we won’t be visiting any of Kate’s home addresses other than those from a very long time ago that are already well known and that have been extensively documented and discussed before.”
From the press release: “Kate Bush: On Location brings together in one book the location secrets behind Kate’s iconic career, allowing you to discover the fascinating stories and histories of over seventy locations that have played a part in her incredible journey. From recording studios to concert venues, television centres to outdoor filming locations, record company offices to vinyl record pressing plants – this fan-written book will take you on a virtual tour across the UK and the rest of the world to experience the real-life locations that have shaped Kate’s music and career.“
BBC Television Centre where Kate made many memorable appearances
“Kate Bush: On Location visits a number of iconic rock music landmarks, including the legendary studios of Abbey Road, AIR London, Super Bear, and Windmill Lane; venues related to Kate’s 1979 Tour such as the Rainbow Theatre, the Poole Arts Centre, and the Hammersmith Odeon; famous film studios like Shepperton, Bray, and Elstree; the Efteling Theme Park and the London Laserium; TV studios such as BBC Television Centre, Pebble Mill, ATV Birmingham, and RTÉ Dublin; EMI Records and its vinyl pressing plants; Black Park and the beautiful Vale of the White Horse; the curious home of Bio’s Bahnhof; the Soho photography studio used to capture those famous ‘pink leotard’ portraits; and the setting for Kate’s pivotal recording session with David Gilmour in 1973. And so much more.“
The book, released as both an ebook (£8.99) and paperback (£12.99), will be released on 1st September via Amazon. It will be available from Amazon in the UK, US, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Australia and India. It will also be available worldwide from Rakuten Kobo books.
