FEATURE:
An Architect's Dream
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during the ‘Redhead’ shoot of 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
Should There Be an International Kate Bush Day?
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SOME might pick me up on this title…
IN THIS PHOTO: Some fans during The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever in San Diego, U.S.A. in 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Kate Bush News
and say that, indeed, we already have an International Kate Bush Day. Indeed, we have The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever: it is an event held at locations around the world where participants recreate the music video for Bush's 1978 debut single, Wuthering Heights. The event's inspiration is Shambush's The Ultimate, Ultimate Kate Bush Experience, which took place in 2013 in Brighton, United Kingdom, as part of Brighton Fringe, created by performance collective Shambush!, who attempted to set an unofficial world record for the most people dressed as Kate Bush in one place, with hundreds attending. The event has caught on from there, and it is great to see people of all genders donning a red dress and joining together! In Sydney, the event took place this year, and it is humbling to see how international the trend is. For that day, fans of all ages get together and mark an iconic video. That video where Bush wore the red dress was for the U.S. release of Wuthering Heights – it was felt the U.K. version (where she wears a white dress and is more intense) was a bit too much and strange! I feel it peculiar that The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever started in the U.K. and we mark the U.S. video; I guess that is the one where Bush is outside – in a scene that tries to replicate the Yorkshire moors -, but I suppose guess red dresses are more eye-catching than white.
I think there should be a separate day where people around the world celebrate her music. Bands like The Beatles have their own day (or week) and, whilst Bush’s popularity is not on the same level as The Beatles, I think her influence and popularity cannot be understated. Indeed, now more than ever, her work is being shared, discussed and dissected. As we are celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Never for Ever (her third album), and Hounds of Love’s (her fifth album) thirty-fifth anniversary this month, and Aerial turns fifteen in November, it is a year when Bush’s music is being spotlighted and poured over intensely. If it took until Hounds of Love for the American audiences to fully embrace Kate Bush, I think she is a lot more known and loved now. Around the world, fans and artists identify with Kate Bush, and it would be great to have this special day that marks her entire catalogue and influence. As we mark forty years of Never for Ever on Tuesday (8th September), so many fans will be selecting their favourite songs from the album and showing what Never for Ever means to them. I have asked before why Bush has not been made a Dame - in October 2017, she was nominated for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018; Bush was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to music.
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush (from the book, Kate: Inside the Rainbow)
I do feel that Bush’s genius and influence warrants another day on the calendar! I will talk about her legacy and explain more why there should be an International Kate Bush Day, but in terms of the days in which it could happen, there are options. In 2023, it will be forty-five years since the release of her debut album, The Kick Inside, but that is a long way off! Because Wuthering Heights was released on 20th January, that seems like a good a date as any. Some might say that steps on the heels (or dress) of The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever, but that goes down in July, and I think that debut single is hugely important. Some might say it should be held on Bush’s birthday on 30th July, but that would cause a clash. Hounds of Love was released on 16th September, 1985, so maybe a 16th September event? In any case, I do think that there would be little objection to showcasing Bush’s work across a single day. People might say that a single day sort of comes off as a novelty and that, in fact, every day is Kate Bush Day! I feel radio stations limit the scope of Bush’s work, and we rarely talk about songs that were not released as singles. It is wonderful that we mark Bush’s birthday in such a passionate manner, and her albums are celebrated when they reach big anniversaries.
I would say that Kate Bush’s influence extends beyond music itself. Because her art is so vivid, physical and cinematic, those in the world of film, T.V. and stage are inspired by her. Similarly, authors and writers are moved by her because of her use of language and how her songs are almost like chapters and novellas. Certainly, I am seeing so many new artists cite Bush as an inspiration. It seems that, every year, a crop of a new male and female artists arrive (and non-binary artists) who have a scent of Kate Bush. In an article from The Guardian from 2010, Bush’s continuing and powerful impact is mentioned:
“In recent years, Bush has become one of the most referenced names in music. First, a few boy bands from Sunderland helped make Kate cool again – Field Music, the Week That Was, and most prominently, the Futureheads with their refreshing take on Hounds of Love.
Then a wave of solo female artists followed – from Florence Welch to Fever Ray – all happy to namecheck Bush as an influence. Before Florence and the Futureheads, however, Deborah Withers, guitarist with Bristol's Drunk Granny, began a study of Bush's music, exploring themes that were perhaps obvious to a female fanbase but invisible to some male listeners. We're talking about "the polymorphously perverse Kate, the witchy Kate, the queer Kate, the Kate who moves beyond the mime". Withers develops these ideas in her new book, Adventures in Kate Bush and Theory, published on her own imprint Hammeron Press.
Bush's music seems to have a womb-like function, providing incubation for artists, at least for a while. Björk has spoken of her teenage years spent under the covers listening to Kate Bush, and Bat for Lashes' Natasha Kahn acknowledges her influence on her first album, although she now feels she has found her own voice. "It's important to have visible and creative examples that you can draw inspiration from," says Withers, "otherwise it's really difficult to express yourself. Women found it a lot more difficult to be cultural producers, but Kate Bush changed that."
However, we should resist the temptation to compare all innovative female artists with Kate Bush. Amanda Palmer, of the Dresden Dolls, who shares her theatrical leanings, has said that her own musical mentors were male. Joanna Newsom, perhaps the only artist who comes close to Bush in terms of otherworldliness, has had nothing to say on the matter, nor should she have to.
On the other hand, Alison Goldfrapp is clear about her adoration of Kate Bush, and Florence Welch names her as one of her favourite artists. Karin Dreijer Andersson always mentions Bush's influence, which is apparent in her work with the Knife and Fever Ray. Emerging singer-songwriter Polly Scattergood discovered Kate Bush's LPs in her parents' record collection, and the taboo-breaking themes of The Kick Inside seem to echo and amplify in the fearless self-expression of her self-titled debut”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images
Bush’s influence does not just encompass music and pushing the boundaries in terms of lyrics and music. In terms of the way Bush dressed and her incredible videos, that opened doors for many artists. Also, Bush’s incredible tour of 1979, The Tour of Life, broke ground, and she inspired a new generation in terms of the limits of the stage and what one could create in a live show. In so many spheres and areas, Bush transformed things and she continues to compel musicians and creatives in different ways. I don’t think an assigned yearly celebration would be insincere or take away from every other day of the year. Rather, it would connect fans around the world; all of her albums could be discussed, and it is a great excuse to celebrate an artist who seems to grow in stature and popularity by the year! I shall leave things here, but I wanted to put that suggestion out there, not that it will lead to anything as such or result in an International Kate Bush Day. In a year where we are marking big anniversaries of three albums and, as people do, wonder if a new album from Bush will arrive, there is that swell and ever-growing army of fans who are deeply passionate about her work – some are discovering her for the first time. Regardless of whether anything comes about, I just wanted to nod to an icon – as I do frequently – whose legacy and influence is almost impossible to calculate and compare! Kate Bush is one of the most loved artist on the planet and, for that reason alone, I feel she warrants…
ANOTHER day in her honour.