FEATURE:
The Empty Bullring
Where Do New Discovers of Kate Bush Begin?
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THIS feature will also double up…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993
as a Christmas gift guide. I have written before how Kate Bush has a generation of new fans. Not only does she have a wave of new young listeners. There are people of all ages that have found her work through the past few years. Given how we might not know whether a new album will arrive next year, there might be a bit of a wait for the next chapter. How she follows 2011’s 50 Words for Snow. In the meantime, how do you engage fans who are finding an artist who has not released new music in fourteen years? I will start out with the gift side of things. Obviously, there is Kate Bush’s Shop on her website, and you can find reissues of her studio albums. If you only know her for a few songs and do not have too much content, then it can be hard to navigate and decide what to buy. In terms of merchandise, you will buy only what you think you need, though the Hounds of Love T-shirts are a good starting point. An item that is popular with fans and concerns her best-known and popular album. When it comes to the remastered albums, that is really down to you. I would say to go and stream her albums. Many might go for Hounds of Love, but I would say a good starting point is her earlier albums. Invest in one of those on vinyl and then you can work from there. Whether that is her debut, 1978’s The Kick Inside, or you jump to 1980’s Never for Ever (her third album), you will get a sense of where she came from. This year has seen big anniversaries for Hounds of Love (forty) and Aerial (twenty). Kate Bush has not given any interviews this year, though she did speak with Emma Barnett late last year and opened up the possibilities of new work. In terms of the choice of interviews and what best to listen to, there is so much out there. I would spend time on YouTube and type in ‘Kate Bush interview’ and work your way through. However, that 2024 interview is wonderful.
A lot of new fans might not have heard Kate Bush speak. Their frame of reference might be 1985 and Hounds of Love. Hearing the modern-day Kate Bush in her sixties provides new context and avenues. How she speaks now and where she is in life. It may be jarring to jump between time periods regarding interviews. Whilst you cannot cover them all, again, go back to her earliest chats. 1978-1980 provides these fascinating glimpse into a young artist who was having to navigate the industry and was facing discrimination, sexism and often mockery. The way she composes herself and how professional she is. Viewing these interviews is free, so you can spend a lot of time doing that. I will return to this later. Continuing the buying guide, I will finish with five books that I feel are essential. You probably won’t be able to afford all of them in one go, so I would say start with Graeme Thomson’s Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush. Leah Kardos’s 33 1/3 book about Hounds of Love is an essential guide and dissection of Kate Bush’s biggest and most successful album. I would also say go and get Tom Doyle’s Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush. Both biographers take different approaches, and you will get a complete portrait of Kate Bush reading both. Also go and get Homeground: The Kate Bush Magazine: Anthology Two: The Red Shoes to 50 Words for Snow. You could also get the first volume but, if you invest in one, maybe bringing things more up to date is best. A photobook that was compiled by her brother, John Carder Bush, KATE: Inside the Rainbow. There are other books I could recommend but, as a stating point, I think this is a good place to start. I have highlighted these books many times, but I stand by that, as they are well worth getting and tell you so much about Kate Bush.
With text, photos and music are your disposal, you can begin your Kate Bush experience. Going beyond Hounds of Love and what most people focus on, you will get a broader understanding of her and her music. However, there are also essential fan sites like Gaffaweb, Kate Bush News and the Kate Bush Encyclopedia. Again, I have highlighted all of this before. I realise that every fan will be different. In terms of what they are looking for and their budget. I would say buying merchandise and books is not the most important thing. Invest in a biography if you want to get a book, and you will get a great overview and impression of Kate Bush. Learning quite a lot. Not every album will appeal to you, so do a bit of research first. Read reviews of her studio albums and listen to a few of the songs from each on YouTube. Then, you will be in a better place to decide what is right. I have said how going back to the start is best, though there is nothing wrong with starting with The Sensual World (1989) or The Red Shoes (1993). There are a lot of resources out there. Archive interviews, features and discussion pieces. Reading as much as this is a great way of getting to the heart of Kate Bush. Utilising a site such as YouTube. Whilst you wait for your book to arrive and maybe have decided which album to buy, check out the archives. You won’t manage everything, but spending a week or so dipping into interviews, live performances and other Kate Bush stuff is a real treat. It can all seem a bit daunting but, if you get into this routine of looking at a few videos a week or so, over time, you get this build. Create playlist on YouTube and add videos to them. If you are on Apple, you can buy songs and albums there, so you can have this digital library too.
Connected to this, I have been thinking about how there are a lot of new Kate Bush fans. There is nothing really that connects them. We are on social media, though you are not seeing or talking to each other. Other artists and bands have fan websites and they have conventions. There will be forums they can go to and interact. Listening parties of their albums. Not much like that for Kate Bush and her fan community. 2026 might be a year when we need to unite existing and new Kate Bush fans. Whether that is a digital fanclub organising a big convention or event where we can all get together, or some album streaming parties, I do think that the time is now. How Kate Bush is writing and planning new music, a perfect moment for the fans to get together. There are also some brilliant Kate Bush tribute acts like An Evening Without Kate Bush that I would suggest seeing, as it is a great night out! Fan websites like Kate Bush News and Kate Bush Community. Also check out the Kate Bush Fan Podcast. If you are on social media, seek out fellow Kate Bush fans and connect with them. Next year is going to be an interesting one. In terms of whether there will be an album anniversary or not. It is a moment when her fanbase is growing so much. I wonder whether we will get any new books or what might be offered up. If you are fresh to Kate Bush and need some guidance and steer, I hope what I have shared is a good starting point. Let’s hope that there is something launched that unites fans and we can all get together. I have pitched an event where people can discuss Kate Bush and there can be talks, interviews and pieces read. A convention where her work is discussed by different people through writing and videos/podcasts. That would be fascinating. It is great to welcome new fans to Kate Bush. It is thew greatest experience with an artist…
YOU will ever have!