FEATURE:
More Than Your Average Pub Singer
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing at the Rose of Lee in Lewisham in 1977/PHOTO CREDIT: Vic King
Kate Bush and The KT Bush Band
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THIS will be…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at her family home in East Wickham in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
a properly short feature, as there is not a lot of information out there regarding Kate Bush’s gigs performed with The KT Bush band before she recorded her debut album in 1977. Also, in terms of photos, there are not that many out there! Although members of the original band (excluding Kate Bush) are still performing, I am fascinated by the early incarnation. I am going to give the reasons for mentioning The KT Bush band in a minute but, before I do, I want to provide a couple of sources (I will also take some guidance from Graeme Thomson’s Kate Bush autobiography, Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush). This article from The Kate Bush Encyclopedia gives a bit of history about The KT Bush band:
“Band formed in 1977 by Brian Bath, Vic King, Del Palmer and Kate Bush. After practicing in Greenwich and East Wickham Farm, they made their live debut in April 1977 at the Rose Of Lee in Lewisham. The set list consisted of standards like Come Together, 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine', 'Tracks Of My Tears', but also early versions of Kate Bush songs like James And The Cold Gun, Saxophone Song and Them Heavy People. During the summer of 1977 the band played various venues in and around London, a grand total of 20 gigs.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with her mother, Hannah, and her brothers Paddy (left) and John (right) at their home in East Wickham on 26th September, 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Moorhouse/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
When Kate Bush started recording her debut album The Kick Inside, she actually recorded versions of 'Them Heavy People' and 'James And The Cold Gun' at De Wolfe Studios in London with the KT Bush Band, but in the end, the band members were not used for the album recordings. Also, an attempt to release a single of the KT Bush Band's version of Johnny Winter's 'Shame Shame Shame', recorded at Graphic Sound studios in Catford was halted either by Kate's family or EMI Records. Although many of the band's gigs were filmed, photographed and recorded, none of these have surfaced”.
Brian Bath, an old friend of Bush’s (he also played on several of her albums), still performs in The KT Bush band, and he recalls when the band started, and what a ‘modest’ foundation they had in terms of those initial gigs:
“Rehearsals for the KT Bush Band began in earnest. After a first try in a room at the swimming baths, we cleared out and set up our equipment in the Barn over at Kate’s home, The Farm. It was midwinter and absolutely freezing.
I remember setting my amp up in the old disused fireplace. Maybe if I played loud enough it would warm us up! Things began well. Kate spoilt us all with gallons of tea and biscuits, and fun was had by all.
We needed a gig to try the band out on, so I went to the Rose of Lee pub in Lee Green, London, one evening, and got the guvnor interested in the band. I said we would guarantee 20 people in the first week, bodies up to the bar the second, down to the other end the third, and packed on the fourth! This is precisely what happened. What a gig it became – dry ice during “James and the Cold Gun” at the end of the evening where Kate went around with a pretend rifle, mock shooting at the audience!”.
IN THIS PHOTO: The KT Bush Band pictured in 2016
When we look at Kate Bush’s start, we do not often talk about her musical experiences prior to the release of The Kick Inside in 1978. Though the first iteration of The KT Bush band was pretty brief, I do love the fact that Bush continued to work with most of the band after she started releasing albums – Vic King is the only member that does not really feature in Bush’s music. Most people do not even realise that Bush had performed live prior to 1979 – when she travelled with her Tour of Life -, but it is fascinating charting the timeline from 1975 to the release of The Kick Inside. In 1972, when Bush was thirteen, David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) had been passed tapes of Kate Bush’s music. He was fascinated and wanted to hear more. He financed some better-quality demos and Gilmour played the tapes for record company executives. EMI Records signed Bush, and two of the demos recorded in June 1975 were included on her debut album three years later: The Man with the Child in His Eyes and The Saxophone Song. The following year, Bush knew that she was destined for the studio and would soon be recording more. Maybe she felt she needed some live experience to sharpen her voice, gain more confidence or put in some groundwork for inevitable live performances that would be required when she would begin promoting her albums and singles.
According to Paddy Bush (her brother), the initial gigs were pretty small, but The KT Bush Band’s popularity grew, and soon they were packing out pubs – people queuing and spilling into the street in a desire to see Bush and the band perform! By the time Bush headed to record her debut album in 1977, she was keen to keep the line-up of the KT Bush Band for the recordings, but EMI insisted that she use properly experienced session musicians. There is a fascinating website that charts Bush’s career and mentions some of the venues she performed in during the early days – including The Black Cat in Catford, The Railway Hotel in Putney, and The Half Moon, Putney. Though the band’s sphere was largely based in South London – though they did perform in other parts -, one can only imagine what it was like seeing the group play. In 1977, Punk was raging, and the sight of a band fronted by Kate Bush would have been foreign and quite strange. In Graeme Thomson’s biography of Bush, he dedicates quite a lot of space to the brief-but-beautiful KT Bush Band. Though Bush did not talk about the band much when interviewed through her career, she is not dismissive of the time or the band. The reason I want to mention it is because it is this anomaly; one that is hugely important in regards her early career path.
