Oh wow. Remember when David Bowie and Beyonce dropped surprise albums in 2013? This is like that - but better. Kate Bush has announced a string of live dates, her first in 35 years. Beyonce and Bowie albums are a little more frequent so yes, this is definitely more of a big deal.
When Kate Bush last toured, she was a wide-eyed 21-year-old newcomer to the music scene, who had bewitched the world with her 'Wuthering Heights' megahit and superb debut album, The Kick Inside. Now, more than three decades later, the reclusive star will emerge from her self-imposed live exile to perform a string of shows in Hammersmith, London in August of this year. Fans are hailing it as 'a miracle' and to be fair, they are not far from the mark.
Now 55-years-old, we probably shouldn't expect to see Bush vaulting across the stage to the likes of 'Hounds Of Love' and 'Babooshka'. Her London shows will most likely be a grand, stately affair - and possibly reflect the more mature, considered sounds heard on most recent albums, Aerial and 50 Words For Snow. Either way, Kate Bush live in London is the most exciting live announcement of 2014 so far.
Little is known about Kate Bush's Before The Dawn shows, but tickets go onsale on 28 March 2014, and demand for the gigs is currently crashing sales websites across the UK. Not bad for an artist who hasn't performed a live show since the 70s. Below is our dream setlist for Kate Bush's Hammersmith shows - from the obvious classics ('The Man With The Child In His Eyes', 'Cloudbusting') to a few more understated moments ('Moments Of Pleasure', 'King Of The Mountain') that we'd love to see performed live. Bring it on Ms Bush.
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 28 March, 2014. For more information visit Gigwise gig tickets.
Full dates are as follows:
Tuesday, 26th August
Wednesday, 27th August
Friday, 29th August
Saturday, 30th August
Tuesday, 2nd September
Wednesday, 3rd September
Friday, 5th September
Saturday, 6th September
Tuesday, 9th September
Wednesday, 10th September
Friday, 12th September
Saturday, 13th September
Tuesday, 16th September
Wednesday, 17th September
Friday, 19th September