Kate Bush’s Hammersmith Apollo residency is, if you hadn’t already noticed, a big deal. For her many fans, it’s a line struck through a bucket list entry and for a new generation it could be an introduction to an artist whose mastery of pop and theatre has worked as a blueprint for many of today’s biggest stars.
When the initial run - which has now been expanded to 22 dates - was announced last week, the internet broke. When tickets go on sale on Friday, it might just break again.
Despite her absence from the stage since 1979, when she wrapped the Tour Of Life, to date her only foray into the live arena, Bush has remained an important presence, releasing engaging, critically-acclaimed records while maintaining an air of mystery that most artists would kill for. Here, in the latest edition of ‘Evolution’, we take a look at five of the songs that helped shape a legend.
The Man With The Child In His Eyes
Written when Bush was just 13, The Man With The Child In His Eyes is a complex, mournful piece that would be remarkable even from a seasoned songwriter. Recorded with help from David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, it formed part of her 1978 debut, ‘The Kick Inside’, and was later released as a single - complete with wonderfully literal cover art - reaching #6 in the UK.
Wuthering Heights
Bush’s debut single - ahead of James And The Cold Gun, her label’s choice, at her insistence - remains her most successful and for many still defines her appeal. With lyrics based on Emily Brontë’s classic novel and a timeless central melody, it is both theatrical and grounded in Bush’s own interpretation and writing process.
Breathing
Lifted from ‘Never For Ever’, Breathing is a claustrophobic, affecting song that spins Bush’s fears of nuclear war around the conceit of a foetus in the womb. It’s a stark contrast to the single that followed it and became the album’s big hit - the bombastic Babooshka - but displays Bush at her very best.
Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
The first song written for Bush’s 1985 classic ‘The Hounds Of Love’, Running Up That Hill is another example of complex emotion being moulded into expressive pop. Describing the titular deal, Bush told the Times: “It seems that the more you get to know a person, the greater the scope there is for misunderstanding. Sometimes you can hurt somebody purely accidentally or be afraid to tell them something because you think they might be hurt when really they'll understand. So what that song is about is making a deal with God to let two people swap place so they'll be able to see things from one another's perspective.”
King Of The Mountain
Permit us the leap forward, but 2005’s ‘Aerial’ makes a pretty convincing case as to why Bush’s live return could be stunning. King Of The Mountain was that record’s sole single - reaching #4 in the UK - and was lifted from the album’s first side, which also included Renaissance folk, a heartbreaking ode to Bush’s mother and π recited to 138 decimal places (give or take). Its second half, one continuous piece of music chronicling a summer’s day, offers an intriguing possibility for live presentation.
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