FEATURE:
Cloudbusters
IN THIS PHOTO: The American Kate Bush tribute act, Baby Bushka (they sadly lost their member, Nina Leilani Deering (very top left), in a car crash last year)
The Kate Bush Tribute Acts
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I have alluded to Kate Bush tribute acts…
IN THIS PHOTO: Baby Bushka’s ‘Bad Bush’, Dr. Batya MacAdam-Somer/PHOTO CREDIT: Baby Bushka
before when looking at her amazing fanbase and how there is a lot of love out there. I was not aware of the excellent American group, Baby Bushka (named after Bush’s single, Babooshka). You can find more information here. They need support so that they can keep playing and survive the pandemic. This is how they describe themselves:
“THE MUSIC AND MAGIC OF KATE BUSH REACHES FAR AND WIDE ACROSS THE SEAS AND SKIES TO SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA WHERE EIGHT WOMEN GATHER TO CREATE THE "WONDERFULLY BEWITCHING" BABY BUSHKA.
WITH GREAT RESPECT AND WIDE EYES, THIS POWERHOUSE TROUPE DELIVERS "OTHER-WORLDLY VERSIONS" OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS "FROM THE ETHEREAL TO THE BOMBASTIC AND BACK AGAIN".
FILLED WITH FOUR-PART HARMONIES AND EPIC CHOREOGRAPHED DANCING, BABY BUSHKA IS A WONDER YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE TO BELIEVE”.
The group sadly lost one of their members, Nina Leilani Deering, in a car crash…so it has been tough for them since they lost her last year. The group are great, and I would urge people to check out their work. Rather than it being a straight impersonation of Kate Bush, you get a very different and unique experience. I think that it is great that there are different kinds of Kate Bush tribute acts around. I wonder what Bush makes of it – I am sure she is flattered! It is no surprise that an artist with such a fascinating career and brilliant music has compelled others to get onto the stage.
Cloudbusting is a great Kate tribute act from the U.K.
“Formed back in 2012, well before any suggestion that Kate was ever going to perform live again, Cloudbusting's mission was, and still is, to bring Kate Bush's music to the live stage.
Cloudbusting are 5 musicians from the UK, dedicated to performing this incomparable music with no hint of pastiche or impersonation. There is, and only ever can be, one Kate.
We perform the music as faithfully to the original as possible, aiming to bring perhaps the less obvious of Kate's songs to the stage - some of which have never been heard played live before.
'If you missed out on seeing Kate Bush herself, Cloudbusting are the next best thing.'
Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 2.
'Mandy started singing and I thought ‘Wow, that’s amazing!’
Paddy McGuinness, BBC TV
'I need to go to this!'
Zoe Ball, BBC Radio 2
“Utterly, surreally brilliant.”
Mick Wall, Classic Rock Magazine.
Mandy’s vocals were so good, I could have been listening to Kate herself!’
Preston Heyman, Kate’s drummer”.
I do hope that the band can get back on the road. There are dates announced, but we may need to wait to get through the lockdown before any live gigs resume. It is a shame but, with many artists streaming gigs, maybe that is an option for Cloudbusting.
Lorrie Brown is another great tribute act. It seems that she offers something different to Baby Bushka, and Cloudbusting:
“We remember being captivated when unknown performer Kate Bush appeared on Top of the Pops singing a quirky song based on a book. The first thing you noticed back then was her completely original look and behaviour on stage. The song was almost secondary but it went on to become a legend, much like it's unprecedented singer. The rest, as they say, is history and KB went on to become a UK pop music Icon in her own lifetime.
Quite a challenge for any tribute performer, not least because of the original's amazing vocal range and tone. Step forward Lorrie Brown, who doesn't hold back from the challenge. Also gifted with incredible Vocal ability, Lorrie delivers the perfect, respectful tribute to the iconic singer. The show is a festival of Kate's greatest songs , all sung to perfection by Lorrie backed by her band, the Red Shoes.
All the hits are there from Wuthering through Wow to Symphony in Blue, the entire career of Kate is covered in this highly-polished and professionally presented show”.
