More about: Kate Bush
For the low price of three million pounds...
The house in Eltham that Kate Bush lived in between 1985 and 2003 is now for sale.
The Telegraph has reported that the current owners are placing the property on sale for £3m. Jackie O’Reilly the current owner, has paid homage to the iconic British songstress by emblazoning ‘Wuthering Heights’ on a wrought-iron gate at the entrance to the house.
O’Reilly spoke of the reference to Bush’s hit 1978 single and said: “The house was already called that in the title deeds, so we decided to put that in as a homage to Kate. I grew up in Eltham and we always knew it as Kate Bush’s house, and caught odd glimpses of her. But she clearly valued her privacy. The house is surrounded by large trees, to keep out prying eyes.”
Although Bush no longer lives there, O’Reilly revealed that she does catch sight of the singer from time to time and revealed that “her brother still lives next door, and there is a gate between the two gardens.”
Bush made her live comeback earlier this year by playing a total of 22 shows between August 26 and October 1 at London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith. We were lucky enough to attend one of these dates, and proclaimed it to be as the ‘live event of the year’. Check out our review here.
Below: Eight things we learned from Kate Bush's London comeback gig
No one's going to get to see much of it: Prior to the gig, Bush posted a statement on her website which said, "It would mean a great deal to me if you would please refrain from taking photos or filming during the show. I know it's a lot to ask but it would allow us to all share in the experience together." For most of her fans, she was just too darn polite to disobey. (Photo: Splash)
She has really, really dedicated fans: Some spent literally thousands of dollars coming from the US and beyond for the show, many cried when they secured tickets, and one fan told reporters, "If I die after tonight, everyone should be totally OK with it." (Photo: Splash)
Every celebrity on the planet was in the crowd: Lily Allen, Gemma Arterton, Anna Calvi, Frank Skinner, Lauren Laverne... The list goes on. We're not bitter or anything though, we're sure they got up early in the morning and spent an hour tensely refreshing the sixteen tabs they had open to buy tickets. We're absolutely sure of it. (Photo: WENN)
Her merchandise is not just T-shirts and CDs: Don't get us wrong, all of the usual merch you'd expect to buy was available, but you could also purchase elaborate programmes, pendants, fish masks and first aid kits - all of which made sense as the show progressed, but the first aid kit probably led some to wonder just how avant-garde this show would be. Should they be fearing for their safety? (Photo: REX)
She's not afraid of being too theatrical: There were four acts to the show. There was an interval. The RSC director was involved. Basically, this was a full-blown dramatic production, which just happened to be helmed by one of the most famous singers in existence. Highlights included a dramatic staging of the Ninth Wave album which involved a life boat, a puppeteer and confetti canons which splurted out not gold ribbons, but a poetry extract. Of course. (Photo: REX)
No matter how much you paid for tickets, she's not going to do the hits for you: In an intense, layered, four-act, dramatic show, Bush still couldn't muster the inclination to play 'Wuthering Heights'. The strangest thing about that? No one minded - because it was Bush at her best, rather than 'the best of Bush'. (Photo: REX)
She's not going to do an encore, no matter how loud you cheer: Despite the fact that the crowd clapped, yelled, stomped and chanted for a solid ten minutes, the end of Bush's exquisitely crafted show was just that - the end. It's important to remember that this is as much a piece of performance art as it is a gig. You wouldn't go and see Romeo & Juliet and demand that the leads come back and stab themselves one more time.
35 years away from the stage hasn't hurt her stamina: The show lasted 3 hours. Not only did Bush manage to sing song after song for this long (try saying that when you're drunk), she also managed to keep up with the full-blown shipwreck re-enactment and countless other aforementioned energy-sapping endeavours. Good luck keeping that up for 22 more shows, Kate.
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More about: Kate Bush
