FEATURE:
The 1,000th
Why Kate Bush Remains So Important to Me
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BEFORE talking about…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris
Kate Bush and why she I continue to write about her, there are a couple of special things that I need to mention. This is going to be the 1,000th feature about her I publish. Even though I have yet to share quite a few features published before this one, I wanted to get this one out now. On Saturday, 21st June, I am embarking on a charity walk to raise money for Refuge. My fundraising page is here. One of the reason why I am raising money for Refuge is because domestic violence is an epidemic and crisis in the United Kingdom. More women are dying by suicide rather than homicide when it comes to domestic violence. The rise in violence against women is rising and so many women and children are displaced as a result of domestic violence. It can often lead to homelessness. Refuge is there to provide support for thousands of women and children. Empowering them. What I plan to do on 21st June is start off from East Wickham Farm in Welling. That is where Kate Bush lived as a child and into her teens. I plan to walk to 214 Oxford Street. This is where AIR Studios used to be located. Kate Bush travelled there in June 1975 for a professional recording session under the guidance and mentorship of David Gilmour. Whilst there, she recorded three songs. Two of those, The Man with the Child in His Eyes and The Saxophone Song would appear (unchanged) on her 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside. That fiftieth anniversary is important. I am not sure of the exact date in June 1975 she was there, though I was just important for me to do something. Such an important anniversary and moment in her career. The then-sixteen-year-old recording the first songs for her monumental debut album. Rather than do this standalone as a personal endeavour, I wanted to bring in Refuge. A charity that I have raised money for previously, it is hugely important to put them in the spotlight. As you will see from my fundraising page, there are links to news stories and reports that talk about the rise in domestic violence and the impact that is having on women and children. A desperate time where awareness and funds need to be raised for charities like Refuge.
By the time I complete the walk in June, I hope to hit my fundraising target at least (£350). Ideally, I would like to raise a lot more. I know how tough times are for so many, so I am not expecting everyone reading to donate. However, after publishing this feature and having promoted and discussed Kate Bush’s music for over thirteen years now, I know there are people out there who follow me that will want to be involved. I must say, before I go on, that number, 1,000, is a best/exhausted guess. I publish on Squarespace and unfortunately there seems to be no function where you can see how many posts you have published. I have published thousands of features and, when it came to separating Kate Bush features out to get an accurate number, I had to count it manually. That meant going into the site and typing ‘Kate Bush’; starting with the oldest feature and scrolling slowly up the page and counting. I had a couple of failed attempts as the concentration needed was immense (it turns you insane after a while!). You can easily lose count. On the third or fourth try I manage to make it to the top. It was well into the eight-hundreds by that point. I then kept a tally on a Word document and worked up to 1,000. Someone in years to come might notice an overcounting or inaccuracy but, as accurately as I can determine, this is my 1,000th Kate Bush feature. I wanted to use this feature to talk about why, at the age of forty-one, Kate Bush is more important to me than ever. When she came into my life. To the best of my (spotty) recollection, it was not long after 1987. Kate Bush’s greatest hits, The Whole Story, came out as an album in 1986. There was a VHS release the following year. The beautiful cover photo was taken by her brother, John Carder Bush. I think it was the Wuthering Heights video that was included that truly opened my eyes. Made me think about music in a whole new way. I am not sure who I was into at that age (about four) but it must have been a combination of what was on the radio and my parents’ music. Kate Bush was like nothing I had heard to that point. I was aware of The Kick Inside when I was young and Them Heavy People especially. I think I first heard that when I was in primary school. Maybe years later when I discovered the rest of her work.
As a child, it was the unusualness and originality of the music that moved me. Not conventional or obviously commercial, this was more artistic, expressionist and unusual. I never set out to write about Kate Bush and make it a regular thing - honestly! When I set up this blog in 2011, it was around about the time that she released her most recent studio album, 50 Words for Snow (21st November). I started out writing about other artists. Doing short reviews, interviews and that sort of thing. Kate Bush slowly crept into the mix. Recognising she was someone who was important to me but was not being widely discussed at that point, maybe I was putting out one feature about her every week or more. Not regularly. It is only since 2020 when things accelerated. Perhaps the last few years where I have ramped it up. Publishing three or four features about her a week. I was excited when I past the nine-hundred mark. Knowing that I would not take long to get to that big number: the 1,000th. Now it is here, I intent to keep going. Maybe it will take a very long time until I get to the 2,000th. It is an exciting new stage in Kate Bush’s career. The past few years have seen her reissue her albums and be involved in various interviews – the most recent being the 2024 interview with Emma Barnett for the Today programme. There was the amazing Little Shrew (Snowflake) video that Bush conceived and directed. That was to raise funds for War Child and help children displaced and affected by war and violence. Kate Bush being so charity-minded helped inspire me to do something extra and big to celebrate publishing a thousand features about her. I know she has never read anything I have written about her - and she has no idea who I am! Although, somewhere down the line, it would be nice to think that I am on her radar. That something I have written makes its way to her. That dream of interviewing her will never happen. Another dream would be being tasked to announce a new album and single from her on a station like BBC Radio 6 Music. She has said she’s open to working on new material, so we may get that announcement in the next couple of years!
