Kate Bush Live: Before The Dawn 26/8/2014

There was a danger that the unprecedented level of anticipation and expectation around these shows could never be satisfied. More so this opening night, with no spoiler, no prior knowledge of what to expect for her first live show in 35 years.

In the foyer, the excitement was palpable, babbling chatter of how / when they got tickets, what had been leaked from the locked down full dress rehearsal here some 48hrs prior. And so to our seats some 25minutes, valiantly fought for drinks in hand, fearful that we might somehow miss the start if we delayed a moment longer.

The stage set offers no clues, leads you nowhere. The backdrop similarly…., it’s a conventional stage set. The lights drop, the music starts, the people stand and applaud wildly and a small procession of people snake across the stage, there, unassuming at the back is Kate.

The opening number, the gorgeous Lily from her Red Shoes album sees Kate padding around the stage, nervously, timidly, carefully choreographed moves for an opening section that sees Hounds Of Love, Running up That Hill and King of The Mountain performed to ever increasing delirium and grins so wide.. Kate looking genuinely touched, gets her thanks in early (before the real action it transpires), thanking her son Albert (Bertie) who at 16 years old takes his places as a quartet of backing singers. He, it seems gave her the confidence to get back on stage…

Act 2 sees a visualisation of the Ninth Wave. The Ninth Wave is the seven song suite based around the theme of a person thrown overboard, drifting, drowning alone in the sea at night, its dark, moody and at time sinister A screen covers the stage as a pre-recorded
element sets the scene.. When the screen clears we see the stage is reset within the shipwrecked hull of a boat and Kate is there with the fragile and beautiful And Dream Of Sheep “Little light shining / little light will guide them to me” and so the story is told, via
pickaxes, chainsaws, helicopters and search light, fish headed people and her husband (and bassist) Danny, together with their son Bertie discussing burnt sausages. If it all sounds a little mad then it is but the story is beautifully sung and spectacularly delivered by Kate to its conclusion… ”I’ll tell my mother / I’ll tell my father/…How much I love them.

The reaction is incredible, everyone immediately on their feet, thunderous applause, a genuine appreciation for an incredible performance, the likes of which will never have been seen before. For fans like myself who have heard the Ninth Wave hundreds of times and visualised it, this was amazing and shows why Kate Bush is one of this country’s most creative and imaginative individuals. And this was just the first half… stunned beyond belief by what we had saw, we contemplated where this could go after the interval, what heights could it scale. 

Would the second half be a hits laden romp through her back catalogue? The clever money was soon on her Sky of Honey 8 song suite from 2005s’ album Aerial. A Sky Of Honey follows the progress of the hours from just before dawn, through the day and falling ofevening until the subsequent morning. And so it was.  Less intense and less dramatic but the perfect antidote to the dark Ninth Wave. This is more celebratory, more euphoric. Bertie is cast at the painter who sits in the field painting the scenery – this role was originally played and sung by Rolf Harris on the album…… Elsewhere in ‘Honey’ we have odd wooden puppetry – who is told to piss off by Bertie / The Painter, huge paper aeroplanes and a flying Kate. Bertie even gets to sing a song, no claims of nepotism here.. as he tackles a new song, Tawny Moon. His voice is rich but to these ears lacks tone, hey ho.


Kates voice throughout is strong, crystal clear powerful yet delicate and emotive as ever, as she returned for an encore. She thanks everyone for ‘such a wonderful, warm and positive response’ before taking to the piano for what initially sounded like The Man With The Child In His Eyes but turned out to be the equally touching Among Angels and a final joyous full band take on Cloudbusting…  I just know that something good is going to happen / just saying it could even make it happen.

Before the dawn is everything you could expect yet nothing you could ever imagine.

Set list:
Lily
Hounds of Love
Joanni
Top Of The City
Running Up That Hill
King Of The Mountain

The Ninth Wave:
And Dream Of Sheep
Under Ice
Waking The Witch
Watching You Without Me
Jig Of Life
Hello Earth
This Morning Fog

A Sky Of Honey:
Prelude
Prologue
An Architects Dream
The Painters Link
Sunset
Aerial Tal
Somewhere In Between
Tawny Moon (new song, sung by Bertie)
Nocturn
Aerial

Among Angels
Cloudbusting