One great Kate Bush tribute artist I have been aware of for a long time now is Sarah-Louise Young. You can follow her Twitter account for An Evening Without Kate Bush. She has an amazing passion for Kate Bush, and I think she is one of the U.K.’s finest Bush tribute acts. Like all those who perform Bush’s songs on the stage, Young does it in her own way and creates this unique and stunning universe! I know dates were booked for last year and cancelled, but I hope Young gets to perform her incredible show in 2021:
“Enter Strange Phenomena, howl with the The Hounds Of Love and dance on the moors with Wuthering Heights.
Kate’s not there, but you are.
From the makers of ‘Julie Madly Deeply’. But completely different.
Performer Sarah-Louise Young (Cabaret Whore, The Showstoppers, La Soiree) has teamed up with theatre maker Russell Lucas (Warped at VAULT Festival) to explore the music and mythology of one of the most influential voices in British music.
From releasing ‘Wuthering Heights’ at the age of 19 to selling out the Hammersmith Apollo nearly forty years later, Bush has always surprised and confounded her critics.
Through it all her fans have stayed strong. Young invites you to celebrate her songs with this unique and mind-blowing show”.
Another cool Kate Bush tribute band is Them Heavy People. Nadine leads the band:
“Nadine's passion for music has always played a huge part in her life and as early as five years old Nadine recalls her love for Kate Bush.
Nadine's pursuit for a singing career started thirteen years ago when she started her own Karaoke business. Singing the odd song or two Nadine was talent spotted by a theatre company who urged her to audition for an upcoming musical 'Masquerade' at The Prince of Wales Theatre. The audition was a success and she was offered the role as leading lady. Other roles followed.
In 2010 she joined a female vocal trio called 'The Rubys' , entertaining pubs and clubs around Staffordshire and The Midlands. Nadine loved to sing the odd Kate Bush song because as she recalls "I loved her music and found her songs easy to sing".
Nadine's ability to sing those 'HIGH notes' and her uncanny vocal resemblance to Kate became a talking point in clubland.
Nadine still sings with 'The Rubys' but her true passion is being part of 'Them Heavy People' where she can sing her favourite songs from her favourite artist Kate Bush”.
“Them Heavy People have been performing as a Kate Bush tribute in the current line up since February 2016, although the band spent a year in another guise before this. Nadine has been a fan of Kate since her early childhood, as her mother was a big fan, and she has been bought up listening to Kate. The band are keen to replicate Kate's songs as accurately as possible, although this is no easy task, given that Kate did a lot of production work in the creation of her songs. Great care has been taken in the rehearsal process to bring Kate's songs alive (many of which have never been performed by Kate herself in a live situation), and samples of some of the actual records have been used to give authentic sounds on the keyboards. Nadine has an uncanny vocal resemblance to Kate, using her natural voice to give note perfect renditions of classic hits, album tracks and fan favourites. Backed by seasoned professionals under the musical direction of Dave on the Bass, the band never fail to delight audiences with their interpretations that closely resemble the original recordings. The show has a strong visual element, using projections behind the band, as well as many iconic costumes that all come together to bring a show that is very close to seeing the real Kate herself. 'A must-see for any Kate fans’”.
When it comes to artists and tribute acts, they can vary in quality. It is hard to emulate Bush’s vocals and style, so that might explain why there is not a surge of tribute acts. I wanted to highlight a few great ones, just to show you how various people are representing Bush on the stage. Let’s hope that they all get to perform at some point this year but, if I have missed any out, then let me know. I hope that Baby Bushka can keep going and ride the pandemic. I know that Cloudbusting will want to keep going and deliver some gigs this year. Some may say that it is sacrilege copying Kate Bush or trying to be her, but there is real affection from her tribute artists. Nobody is really trying to be her; instead, we get these different forms and takes that is really interesting. Although the U.K. and U.S. have premier Kate Bush tribute acts, I would be interested to see if there are others in countries like Australia. We often think about the artists who are inspired by Bush, but not often about artists performing her music and, in their own way, paying tribute to a true hero. I love the Kate Bush tribute acts that are out there but, with her music reaching more people and her popularity building, I wonder if we will see any more…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Forster/ANL/REX/Shutterstock
FORMED very soon.