Why write so prolifically about Kate Bush?! Some people think it is mad or impossible to be so constantly passionate about her, considering she has not released new music since 2011…and, perhaps, is not seen as relevant and contemporary. The thing is, it does not matter when she releases music. Such is the strength and uniqueness of her music that it is being discussed by new generations. In the last few years, several of her songs have appeared in film and T.V. From Stranger Things (Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), 2022) to The Bear (The Morning Fog, 2024), she has been brought to the small (and big) screen. Artists such as CMAT and The Last Dinner Party have covered her songs. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) surprised a billion streams on Spotify in 2023. When a new album does come out, this will ignite an explosion of new interest and affection. Her songs are constantly shared on social media. Used in TikTok videos. There are articles and magazine articles written about her. Books written about her and, thanks to the Kate Bush Fan Podcast, episodes that explore her work and people she has worked with. Authors like Graeme Thomson, Leah Kardos and Tom Doyle illuminating her life and work. Websites like Kate Bush News keeping all her fans up-to-date with happenings and developments. Kate Bush is very much relevant and contemporary. She is raising funds for various charities; reissuing her albums so they reach new people. She was Record Store Day Ambassador (in the U.K.) in 2024. At the age of sixty-six, this iconic artist continues to engage with her fans and be present – without being seen as such. Her music has lost none of its potency and perfection. Her albums do not sound dated or of their time. You can feel so many artists today following in her footsteps. As a producer, Bush very much inspiring so many women. She kicked open doors. For me, writing about her not only ensures that I can reach people who may not have heard of Kate Bush; there is this opportunity to shine a light on albums, songs and events that are either rarely discussed (or haven’t been at all). I am not sure who has published the most words about Kate Bush ever, but I bow to these informative websites like Gaffaweb and the Kate Bush Encyclopedia.
There is still so much to discuss and cover! Even though I have repeated subjects and features over the course of thirteen years – as you would expect -, I always find it so important to do so. Making sure that this amazing work is discussed as much as possible. But trying to keep things fresh too. In years to come, I hope to do some podcast episodes about Kate Bush. I don’t think I will ever write a book because, as a writer, I don’t think I have that skill and would write a decent book. I also worry about making errors and not being able to edit them. I am happier doing a blog where I can write when I like and edit instantly. Also, there are other Kate Bush-related projects and ideas that appeal to me more. It is emotional and wonderful to reach a milestone. To get to the 1,000th feature! Also, it was paramount that I used this feature as a moment to share the charity fundraiser in June. To talk about Refuge and the crucial work they do. As soon as I realised that June marks fifty years since Bush stepped into AIR Studios and recorded songs that would appear on The Kick Inside. I can only imagine what that experience was like. A young Kate Bush maybe being driven down there and being nervous. Coming back after the session(s) and the feelings she had. It was a momentous occasion! A time (June 1975) when many people did not know about Kate Bush. I wanted to honour that by walking from East Wickham Farm to Oxford Street. Also raise money for Refuge in the process. Thanks go to everyone who has read, liked, shared and commented on my Kate Bush features. I hope I have created new fans of Kate Bush in the process! Helped turn people onto songs or albums they might not have known about. Despite some factual errors along the way – I am always learning things about her! -, I would like to think this body of work is quite authoritative and accurate. Her music gives me so much comfort and helps me through some tough time. She inspires me in so many ways, and I love how she broke records, released masterpiece albums and battled through sexism, misogyny and being written off by many. In 2025, someone rightly hailed as a genius and pioneer. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, there is no denying the fact Kate Bush is one of the most important artists ever. From here, I am looking forward to what comes next from Kate Bush. Whether a new album comes first or she announces something else – Hounds of Love turns forty in September -, it is a terrific time to be a Kate Bush fan! All the love to those who have supported me through the years. I hope to write about Kate Bush for…
DECADES more.