FEATURE:
Kate Bush: The Tour of Life
IN THIS PHOTO: Del Palmer and Kate Bush performing in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: ZIK Images/United Archives via Getty Images
When Kate and Del Met
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ONE of the most interesting…
IN THIS PHOTO: Del Palmer and Kate Bush in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images
chapters in Kate Bush’s life is when she met Del Palmer. We sadly lost him in January at the age of seventy-one. It was a huge shock for the Kate Bush fan community. One of the most important people in her life, he was almost like family. The two were friends and colleagues for well over forty years. It was an amazing bond. In addition to Palmer playing on most of Kate Bush’s albums, he was also her engineer for years. A pivotal rock and comfort during some very tough times in Bush’s life, I get the feeling that they were both different and similar. Able to bounce ideas off of one another and deflect each other’s stress. When Bush was working tirelessly during recording of The Dreaming and it was released in 1982, Palmer would have been a huge support. Both of them working very closely on that album. Their collaboration continued on and you could tell how essential their chemistry was during 1985’s Hounds of Love. Palmer was Bush’s musician and engineer right up until her most recent album, 2011’s 50 Words for Snow. You know, if he were still with us, they would be working on something together. I hear lots of stories about Palmer. How he has turned up meet fans at local events and conventions. Perhaps spurred on by Kate Bush, everyone says how down-to-Earth he was. A regular person who was great to be around and really connected with people. Palmer was proud of working with Kate Bush and performed in a tribute band dedicated to her. He was featured in multiple interview and documentaries. This was someone that was woven into the fabric of Kate Bush’s career and life.
IN THIS PHOTO: Del Palmer in 1993
I know that I wrote about Del Palmer this year after he died. I was keen to mark his life and react to that tragic and unexpected news. It is clear how much he is missed. It is so hard to talk about Kate Bush and her music without mentioning Del Palmer. The story of how they met and how their relationship blossomed is fascinating. Again, a nod and salute to Graeme Thomson and his biography, Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush. His writing about how Kate Bush and Del Palmer met is engrossing and vivid. That first spark and curiosity began when Palmer was rehearsing with Kate Bush. They played together in the KT Bush Band. Playing a string of gigs around London and the South. They enjoyed a brief career playing pubs and clubs prior to Bush stepping into the studio to complete recording of The Kick Inside in 1977. When Bush was still a teenager, there was this bond and connection between her and Del Palmer. Palmer had an attraction to Bush when they rehearsed at Greenwich Baths. That intrigue. Fellow bandmates Brian Bath and Vic King remember talking about a gig at Lewisham’s Black Cat. Suspecting something might be happening between Bush and Palmer. Neither thought they would be a long-lasting thing. From Palmer and Bush playing together and socialising at the Bush family home at East Wickham Farm, life on the road – a local circuit – brought them closer together.
When they came together and started to turn their working relationship into a romantic one, Bush was eighteen and Palmer was twenty-four. In spite of the age gap, there was no real issue and judgment. Bush was very mature and Palmer was a good influence. Not someone who was taking advantage. Bush was always attracted to older men. That feeling was that anyone close to Kate Bush was too subjective. Everything she does was great. Maybe her father – who she would often play songs to when she was first writing tracks – would have some constructive feedback but, mostly, I think her family were too close and lacked objectivity. Del Palmer was very fond of Kate Bush, though he was an outsider who could see any minor flaws and make suggestions. That could cause some blowback and tension. Kate Bush never too comfortable hearing anything negative about her. Someone exposing some of her weaknesses. From the glowing positivity she got from her family, it must have been strange hearing some more balanced feedback. That honesty from Del Palmer was maybe a shock at first. Bush used Palmer’s critique and opinions professionally. Relying on him as a sounding board and trusted friend, you can trace that long and natural relationship back to the very start. Bush said she could not find young men attractive. Palmer was very different to Bush’s inner circle and family. He was this loveable and straight-talking guy who swore a lot and liked fast cars. It seems like a mismatch, though there was this contrast that worked really well! They had a lot of common. Palmer, such a fan of Bush’s work, was as interested in Bush professionally and as an artist as he was romantically.
I often think about them meeting. Sort of finding each other through mutual friends. Those first gigs as part of the KT Bush Band. I can imagine Bush being naturally attracted to Del Palmer because of his humour, kindness and directness. Not in a bad way. Someone who respected Bush and did not want to lie. He was fascinated by her incredible talent. Not many women leading bands in the late-1970s. A beguiling and original artist, the two had this easy and strong bond. That grew and developed through the years. From Del Palmer being in her band, he then assumed more responsibility when it came to Kate Bush’s music. Both of them side by side in the studio for years and then, when they spent hours honing tracks and spending all that time together, they would hang out as a couple. Quite private, the fact that they did not have any major fallouts (apart from the odd bigger row) during their time together speaks volumes. Kate Bush’s songs are so positive towards men. I think part of that has to do with Del Palmer. This very supportive and dedicated partner and fellow artist. As one of the most important people in her life, I don’t think we saw the full range of grief Bush experienced this year when we learned of Palmer’s death.
The private turmoil. All of those memories. Rather than make this morbid, I think about the great moments they had together. The videos of Bush’s Palmer appeared in. The photos and times when they were at Kate Bush fan conventions together. One of the most crucial moments in Kate Bush’s career (and life) was when she and Del Palmer met. Now that he has gone, I am not sure we will get to know the details and full story. How they both really felt. They broke up in the late-1980s – though some sources say later – but remained good friends. When Bush’s mother died in 1992, Palmer was still there for her and was seen in public with Bush. Their friendship and closeness remained long after they broke up. Her trusted right-hand man and one of the few people she trued around her music, we all still miss Del Palmer. Let’s not get sad and sombre. Instead, let’s cast our mind back to the 1977 and the two on a small stage somewhere in London before things really exploded. The feelings and thoughts in both of their heads. Neither knowing they would fall for each other and spend decades in each other’s lives. To have seen them as part of The KT Bush Band. It must have been thrilling and awe-inspiring…
PHOTO COMPOSITE: Kate Bush News
TO have been there.