FEATURE:
We Know All Her Lines So Well…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and her band/performers take a bow during The Tour of Life in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Max Browne
From The Tour of Life, Through to Before the Dawn: What Might Have Been
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I am going to spend the next few weeks…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and dancers performing Strange Phenomena during The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Max Browne
focusing on features relating to Never for Ever, and Hounds of Love, as those albums celebrate big anniversaries next month – Never for Ever s forty; Hounds of Love is thirty-five. I am keen to explore those albums as they approach their birthdays but, now, I am minded to go back to 1979. I have written about Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life a few times before, as it was a remarkable spectacle, and it redefined what a Pop concert could be; it extended the realms of what a live show could be, and there were not many artists like Kate Bush really going beyond the ordinary when it came to shows – I guess David Bowie was the closest comparison in regards what he was doing in the 1970s at his shows. Before I move on, and in case you have not listened to it, Absolute Radio’s series, I Was There, aired a show regarding The Tour of Life recently. Kate Bush News provide further explanation:
“Absolute Radio in the UK is continuing a new season of documentaries called “I Was There“, introduced by Sophie K, with an episode about Kate’s 1979 tour featuring contributions from choreographer Anthony Van Laast, tour manager Richard Ames and writer Graeme Thomson. You can listen live at 8pm UK time on Sunday August 2nd here: https://planetradio.co.uk/absolute-radio/shows/i-was-there/
The series looks at the most iconic gigs in rock history, and also includes Woodstock, Live Aid, the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, Rolling Stones Altamont 1969, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and more, all told by the people who were there; from the artists to the roadies, the producers to the fans.
From the episode description: “The first and (up until very recently) last tour of mercurial pop superstar Kate Bush. A show that aimed to combine music, dance, poetry, mime, burlesque, magic and theatre, was it too ambitious for its own good? Or did it change what could be achieved in pop?” Kate also features heavily in the series promo trailer below”.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to The Tour of Life. Questions can be asked as to whether Bush bit off more than she could chew. Certainly, after 1978, there was a need to assert control over her music more and to do something that she was helming – she felt a little detached in the creation and production of The Kick Inside, and Lionheart, and the desire for command was there. 1978 was such a frenetic and non-stop year in terms of promotion and activity. Of course, Bush did want to perform and had these two albums out, but I think one of the main impetuses for The Tour of Life was to put herself at the forefront, rather than releasing albums where others were producing and Bush did not have as big a role as she hoped. Was The Tour of Life too ambitious? Certainty, one can watch the preparations for that tour, and Bush was pretty much involved in everything! From set designs and staging, through to the routines and costumes, she was there and making decisions – even though she had a dedicated and large team supporting her. I think it was crucial for her to embark on a tour like this, and it proved that Bush could definitely handle a lot more responsibility; she could see a gigantic show through from conception to execution, and the reception The Tour of Life received proved that the fans and critics loved it!
Some critics were a bit short when it came to their reaction; feeling the show was a bit overblown and there were few standout moments. Not a lot of great video exists from The Tour of Life period, but there are bits and pieces on YouTube. Some of the routines and sets are staggering. Watch James and the Cold Gun, and Bush stalks the stage with a gun as she fires down people and the percussion riffles behind her. The song is much more physical and vivid that it appears on The Kick Inside and, whilst I love Bush’s first two albums, some of the songs never reach full potential because of the limitations of the studio: to see them brought to life in such an explosive way is a reason why so many people were startled by the magnitude and resonance of The Tour of Life. All but one song from Bush’s first two albums were performed (Oh to Be in Love, from The Kick Inside, was the omission), and there were some songs that would appear on her next album, 1980’s Never for Ever – Violin, and Egypt were two terrific tracks that sounded fuller and more atmospheric on The Tour of Life as opposed the album! From the warm-up gig in Poole on 2nd April, through to the final show at the Hammersmith Odeon on 14th May, the sheer scale and ambition of the tour was stunning!
