FEATURE:
During The Tour of Life…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in Amsterdam in 1979 during The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Shultz
Kate Bush in Amsterdam
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I have often written about…
PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Shultz
various aspects of Kate Bush’s career when it comes to travel and certain nations. I have written about her time in Japan in 1978. There was also the time she promoted Hounds of Love in the U.S. in 1985. Even if Bush did not travel for promotion a whole deal after 1979, that particular year was quite a busy and itinerant one for Bush. One of the most interesting stops on The Tour of Life was when she was in Amsterdam. On 29th April, 1979, Bush played Carré Theatre. The previous night, she was performing at the Congress Center Hamburg in the then-West Germany. The Tour of Life started on 2nd April, 1979 with a warm-up gig in Poole. Until that 29th April date, Bush and her crew had barely had a break. On 13th April, she played Edinburgh, before travelling to London to play on 16th. That was her first break. Another one occurred after 29th April. It would not be until 2nd May when she was back in West Germany. I often wonder about the schedule and planning, as Bush nipped back to West Germany after performing there. I wonder whether a string of dates could have been planned to avoid the back and forth, but I guess that is the way touring planning and logistics go! The Tour of Life ended on 14th May. That was preceded with a pretty relentless string of gigs – including her playing Frankfurt on 10th May, before her date in London on 12th May.
PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Shultz
I think that her time in Amsterdam was very interesting. I think that a slight rest after the Amsterdam gig on 29th April, 1979 was a good idea. On 24th, 26th, 28th and 29th April, In the Warm Room, Kite, Oh England My Lionheart, and Wuthering Heights were dropped from the set because Bush was suffering from a throat infection. After such intense performances and travel, she couldn’t have got much rest. Together with interviews and these huge performances, I wanted to focus on Amsterdam. Even though she was tired and her voice was suffering a bit, there are these incredible photos of her that caught my eye. Barry Schultz is someone who snapped Bush when she was in Amsterdam in 1979. As you can see from his portfolio, he did photo Bush when she visited Amsterdam in 1979. There are great shots of her arriving at the airport in Schiphol. Bush looks relaxed and irresistibly cool in these airport shots! In other snaps, she is pictured walking around Amsterdam. One of the greatest items in the Bush wardrobe for my money, she wear a colourful cardigan, knee-length red boots and jeans. There are other promotional images of her in Amsterdam. I especially love the live shots that Schultz captured when Bush played her only gig in the Netherlands. Despite some vocal soreness and undoubted tiredness, she looks as captivated, committed, and professional as ever. I do wonder whether we will ever see more photos or a book from The Tour of Life. Bush’s outfits alone are worth of more investigation and spotlighting!
PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Shultz
I wanted to return to The Tour of Life one more time for a couple of reasons. I was eager to highlight her time in Amsterdam and the fact that she looked so cool, chic, yet grounded and herself. The final date of 14th May, 1979 must have been both a relief and sad. Before a home audience in London, it was the finale of a triumphant live spectacle – the likes of which the music world has never witnessed! Barry Schultz helped to document Bush’s time in Amsterdam, but there are other photos which I wanted to get to the bottom of. Whereas some sources say they were taken in 1978 – as I understand Bush might have visited Amsterdam that year after the release of Wuthering Heights -, there are others that say it is 1979. Is this the same time as she was performing at Carré on 29th April? The reason I bring up the name Claude Vanheye is because of how different the shots were compared to that Schultz took. A series of photos of Kate Bush wearing Fong Leng outfits are iconic. I think Bush had become more savvy and selective when it came to photo sessions and who she worked with. An infamous 'bondage' photo first appeared in Record Mirror in April 1978. As written in Fred & Judy Vermorel's Kate Bush biography, Princess of Surburbia, Bush’s first manager Peter Lyster Todd tried to get the photo removed before publication. He offered £2000 to Record Mirror (declined) not to show a bondage-style picture ‘a smart Dutch photographer’ had ‘tricked’ her into posing for. Doing some digging, and it seems like that shot was actually taken by Vanheye during the same sessions. Wearing the same top as she did when shot riding a prop/fake dolphin (Bush dreamt of swimming with dolphins, so I think that she suggested the idea), maybe that is a 1978 session.
PHOTO CREDIT: Claude Vanheye
During the same session of the ‘bondage’ shot, the dolphins snaps and her wearing Fong Leng, there was another photo that grabs the eye. In spite of a slightly risqué shot making the press, I do think that was a bit of a wake-up when it came to who she worked with. Even though the photo in question is pretty innocuous and harmless, the press did jump on it. Working with photographers who sexualised her less, I am still intrigued by her work in Amsterdam and the images from that time. In an old feature, I highlighted a shot of Bush walking in a parking garage with a prop crocodile. Some called out the shot because they feel it is animal cruelty but, obviously, they did not get a crocodile from a local zoo, but a lead on it, and risk Bush being mauled or killed shooting in a parking garage whilst she was dressed in a Fong Leng dress! Like the dolphin, it must have been acquired from a prop store or shop. It does show her sense of humour and a juxtaposition. There is that elegance and class together with something snappier, cooler and a bit dangerous. Maybe keen to show a different side to her, it is a pity that a harmless enough shot of her overshadowed those sessions. I have dated those photos to 1979, but it may have been the case it was 1978. It would be good if someone could clarify that!
PHOTO CREDIT: Claude Vanheye
There are reputable sites that say 1979. It is a bit of a tough one. Whilst the ‘bondage’ image does seem to have surfaced in 1978, you think that the Vanheye shots would have been taken when she was touring in Amsterdam. Some clarification would be nice. The photo session was scheduled for thirty minutes, but Bush sent away her entourage and stayed for six hours. Vanheye’s photographs of Bush were used on the Japanese 7" single for Symphony in Blue, and in the unofficial boxset, Never Forever. I will wrap it up. Many do not know that Bush was in Amsterdam and there are quite a few photographs of her there. It renews my calls for some sort of book or exhibition where we can see shots of her from The Tour of Life and the images taken on and off stage. It was a fascinating time. On 29th April, 1979, Kate Bush played in Amsterdam. I love the shots Barry Schultz took, as we get to see her at the airport and coming to the country. We also see her on the streets and blending in. There is also those stage shots of her in her element and in a very different setting. Seeing those different sides to Kate Bush is fascinating. She looks so comfortable and cool in his presence. Only twenty when the shots were taken, this was as young woman who had two studio albums under her belt and was on the road on her first (and only) tour. It must have been quite an intense and scary time, but there was also a lot of fun and chances to see different parts of the world. I can imagine Bush bonding with Amsterdam and feeling relaxed. I imagine that she…
PHOTO CREDIT: Barry Shultz
LOVED the vibe there.