FEATURE:
Say, If I Only Could
Thinking of Lightroom’s David Bowie: You’re Not Alone and a Kate Bush Equivalent
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ALTHOUGH I have…
pitched ideas in other features about Kate Bush, I do think that there is scope for more examination of her work. In a deeper way. Recently I attended David Bowie: You’re Not Alone. It runs at London’s Lightroom until October. It is their first installation dedicated to music. It has received some amazing reviews. This is what Uncut said when they attended:
“Given the density of material, it’s probably worth experiencing the film more than once. The visual and sonic information comes thick and fast. A loose narrative is provided by Bowie himself, speaking in clips drawn from various interviews, while the imagery seeks to evoke the eras or ideas he describes: memories of neon‑soaked Soho, reflections on his many characters, or his anger at the inevitability of death.
These visual sections are imaginative and lavishly realised. When Bowie talks about his childhood, we are dropped into his bedroom in 1950s London, surrounded by piles of comics and John Wyndham paperbacks, before the camera drifts back through the front door and away from suburbia. Projected onto the three walls and floor, the effect is dizzying: like one of those old 360‑degree amusement‑park cinemas, except instead of a rollercoaster you are flying out of a Bromley terrace. Other locations are conjured similarly, from a paranoid, sleazy Berlin to the National Gallery, alongside reconstructions of Bowie’s stage performances at the Rainbow in 1972 and during the 1974 Diamond Dogs tour.
Music is almost constant, whether murmuring in the background or blasting out via concert and TV footage. A handful of songs are treated as extended set pieces, played more or less in full. The film opens with one of these: “Rebel Rebel”, performed in silhouette at one of Bowie’s final shows in 2004. This dissolves into the same song on the 1990 Sound+Vision tour, then Live Aid, before rewinding through earlier tours until it reaches Top Of The Pops in 1974. “Space Oddity” is handled in reverse, jumping from the frizzy‑haired newcomer of 1969 to the seasoned professional of 1990, where Bowie’s more muscular delivery transforms Major Tom from victim to pioneer. “Let’s Dance” and “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide” receive similarly luxuriant treatment, with single performances split across multiple screens to show Bowie, his band and the audience simultaneously. The sound system is superb: a thundering Earl’s Court performance of “Heroes” from 1976 is so immersive that Dennis Davis’s bass drum feels like a physical massage.
There are omissions and quibbles. Bowie speaks warmly of collaborators, yet Brian Eno is the only one named. Blackstar and Glastonbury are surprising absences; Tin Machine and Labyrinth less so. You’re Not Alone makes no claim to be comprehensive, and its tone is celebratory without being shallow. While the images and music are often breathtaking, the most indelible moments come from Bowie himself. The reason he remains such compelling biographical material — the reason Bowie is everywhere in 2026 — is his intelligence and self‑awareness. He is unusually articulate about his motivations, fascinations and failings, and often very funny, whether bumbling through an awkward Russell Harty interview or comparing himself to an emperor penguin or a grasshopper”.
I was at that installation and felt that it was a great way of bringing together interview archives and performances. There was a lot to pack in but, over the course of an hour, you do get this great insight into David Bowie. The installation blends together archives with animation and bespoke visuals. Like a title would appear on the screen and there would be all these effects. People were immersed and entranced. I have been thinking about Kate Bush and her work. Although there might not be as many clips of Bush performing live – perhaps miming but not as many actual live performances -, there is a lot of interview archive. Those music videos. I wonder whether these could ever be brought together at a space like Lightroom. What you would get is this career-spanning look at a true icon. Similarly with David Bowie, there could be these imaginative visuals. When Bush discusses her childhood and growing up. Her musical heroes (one of whom was Bowie). It could seem quite exposing, though surely Kate Bush has heard about David Bowie: You’re Not Alone. I have been looking at videos of her performances and interview clips. There is so much out there, and most of it is not know to people. I don’t think that they dig deep enough or are aware of all of this amazing archive. There are archives that are quite recent. Her interview from 2024 with Emma Barnett for the Today programme. The Little Shrew (Snowflake) video from that year. Bringing this together in an installation, I feel, would be hugely popular. I have pitched various exhibitions and things like this. Though I came away from the David Bowie installation and was stunned. The way it was presented and put together. I learned more about an artist who I feel I know quite a bit about.
Kate Bush is obviously a fan of David Bowie. In this interview from 2016, she remembered David Bowie (who died in January that year). In terms of her live work, you can tell that Bush was influenced by Bowie. She was there in 1973 for his final performance as Ziggy Stardust. That was at the Hammersmith Odeon. A venue that she performed in for 1979’s The Tour of Life and 2014’s Before the Dawn (the later was a twenty-two-date residency at that space):
“What contemporary artists do you admire?
I don't listen to a lot of contemporary music, especially when I'm working. I tend to watch films or do other stuff. But one of the most powerful things that I heard recently was Blackstar by Bowie. I thought it was beautiful. Very moving of course, but I think one of the best things he's ever done.
You wrote a beautiful tribute to Bowie after he passed away. What was your relationship with him like?
Well I was asked whether I would write something, and because he meant such a lot to me, I really felt moved to do so. He was one of my great heroes when I was growing up. He was such a brave artist, so unusual, and I loved his music. I met him a few times; he was really charming and playful. But I just sort of admired what he achieved creatively.
Bowie always challenged gender norms, which I think your work does too.
Oh, thank you. I think when I'm working creatively, I don't really think of myself of writing as a woman. I just think of writing as me, as a person, if that makes sense”.
With everything, it is whether Kate Bush would allow it. Though I was thinking of her career and music when seeing the Bowie installation. How there are all of these interviews and live performances that can be mixed together.
There is this huge modern-day influence too, so artists could talk about what she means to them. For anyone who is already a fan or may be new to her work, a Lightroom installation would be fabulous! They will already have lined up something else for their next installation but, down the tracks, you sort of think that a Kate Bush exhibition and show of love would prove popular. I guess a lot of people went to David Bowie: You Are Not Alone for the live videos. Those evolutions and his amazing sets. Kate Bush is an extraordinary live performer though, compared to Bowie, does she have the same impact and archive?! This might be the only drawback. Though there are so many interesting interview. Her story and upbringing is fascinating. There is plenty of scope and potential to have something put together. I think Kate Bush has this huge legacy. Even though she is going to release more music and is active, that is not to say something like this would be for artists who have retired or died. Celebrate an artist whilst they are still with us. Give them their flowers. I wonder how come it took so long for Lightroom to feature a musical artist as an installation. It works so well. Others, such as Madonna, could definitely be given the same treatment. It is an hour-long experience that is hugely memorable and dazzling! I would recommend people book tickets for David Bowie: You’re Not Alone, as it ends in October. It will be a shame to see it end. I was thinking of Kate Bush when walking around Lightroom and imagining what could be. Considering all of the archives we have and how compelling she is, I definitely think that something wonderful could be put together. Though it may just be me dreaming and nothing will happen. In any case, a Kate Bush Lightroom installation…
WOULD be remarkable.