Amidst recent announcements to play 15 then 22 London concert dates, ticket-purchasing drama (that I am happy to report went in my favour) and NoKateBush trending: the week is easily Kate's.
Hounds of Love consists of two broad suites. The first half was top heavy with propulsive pop tracks ('Running Up That Hill', 'Cloudbusting', 'Mother Stands for Comfort'), which had in common a bold use of the Fairlight drum sampler and a lyrical bent that found Bush dissecting physical and family relationships with a new directness.
Whilst that run of songs were some of Bush's strongest to date, it was the conceptual second side (The Ninth Wave) that saw her brilliantly meshing together her most high art, avant-garde tendencies with her unique pop sensibilities.
The songs were strung together over the loose narrative of a girl drowning at sea. As Bush tells it: 'The idea is that they’ve been on a ship and they’ve been washed over the side so they’re alone in this water. And I find that horrific imagery, the thought of being completely alone in all this water.'
Tracks like 'Under Ice' and 'Waking the Witch' were truly horrifying, Gothic soundscapes which greedily bubbled with disturbed voices, desperate noises and inescapable violence.
These battle with the good forces in songs like 'Jig of Life' or the out-of-body, lonely grief of 'Watching You Without Me'. The depth of what was on play here was like observing layers of oil colours on a beautiful painting or uncovering the deeper meanings at play in a devilishly clever cinematic masterpiece.
In winter 1987, Kate said: 'Some of the most beautiful music ever was written for God, for a loved one, in a state of grief, sorrow, suppression.
'Music is a strange and beautiful thing. It means a great deal to me. I love listening to and making music. I am very lucky to be able to be involved with music - I hope I always will be.'
Hounds of Love is entirely graspable in its pitch of human emotions and depth of feeling, transporting the listener to a different place. Seeing Kate perform has always been a dreamlike fancy for me. I am beyond thrilled that it's become a
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