Kate Bush News

Watch the entire, unmissable, 40th Anniversary recent tribute to Kate Bush by the Gothenburg Symphony and guest artists Jennie Abrahamson and Malin Dahlström! This is amazing.

This Woman’s Work – A Tribute to Kate Bush from Göteborgs Symfoniker on Vimeo.

Kate’s contribution to the Brontë Stones project is now available to see on one of four carved Brontë Stones in the Yorkshire landscape. Kate’s poem is inscribed on natural rock in the Ogden Kirk area of the Yorkshire moors. The letter carving was carried out by Pip Hall, and maps of the various walks to see the stones are now available at the parsonage in Haworth. 2018 marks 200 years since the birth of Emily Brontë and 40 years since the release of Kate’s single Wuthering Heights. Kate’s poem, dedicated to Emily Brontë, reads:

She stands outside
A book in her hands
“Her name is Cathy”, she says
“I have carried her so far, so far
Along the unmarked road from our graves
I cannot reach this window
Open it, I pray.”
But his window is a door to a lonely world
That longs to play.
Ah Emily. Come in, come in and stay.

Speaking earlier this year about the project (see our news item here), Kate said:

“I am delighted to be involved in this project. Each sister being remembered by a stone in the enigmatic landscape where they lived and worked is a striking idea. Emily only wrote the one novel – an extraordinary work of art that has truly left its mark. To be asked to write a piece for Emily’s stone is an honour and, in a way, a chance to say thank you to her.”

Kate has agreed to contribute a piece of poetry, along with poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, the Scottish makar, or national poet, Jackie Kay and the novelist Jeanette Winterson in a summer project celebrating the Brontë sisters. All four have been commissioned to write a piece of poetry or prose which will then be engraved on stones positioned over the eight-mile route between the sisters’ birthplace and the family parsonage between Thornton and Haworth. Winterson will celebrate the Brontë legacy as a whole, Duffy will celebrate Charlotte, Kay has Anne and Kate has Emily. The writers have been commissioned by Bradford literature festival, which will unveil the stones in July.

Kate says:

“I am delighted to be involved in this project. Each sister being remembered by a stone in the enigmatic landscape where they lived and worked is a striking idea. Emily only wrote the one novel – an extraordinary work of art that has truly left its mark. To be asked to write a piece for Emily’s stone is an honour and, in a way, a chance to say thank you to her.”

2018 marks 200 years since the birth of Emily Brontë and 40 years since the release of Kate’s single Wuthering Heights. The stones project may possibly be the only way Kate will be marking the 40th anniversary of her song. The other three writers are confirmed to inaugurate the stones on July 7th in Bradford by reciting their words. Read more at The Guardian here.

From the event Press Release:

BRADFORD, 26th April 2018 – Writer and musician Kate Bush, poet Carol Ann Duffy, poet and novelist Jackie Kay and novelistJeanette Winterson come together to celebrate the literary legacy of the Brontë sisters, with a new permanent multi-site public art installation set in the rugged landscape of Yorkshire, that the Brontës themselves immortalised with novels such as Jane Eyre andWuthering Heights.

Curated and delivered by Bradford Literature Festival (29 June – 8 July 2018) and originated by writer Michael Stewart, the Brontë Stones project features four new, original works of writing, engraved onto stones in different locations connecting the Brontë sisters’ birthplace in Thornton and the Brontë family parsonage, now the Brontë Parsonage Museum, at Haworth. The captivating journey along the four points, of approximately 8 miles, form what is believed to have been the route the sisters themselves often took between the two locations.

Of the four commissioned pieces, three of the works (by Kate Bush, Carol Ann Duffy and Jackie Kay) respond to one of the Brontë Sisters (Emily, Charlotte and Anne, respectively), while the fourth (by Jeanette Winterson) responds to the Brontë legacy as a whole.

Accompanied by beautiful, hand drawn maps, created by Yorkshire cartographer Christopher Goddard, the stones take visitors on a journey in the footsteps of these extraordinary Yorkshire sisters, whose novels are recognised worldwide as some of the greatest works of literature to emerge from the 19th century. The project will leave a permanent memorial in the landscape that homed and fueled the imagination of these ground-breaking writers.

