FEATURE:
Kate Bush at Sixty-Four
PHOTO CREDIT: Alamy
Kate Bush at the BBC: Honouring One of the Most Innovative and Important Artists Ever
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THIS Saturday (30th July)…
is the sixty-fourth birthday of the one and only Kate Bush. I have been racking my brains to think of a feature that I could write to celebrate that. Rather than repeat myself, I wanted to look ahead to Saturday and a very exciting evening of television. For a long time, I (and many fans) have been asking when the BBC will dedicate a night to the magnificent and hugely loved Bush. Some might say that Kate Bush is not worthy of a whole evening about her. I would disagree. As an artist she has influenced so many others. She has touched millions of fans around the world and made a huge difference to so many. In terms of her music, it is like nothing else. Given the fact Stranger Things helped propel Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) to the top of the charts, she is being introduced to a new audience. This line of programmes is a perfect opportunity for new fans to dive deeper into Bush’s work and live performances, in addition to it being a long-overdue tribute and salute to someone who has shaped the music world enormously. The festivities and celebration begin at 7 p.m. on BBC Two when there is a Top of the Pops 1978: Big Hits special. It includes a lot of artists, but it will also include Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights. This is a good start, as it takes us back to the start of her career and her debut single. From her very first performances on the series, she was captivating and hugely engaging! At a time when performances were quite ordinary and routine, Bush was so different, memorable, and refreshing.
Then there is the must-see Kate Bush at the BBC. In terms of what you can expect, the Radio Times describe it thus: “A compilation of the singer's performances at the BBC's studios between 1978 and 1994. Bush appeared on a variety of programmes, including Top of the Pops, Wogan, Ask Aspel, Saturday Night at the Mill and the Leo Sayer Show. Featuring the hits Wuthering Heights, Babooshka, Running Up That Hill and Hounds of Love, as well as intriguing and lesser-known material”. Spanning quite a few years of her career, it will be fascinating to see those interviews and performances. Bush has been interviewed on BBC shows a lot through her career. It is going to be a great one-hour show. A compilation of her most brilliant moments at the BBC, it is one of these shows that will live through the years. I have seen all of the interviews, but it is going to be awesome seeing them all together. This is something that you will want to watch and get involved with. From the Top of the Pops performances to a collection of chats at the BBC, a perfect introduction to a very busy night for Kate Bush fans!
A documentary that was originally broadcast in 2014, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill, is on at 9 p.m. Here is the synopsis: “Documentary exploring the singer-songwriter's career and music from her 1978 debut single Wuthering Heights to her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow with testimony from collaborators, fellow artists inspired by her work and fans. Featuring David Gilmour, the guitarist who discovered Bush, as well as Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Stephen Fry, Outkast's Big Boi and Steve Coogan”. I have provided my thoughts on the documentary. I like the fact that it was made, yet it is to short at only an hour. I also think we could do with an updated documentary about her. This being said, the documentary fits nicely into the range of shows featuring Kate Bush. A chance to hear musicians and celebrity fans talk bout Kate Bush and the impact that she has made on her. Importantly, we get to discover more about Bush’s career and what makes her so special. Even if there is not enough depth and expansive investigation of her career, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill is a great starting point for new fans – and it may well encourage the BBC to commission another documentary about Bush!
The final show about her is Bush’s 1979 Christmas Special. Kate Bush at the BBC 1979 was a Christmas ‘live’ (the vocals were pre-recorded and then mimed during the performances) event in the same year that The Tour of Life brought this new artists to the masses around the U.K. and Europe. This is what we can expect: “A Christmas special from 1979 in which the musician performs songs including Gymnopedie No 1, Symphony in Blue, Them Heavy People, Madrigal, December, Wedding List, Egypt, Ran Tan Waltz, Man with the Child in His Eyes and Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbreak. Peter Gabriel joins Kate for a rendition of Another Day and sings Here Comes the Flood”. It is a great show that includes some memorable performances from her friend, Peter Gabriel. The routines are brilliant, and it is always so captivating watching Kate Bush perform live. Including songs that would appear on her 1980 album, Never for Ever, it would have been tantalising to watch in 1979! Getting these new songs and renditions of better-known ones was such a treat for fans. Maybe not as striking and essential as The Tour of Life, Bush’s Christmas show is a rare and unique insight into an artist who, so soon into her career was already commanding such respect. This is something that you will need to tune into, as it provides some brilliant moments! Saturday (30th July) is the sixty-fourth birthday of one of music’s beloved and incredibly special artists. I am glad that there are these shows specially dedicated to her on her birthday. After a year where she has gained new resurgence and fans, it is a perfect time to spotlight her on the BBC. These programmes give great variety and understanding of an amazing human being! Whether you are a new convert to Kate Bush or have been a fan from the very start, cancel any other plans for this Saturday! For her sixty-fourth birthday, the BBC is honouring…
THE Queen of music.