Kate Bush has always been an enigmatic creature, she rarely does interviews or performs live. In 2014 she undertook a 22 night run at Hammersmith’s Apollo, her first shows since 1979. At the time she didn’t offer any interviews, but five years later she’s spoken to the BBC about the performances. While the full 20 minute conversation with Matt Everitt from BBC 6 Music will air November 20, we’ve been gifted a six-minute preview.
The two discuss her fear of performing, and why she chose to emerge onstage after 35 years. Kate explains that after doing two albums in “really quite quick succession” it felt like the right time to step out of the studio. But her intense anxieties followed her, and while she admits to enjoying putting together the live show, facing the audience wasn’t easy. “The most difficult thing for me was to be continually in the now because I naturally tend to race ahead in my mind,” she explains. “I think maybe it’s that kind of primeval thing where you’re trying to think, ‘Can I get to that tree before the tiger gets me? Will I be able to get up high enough?'”
This inability to stay in the moment meant she was terrified of losing her place while performing, and being unable to remember where she was in a song. Surprisingly she also admitted she “hadn’t written a song for ages,” as she’s been busy putting a live album together.
At the end of the clip, Bush is hesitant to confirm another album is in the works: suggesting this isn’t a full stop, but a big comma.
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Text Wendy Syfret
Image via Flickr