The Brontë Stones will be inaugurated this year, the bicentenary of Emily Brontë, at Bradford Literature Festival in a special launch event titled The Brontë Stones: Meet the Writers. Taking place on Saturday 7 July at Bradford’s historic Midland Hotel, writer’s Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay and Jeanette Winterson will be in attendance, presenting the first official readings of their new work. On Sunday 8 JulyMichael Stewart will lead visitors on a guided walking tour In the Footsteps of the Brontës taking in each of the four stones for the first time. Tickets for both the launch and walk are now on public sale at www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk.

Following its inauguration at this year’s festival, the walk remains for members of the public to undertake for generations to come. As a legacy project, future plans include the development of a mobile app providing a personal, guided experience of the Brontë Stones walk.

This project has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England and sponsorship from Provident Financial Group PLC.

 

Kate Bush said, about Emily Bronte:

“I am delighted to be involved in this project. Each sister being remembered by a stone in the enigmatic landscape where they lived and worked is a striking idea. Emily only wrote the one novel – an extraordinary work of art that has truly left its mark. To be asked to write a piece for Emily’s stone is an honour and, in a way, a chance to say thank you to her.”

Jackie Kay said, about Anne Brontë:

“It’s been a real pleasure working on the Brontë Stones project. The Brontës are part of the literary landscape of this country. The stones are exciting in that they will make the past new again, opening up along the way new paths for different readers to follow.  I particularly loved writing about Anne – she’s the most underrated writer in the family, the pioneer about whom people know the least. I liked the challenge of writing a hidden poem within the poem on the stone and working with the artist to try and achieve that effect.”

Jeanette Winterson said, about the Brontës:

“When I was growing up in Lancashire and roaming the hills in the rain, and feeling both passionate and misunderstood (like all teenagers, well, maybe some have better weather), I read the Brontës and felt their spirit stand by me. For me, reading is about connection – and connection that works across time too. Good books live in the present, regardless of when they were written. The Brontës showed me that hearts beat like mine, that the struggle to know who you are happens across time and generations, and gender. They showed me that writing needs the power of the personal behind it – but that somehow the story one person tells has to become a story many people can claim as their own. And the Brontës are women. As a woman I needed those ancestors, those guides. I still do.”

Syima Aslam, director of Bradford Literature Festival, said:

“It has been a huge privilege to curate and deliver the Brontës Stones project as part of the Festival this year. The Brontës are an integral part of the literary landscape of Bradford, and the inspiration for our annual Bronte Heritage strand of events. It is therefore an honour for Bradford Literature Festival to bring the legacy of the extraordinary Bronte sisters to life in this exciting new way. It’s a matter of great pride for us that the Stones will stand in some of the most beautiful places in the county, bearing these moving, mysterious and playful literary works, that the public can enjoy for years to come.”

 

Other events related to the Brontës taking place at Bradford Literature Festival 2018 include:

• An event co-programmed with the Brontë Parsonage Museum focusing on Ann Bronte.
• A panel discussion on whether Emily Brontë was a heretic or a mystic.
• A panel discussion focusing on the Gothic elements in the work of Emily Brontë.
• A panel discussion on alternative readings of Heathcliffe from Wuthering Heights.

 

Michael Stewart, project originator said:

“I first conceived of the Brontë Stones project in October 2013. I live in Thornton and have long wanted my village to receive recognition for its place in the Brontë story. All three literary sisters and their wayward brother were born here. They were a happy family, but very shortly, after their move to Haworth in 1820, tragedy struck. First the death of their mother, then the two oldest siblings. I was also aware that Anne Brontë was buried in Scarborough many miles from the rest of her family and I wanted a stone to mark her return. It’s fantastic to see the project come to fruition.”

Kitty Wright, Executive Director of the Brontë Society said:

“We are thrilled to be playing a part in this exciting project and are delighted that the Anne Stone will be situated in the grounds of the Parsonage, where Anne spent almost all of her life.  Haworth and the Yorkshire landscape are of immense significance to the Brontë story and we are sure local residents and visitors will enjoy making their way along the Brontë Stone trail for years to come. We look forward to building on our partnership with Bradford Literature Festival as together we continue to celebrate the legacy of Anne and her sisters.”

 

Bradford Literature Festival, in association with Provident Financial Group, takes place 29 June – 8 July 2018. View the full programme at www.bradfordliteraturefestival.co.uk. Booking is open now online or via 01274 238525.