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
I think, despite some flaws, The Tour of Life was a success. Whilst the urgency Bush felt to finally tour (she recorded her first songs for The Kick Inside in 1975, and this was her first real taste of larger live performance), maybe the fact she had only put out two albums was the biggest flaw. Today, artists pretty much tour after every album, but there was this gap between 1979’s The Tour of Life and Bush’s stage return in 2014 with Before the Dawn. She did perform between 1979 and 2014, but this was T.V. appearances and the odd stage appearance – never anything as full-scale and with the consistency as The Tour of Life! Before the Dawn was such a great return, as it brought Bush back to the stage in front of thousands of fans, but it was the first time Hounds of Love’s second side, The Ninth Wave, was performed. From 26th August to 1st October, Bush returned to the Hammersmith Odeon (or the Eventim Apollo as it is known today). Rather than travelling – which is a reason why she was so drained after many shows during The Tour of Life and was reluctant to perform again after that -, she was based close to home and was able to put her energies into each night. I love the fact that Bush incorporated The Ninth Wave, and Aerial’s second side/disc, A Sky of Honey, beside one another – The Ninth Wave was the second half of the first act, whilst A Sky of Honey formed the second act.
They complement one another gracefully, and it was wonderful to see her two conceptual suites of songs performed in 2014 – The Ninth Wave, and A Sky of Honey were released twenty years apart – to a loving crowd. Alongside Aerial, and Hounds of Love’s great moments - Hounds of Love (Hounds of Love), Joanni (Aerial), Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) (Hounds of Love), King of the Mountain (Aerial), and Cloudbusting (Hounds of Love), as an encore track, were the other tracks from those two albums -, we had 2011’s 50 Words for Snow’s Among Angels as an encore track, and The Red Shoe’s (1993) Lily, and Top of the City were also featured. Bush performed for the BBC a few times between 1978 and 1994, and there are videos of her performing live between 1979 and 2014 – including spots on Top of the Pops. The Tour of Life is mainly about The Kick Inside, and Lionheart of 1978; there are some nods to Never for Ever, whilst Before the Dawn mostly covered Hounds of Love, and Aerial – with some bits from The Red Shoes, and 50 Words for Snow in the mix. With Never for Ever, The Dreaming, Hounds of Love (some of its first side), The Sensual World, The Red Shoes (most of the tracks), Aerial (its first side for the most part), and 50 Words for Snow (bar one song) still virginal in terms of tour/residency inclusion, one wonders what could have been – and what still might be.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
When Bush has been asked about the lack of touring after 1979, she explained how it was a great experience but it was exhausting. Also, if she spent a lot of time putting together tours every couple of years, she would not be able to record new material. It is a chicken and egg situation where she needs new music to perform on stage, but she also needs the time to record the music! Bush has always written quickly, whereas the recording process has been more gradual – not that she is a perfectionist; more that it does take time to make her songs as brilliant as they are. In 2020, there is no word whether Bush will return to the stage, either in a one-off gig or a residency like 2014. Maybe now, at sixty-two, it would seem odd to revisit music she released in her twenties and thirties, and I feel there is greater impetus in her to do something new rather than go back to the stage. One can never say never when it comes to Kate Bush, but I feel like the likelihood of her performing live diminishes by the year! It is one of the greatest tragedies in music that she never did anything like The Tour of Life for so long, but one can understand her reasoning and, if she did, would we have the albums we do?! I don’t think so. This feature is less about a push to Kate Bush for future shows, but a look back and imagine what could have occurred.
As Never for Ever approaches its fortieth (it turns forty on 7th September), just think about the songs that could have been mounted on the stage in a wonderful show! I will not muse and concoct imaginary setlists, but a show opening with Babooshka (from Never for Ever) would have been epic! I think, after seeing subsequent music videos, people could have envisaged what the songs would look like on the stage. Never for Ever also has The Wedding List – a great song that should have been a single -, and the two incredible singles, Army Dreamers, and Breathing! The whole album is so underrated, but the sheer power these songs would hold on stage is…well, one can imagine! Beautiful songs like The Infant Kiss, and All We Ever Look For are on Never for Ever, and I think there could have been this wonderful set where she combined Never for Ever, and the more progressive and experimental tracks on 1982’s The Dreaming. I know some of the tracks from these two albums were performed/filmed in some capacity but, like a splice of Hounds of Love/Aerial or The Kick Inside/Lionheart, a Never for Ever/The Dreaming combination would be something! I know that would mean that, in this imagined alternative universe, Bush would not have been able to start writing and recording for Hounds of Love – she was productive during 1983 and continued right through to 1985.
