FEATURE:
The Original Red Shoes…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
Will We See a Kate Bush Memorabilia Auction in 2026?
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THERE are a lot of questions…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2011 in a promotional for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
and theories I am going to put forth when it comes to Kate Bush in 2026. I shall not expand on this here, as I am will do so in another feature, but next year is going to be a quieter one regarding Kate Bush. In terms of album anniversaries and big events, there is not as much potential as there was this year. However, I have been thinking of non-album events and anything connected with Kate Bush. I have written about Kate Bush in terms of an exhibition or museum. How you should have this exhibition that celebrates her work. Kate Bush is a big David Bowie fan and has been since she was a child. Bowie has had this V&A exhibition and celebration. Spotlighting this icon and his incredible legacy. Maybe she would find that too exposing. However, I do think there is scope to have a photo exhibition or something bigger. However, I don’t think it is the case that there is nothing in the vaults. Kate Bush has ac auctioned stuff before, though it tends to be signed stuff. Occasionally, you get rarities and things that have not seen the light before. In terms of memorabilia, you can go to auction sites and find signed things and rarities too. Not a lot that would really stand out. I mean like set designs from The Tour of Life (1979) or anything from her video shoots. I can’t believe that everything has been destroyed or given away. I do feel like there is this archive or artefacts and incredible things that could raise much-needed money for charity. I am thinking more in terms of costumes and possessions that appeared during her career but that time has passed. Perhaps Kate Bush would see this too as exposing, but as it would be for charity and she could make money for incredible causes, I am curious why this has not been done before.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979 during The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Rob Verhorst/Redferns
In a previous feature, I have asked whether outfits from photoshoots or things that appeared in The Tour or Life were kept. You imagine they must be somewhere. Look at the music videos through the years, and you can see all of these amazing visuals. Whether it is the set or what Kate Bush is wearing, has everything been given away? Most artists have relatives or estates that do keep stuff like this. Rarer recordings or things that have not been announced. It is great that Kate Bush will sign albums and that can raise money, though fans would probably bid more for something more oriignal and deeper. It would not be this lurid thing, fans vying for outfits and costumes. As Kate Bush will probably not have enough in storage where there could be this Bowie-like exhibition, surely there are a few things that she has kept aside that could raise money. For me and so many others, it is a chance to own a piece of Kate Bush history. She has remastered and reissued albums. Perhaps the priority is on that side of things. However, Kate Bush has not really given much away when it comes to anything personal outside of music. The average fan might not be able to afford many of the artists that would be auctioned. However, we have this visual and audio archive on Kate Bush and you sort of wonder whether anything physical remains. If there is nothing in the vaults regarding unheard music or outtakes, does Bush have a similar attitude when it comes to memorabilia and artefacts? Not wanting to put anything out there that is not authorised or complete.
Kate Bush is a huge supporter of charities like Crisis and War Child. She has raised money for the latter recently, and I believe she will want to keep this going into next year. How will she do that? She could sign some albums, though I feel like this has been done enough and it seems a bit basic. Also, and maybe I am alone, but I do not find an autographed album that exciting. It is a lot of money to spend on something with a squiggle on it. However, a unique piece of clothing, set or anything related to Kate Bush is much more tantalising. If next year is going to be a very quiet one, I think that Kate Bush will think about charity and something bigger. Maybe this has been done before, though I have been looking on search engines and trying to find something. Maybe back in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, there were these times when fans could get their hands on some Kate Bush memorabilia. Beyond the T-shirts, albums and signed things. I don’t have a specific list, yet there are items I hope exist that I would love to bid on. I mentioned The Tour of Life, so any of these costumes or, better, designs or even original programmes would be really amazing. I love the hat Bush was wearing in the Them Heavy People video. I think it is a fedora. As that was nearly fifty years ago, you would imagine that has been disposed. You hope that Bush had foresight that she needs to keep some of this stuff but has never talked about it. A lock-up or somewhere these items have been stored. Even as recent as 2014’s Before the Dawn. For those who were not there – including me -, there are items from that residency that would be great to own. I do wonder where it all goes, and my fear is that a lot has been destroyed. However, Kate Bush is full of surprises and you can never say for sure that she would not have kept things that could be auctioned. War Child would benefit hugely if there was this memorabilia auction. Let’s hope, next year, that some of these wonderful items…
COME to light.