IN THIS PHOTO: Brian Bath
With Vic King on drums, Del Palmer on bass and Brian Bath on guitar, these three friends bonded over their shared musical love – they were particularly fond of Free and the classic track, All Right Now. It is amazing to see how far Bush came from 1977 and the types of performances she was delivering, and the extravaganza of 1979’s Tour of Life. Versions of events differ as to how Bush started singing with a band – some say Paddy Bush got in touch with Brian Bath and said his sister wanted to start a band as she needed the experience -, but it was clear that she had that desire to brings her songs from her home and small confines to a wider world. I will move things on soon, but I want to spend some time considering the band and their start. They rehearsed at the barn at the bottom of Bush’s family home – the old rehearsal space in a boiler room at some swimming baths in Greenwich was not conducive to creativity and progress -, and they rehearsed a series of songs; working up a set of twenty-or-so songs, I think this experience and time was instrumental when it came to Bush and how she would approach recording and her career from 1977. Bolstered by Hannah Bush’s (Kate’s mum) great hospitality (as Thomson reveals in his book), the young singer-songwriter was readying herself and taking a big step. Though the gigs she performed were pretty small, Bush was very shy, but she made a big impact on her band members.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1977
The then-eighteen-year-old Bush was very different to other singers out there; Del Palmer, in fact, was so taken by her that he fell in love – the two started dating not long after they met, and would be in a relationship until 1993. Though the band were not aware of how deep Bush’s involvements with EMI was at this point, I guess the benefit was that they did not have to use a lot of their own money for petrol and various costs. The label was not interfering and saying where the band should perform and what songs they should play – I think they were fairly hands-off at that point. Regardless, there were debates between Bush and the boys as to which songs they should perform. I think The KT Bush Band is a vital element of Bush’s history, as she would perform songs with them that featured on her debut album. There were also debates as to what the band would be called – Bush was not keen on ‘The KT Bush Band’ when Brian Bath suggested it -, and Bush was a little reluctant to leave home and hearth and bring her music to the people (albeit, a select few in some local pubs), though, as I mentioned, she was eager to get her music heard. The proposition of performing live was a pretty scary one. The KT Bush Band’s residency at the Rose of Lee pub (in Lewisham) began in April 1977, and they did not command much of an audience at the start – as word got out, they could not move for punters soon enough!
It was clear that Bush was not overly-keen to perform because she was nervous and shy. She did not talk with the audience much, but she needed to learn stagecraft and rack up some performance miles! It is interesting to speculate what path Bush’s career would have taken if she performed earlier. It was clear that The KT Bush Band was a refreshing change to the rather routine and samey pub bands that you got in 1976 and 1977. People were used to all-male bands performing rawer and less imaginative songs. Faced with the prospect of the fantastic-looking Bush and that magical voice, how many would have predicted they’d soon be watching her on Top of the Pops?! I suppose the smoke-filled pubs were not ideal for Bush, but she knew performing and getting that experience was what needed to happen. Buzz emanated from venues like the Rose of Lee and the Royal Albert (in South East London); Bush was never an overly-enthusiastic band member, but she did dedicate a lot of time and effort into performing and honing her craft. It is obvious that Bush wanted to push the limits of live performance, even in those early days. I think those pub gigs whetted her appetite; songs like James and the Cold Gun (from The Kick Inside) were being played back then, and Bush’s unique and characterful voice was being exposed and strengthened. It is amazing to think of the songs Bush wrote and the band played back then; those that have never been committed to tape – I am not sure whether there are any tapes of them playing unreleased songs, but there might be some hidden away.
IN THIS PHOTO: Del Palmer with Kate Bush in the 1980s
I would have loved to have been in attendance when Bush – probably dressed in a beautiful dress with a flower in her hair or something – was performing tracks like Them Heavy People alongside cover versions of stuff from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Marvin Gaye. Whilst Bush was nervous regarding crowd interaction and being ‘the star’, she was able to use some of her dance training during the pub gigs. Costume changes were often part of the set, and a real element of theatre and spectacle was being witnessed in these tiny pubs around London! I do think that the gigs with The KT Bush Band gained Bush a dedicated and large London following. Those gigs where she was performing in different costumes and using the stage as a way to perform rather than to sing; I feel these were invaluable foundation blocks that led to the Tour of Life and what we heard on albums like The Kick Inside. I think Del Palmer’s role was especially important and instrumental. Not only was he a member of the band, but he and Bush had this real connection that would blossom into a relationship. Palmer was very honest with Bush – who was not always welcoming of constructive criticism -, but the feedback and honesty he gave to her was wonderful. The fact Palmer and Bush are still working with each other goes right back to that early days in the band where Palmer was not only enamoured of the beguiling Bush, but he was able to give her this guidance and feedback that she was not necessarily getting from her family.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during her Tour of Life in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Max Browne
The KT Bush Band played only twenty gigs, but it seems like there was plenty of drama and wonder on offer! Bush was seducing with her incredible voice and looks. The band played a gig at the Half Moon in Putney when England and Scotland played a football match on 3rd June, 1977. Perhaps more concerned with the match and not the band, some of the patrons were a bit oiled and took to the stage, creating this mini-riot; Bush keeping her cool whilst some rather rowdy blokes were all over her! It is clear Bush would have recorded an album soon enough, but EMI checked her and the band out and knew that Bush was ready to get into the studio. A lot of what Bush learned and did with The KT Bush Band fed into her debut album and subsequent live performances in 1979. It is a bit of a pity that other members of The KT Bush Band did not play on The Kick Inside – Bush was keen for them to play -, but one cannot underestimate the importance of the band and this wonderfully magical and strange time! I think EMI were reluctant for any live recordings and photos to go out in the world. They had this star and did not really want anything getting in the way. Many fans would kill to hear some of those recordings put on an album, and for a more expansive KT Bush Band project to come out in the world. I think Bush herself is not overly-eager to revisit those KT Bush Band days, but I think it is an important chapter, and one that is not often talked about. I keep thinking back to those gigs and wondering what it would be like being a fly on the wall/boozed-up punter seeing Kate Bush take to the stage! It is clear that she made an instant impact and left people spellbound. This is something that, to be fair, she has been…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
DOING ever since!