Again, if she did tour rather than record, I don’t think we would have had the albums we did, but one cannot help but dream a tour/show where two brilliant albums stood aside. The Dreaming is an album that has never been exposed on a large stage in any real way. Singles like Sat in Your Lap, The Dreaming, and There Goes a Tenner, whilst not as successful as the best cuts from Hounds of Love, and The Kick Inside, boasted terrific videos, and I can just imagine a wonderful story. Maybe it could have been a concept as Bush as this alter ego who travels from Australia (The Dreaming), to London (There Goes a Tenner), to other lands; maybe a two-tone show with harder and light songs, or a suite similar to her film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, (1993) where other actors are involved. The Dreaming is still underrated, and Pull Out the Pin, Leave It Open, Night of the Swallow, All the Love, Houdini, and Get Out of My House are songs one hardly hears played, and I think they would have been staggering sets if Bush brought them alive on stage! I think Never for Ever, and The Dreaming are so great because Bush gained new confidence and ambition in 1979, and she brought this into the studio. Hounds of Love, though a lot of the songs have been performed on stage, warrants fresh inspection.
Two albums, again, that could have been paired, are The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes. I will not, again, predict what concepts could have been employed, but to see The Fog, Heads We’re Dancing, Deeper Understanding, and Rocket’s Tail (The Sensual World) entwined with Rubberband Girl, And So Is Love, Top of the City, and Why Should I Love You? (The Red Shoes) would have been quite an experience! I have not even mentioned B-sides between 1980-2013 and what could have appeared in live shows between then. Think about the interesting songs on Aerial’s first side - Mrs. Bartolozzi, and How to Be Invisible among them – that would be wonderfully realised on stage; terrific songs from 50 Words for Snow – the title track and Misty especially – that would be grand and stirring! As this NME article shows (where Bush was quoted after being interviewed by The Independent), there were always plans to perform live again after The Tour of Life:
“Asked about her lengthy hiatus from the stage, Bush told The Independent: “It wasn’t designed that way, because I really enjoyed the first set of shows we did [in 1979]. The plan at the time was that I was going to do another two albums’ worth of fresh material, and then do another show.”
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during her Before the Dawn residency at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014/PHOTO CREDIT: Ken McKay/Rex Features
She continued: “But of course, by the time I got to the end of what was ‘The Dreaming’ album, it had gone off on a slight tilt, because I’d become so much more involved in the recording process.
“And also, every time I finish an album, I go into visual projects, and even if they’re quite short pieces, they’re still a huge amount of work to put together. So I started to veer away from the thing of being a live performing artist, to one of being a recording artist with attached visuals”.
I know Bush scouted Wembley around the time of The Red Shoes as a venue for a possible concert/residency, but I can never see her performing at big stadiums! The reclusive tag has always been applied to Kate Bush, and many people have asked if she disappeared from live performance post-1979 and why that might have been. The main reason I wanted to write this feature was not to outline what a loss it is that Bush never brought so many of her albums to the stage, but to wonderfully picture these unfurled songs in a live setting; tracks that may have had videos or be non-singles, but would have been translated to the stage in such an original and evocative manner. As I said to start, one can never predict Kate Bush, and one cannot dismiss the notion that Before the Dawn was the final chapter when it comes to live performance. It is unlikely she will perform live again, but that decision is never set in stone. It all depends on how she feels and what the motivation is. Regardless, if you have not heard the Before the Dawn album, then go and buy it, and there are videos online of her performing at The Tour of Life. The sheer joy of watching Kate Bush on stage is addictive, but the world is thankful that she committed herself to albums and gave the world so much incredible music! Although Bush has only performed one tour and one residency in her professional life (in terms of bigger, longer performances), those two seismic events most definitely…
LEFT their mark on the world.