Vic King has been in touch to let me know that the KT Bush Band (which also features Brian Bath) play St James Church, Weybridge, Surrey on Saturday 14th April. All info and ticket links on their site here. 

Also here is the full list of dates for “Wuthering Heights – The Music of Kate Bush featuring Rachel Sinnetta and her Rubber Band” or visit their Facebook page here. This tour kicks off on 25th April in Malvern and continues right around the UK into June.

A section of Kate’s Hello Earth (not sung by Kate) and an extended instrumental version of the song was played during today’s opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia.

The famous Australian actor, Jack Thompson, stands in the middle of the arena, holding a small illuminated globe, sharing a message of unity as the instrumental music of Hello Earth soundtracks his narration.

Home. That’s where we live. From here, you can’t see any borders. No barriers built to divide us, no people on different sides. All that we are, and have been, and can be, all that we value, all that we love, all our memories and stories, our hopes and our dreams, the best, and the worst, of us – is here, on that tiny grain of rock. From here there’s no sound of our quarrels, no voices in conflict, no people at war. From here it seems, we’re all the same, not drifting apart, but all connected. No sign of ‘Other’ – only Sister and Brother. No ‘You’, or ‘Me’ – just ‘We’. From here, all that we see is all that we share: Shining, fragile, awesome… …our island home in a cosmic sea.

The globe is placed in sand, nesting like a turtle’s egg, before exploding out to reveal a pretty awesome shifting visualisation of the earth.

We were very sad to hear that the legendary Irish uilleann piper, and founding member of Planxty, Liam O’Flynn, has died at the age of 72. He was regarded as a master piper and a global ambassador for traditional Irish music. His impact in the Irish traditional music world was immense and his performances on Kate’s songs Night Of The Swallow, Jig Of Life, and Hello Earth are simply unforgettable. Liam had been ill for some time. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

From the Kate Bush Encyclopedia site: “Liam O’Flynn was born as Liam Ó Floinn on 15 April 1945 in Kill, County Kildare. His father was a teacher and fiddle player. His mother, who came from a family of musicians from Clare, played and taught piano. From an early age, O’Flynn showed musical talent, and was encouraged to pursue his interest in the uilleann pipes by the piper Tom Armstrong. At the age of 11, he began taking classes with Leo Rowsome. He was also influenced by Willie Clancy and Séamus Ennis. In the 1960s, he began to receive recognition of his talent, winning prizes at the Oireachtas Festival and the Fleadh Cheoil.

In 1972, O’Flynn co-founded the Irish traditional music group Planxty with Donal Lunny, Andy Irvine and Christy Moore, and remained a member throughout the band’s various incarnations. While Seán Ó Riada and The Chieftains had reinvigorated Irish traditional instrumental music in an ensemble format during the 1960s, Planxty built on that foundation and took it one step further. They brought a punch and vitality to acoustic music that drew heavily on O’Flynn’s piping virtuosity.

Following the break-up of Planxty in 1983, O’Flynn found work as a session musician with such prominent artists as the Everly Brothers, Enya, Kate Bush, Nigel Kennedy, Rita Connolly, and Mark Knopfler. He played the uilleann pipes on Kate’s songs Night Of The Swallow (on which he also played penny whistle), Jig Of Life, and Hello Earth. He also worked on film scores, including Kidnapped (1979) and A River Runs Through It (1992). He was adventurous enough to work with avant-garde composer John Cage, but his most natural alliance was with neo-romantic composer Shaun Davey on the classic albums “Granuaile” and “The Brendan Voyage”.

The Bothy Band were natural successors to the original Planxty, and one of its members, Matt Molloy, who subsequently joined The Chieftains, played with The Chieftains’ fiddler Seán Keane on O’Flynn’s album, ‘The Piper’s Call’, which was performed in the 1999 Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall. He also worked on projects with Seamus Heaney, mixing poetry with music.”

Planxty performing in the 1970s (L-R) Donal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn, Andy Irvine and Christy Moore.

Chair of the Irish Arts Council Sheila Pratschke said today: “Liam O’Flynn has left behind him an incredible legacy of music through his recordings, his careful support of other musicians and artists and his dedication to transmission of the great heritage of Irish music to future generations.”

Here’s Night of the Swallow to listen to, hands down one of the most unforgettable musical appearances ever on a Kate Bush track, and also a thrilling piece of playing from Liam on the delightful track, The Queen of the Rushes, by Planxty.