Kate was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last night at their lavish ceremony in the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. Big Boi appeared on stage and gave a great, passionate speech about Kate’s achievements and influence. As with all inductees, a very nice video package was played out with many clips of her work and famous admirers discussing her, which covered the entirety of Kate’s career to date, including Before the Dawn which was great to see.

Big Boi then introduced St. Vincent who performed Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) to honour Kate. St. Vincent (real name Annie Clarke) has always been hugely complimentary of Kate and portions of her contribution to the 2014 BBC documentary were shown at last night’s ceremony.

Today on her Facebook page she said: “I was working on my first record and an engineer friend played me “Hounds of Love.” It was everything. So urgent. So emotional. An entire sonic world. Deeply catchy and deeply bizarre. ART. Kate. Singular. Inimitable. Then the early records. For me: “The Kick Inside”. “The Dreaming”. And later, still pushing soaring on “Aerial”. How could someone be this genius and pure and completely free? Vocally, musically, physically? I stand in awe of Kate Bush. There is no one who could ever compare.”

Other performers on the night included Chaka Khan, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks and a dazzling show-stopping finale from Missy Elliott. A souvenir programme on sale at the event featured an 8-page illustrated article by Ann Powers on Kate’s huge musical impact. The ceremony, which almost ran to a whopping 4 and half hours was streamed live on the Disney+ channel and can now be replayed in full on their site/app.

Kate herself wasn’t able to attend the ceremony, instead preferring to give heartfelt thanks to the RRHOF organisation via a beautifully-worded statement on her official site.

I am completely blown away by this huge honour – an award that sits in the big beating heart of the American music industry.

Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. I never imagined I would be given this wonderful accolade.

Last year was such a surprisingly successful time for my track Running Up That Hill and
I’m sure that a lot of you who’ve voted me in to the RRHOF also drove that track up the charts. Thank you!

I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend the ceremony tonight, but for me the real honour is knowing that you felt I deserved it.

The RRHOF has welcomed me into the most extraordinary rostrum of overwhelming talent.

When I was growing up my hero was Elton John. I poured over his music, longed to be able to play piano like him and longed to write songs that could move people in the way his work moved me.

That little girl in South East London could never have dreamed she’d be sharing the event tonight with Bernie Taupin, Elton’s writing partner, an incredible lyricist who inspired me to keep writing songs – to keep trying. Congratulations Bernie! Congratulations to everyone who is being inducted tonight!

Music is at the core of who I am and, like all musicians, being on the journey of trying to create something musically interesting is rife with feelings of doubt and insecurity.

I’m only five foot three, but today I feel a little taller.

Kate

Here is the full text of Big Boi’s induction speech:

Check it out: I fell in love with Kate Bush in middle school. My uncle Russell, my favorite uncle, turned me onto her and I listened to “Running Up That Hill” on my bike. I was that kid from Stranger Things. Like I’m talking about I really think they took my interview and put it in Stranger Things. So since then, I’ve been obsessed with her music and remained her biggest fan. I know what some of you are thinking: What does Kate Bush have to do with hip-hop? She is such a unique artist, you might as well also ask: What does Kate Bush have to do with rock’n’roll?

Obviously our music is very different. But in important ways, we’re exactly the same. What I love about Kate’s music is that I never know what sound I’m gonna hear next. She ignores anything that seems like a formula and instead just does whatever she wants to do, like me. She challenges me as a listener and expands my ears and my mind. No matter how many times I look to albums like The Dreaming or 50 Words for Snow, they sound fresh and surprise me every time. They fill with my head with ideas and expand my ambitions for what music can achieve. As a singer, Kate’s voice is incredibly, incredibly inventive. Who sounds like Kate Bush? [sings] Nobody! … Like Keith Sweat say, haha. On stage, she’s a miracle. Her songs sound the actual way we just hear them on their own, and in their performance, they actually become theater. Kate is a songwriter, producer, and performer without equal. If that’s not hip-hop, I don’t know what is.

When I didn’t know Kate, I imagined she lived in London in a castle high on top of a mountain writing fairy tales and playing a big ass piano—super big, like Bugs Bunny big. The truth is a little bit different from that. I met Kate, we had long conversations, I introduced my family to her, and I met her son out at her shows in London. It was cool. We just two hearts, baby, let’s go! It’s no surprise that she had a surge of popularity decades after she emerged on the scene. After all, if you were hearing Kate’s music for the first time, why wouldn’t you believe she was a current artist? The only mistake you might make is that the artists she influenced had influenced her. But it’s very much the other way around. Kate Bush has helped shape contemporary music, even the music of artists who have never heard of her. She is a true artist and a true visionary and that’s why Kate Bush belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Big Boi

To mark the Class of 2023 inductees, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland, Ohio has launched a year-long exhibition including artefacts donated by the inductees. Kate has donated the bedroom set from her stop-motion animated film Mistraldespair. On her official site Kate says: ‘I hope people will enjoy seeing this set from the animation, Mistraldespair. It’s been sitting in our hallway at home for years. I’m going to really miss it, but take comfort from the fact that it’s gone to a really good home.’ Kate has also donated a storyboard for her Experiment IV video, handwritten lyrics for Cloudbusting and a copy of her book How To Be Invisible.

Finally, Kate also donated an original wire coat hanger headset that was invented for her 1979 tour! Fantastic! On her newly designed site’s Lionheart album page, Kate remarks:

“The live shows followed shortly off the back of this album. Because I wanted to sing and dance, I needed a mic that didn’t have to be held. Together with the live sound engineer, we invented the first headset. I suggested that we patent it, but he said ‘How do we patent an old coat hanger bent into shape?’ Because we didn’t have time to troubleshoot, we’d often pick up local cab companies on the same frequency. These would go out over the sound system to the great amusement of the audiences!”

Here’s a round up of what we know so far about Kate’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which takes place on Friday, November 3rd.

What is it? Since 1986, over 300 performers have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a museum located in Cleveland, Ohio in the USA. The organisation describes being inducted as “Music’s Highest Honour” but it is fair to say it’s more celebrated in the USA where the induction ceremony takes place each year.

How did Kate get inducted? Eligible for nomination since 2004 (nominated artists must be at least 25 years into their careers), Kate had previously been nominated in 2018, 2021 and 2022 before finally being inducted this year, her massive US (and global) chart success last year perhaps making this inevitable.

When is the induction ceremony and can we watch it outside the USA? The ceremony will be televised LIVE on the Disney+ streaming channel at 8pm Eastern Time (USA) / 12:00 Midnight GMT (UK/Ireland) on Friday 3rd November. It takes place at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY and tickets to attend the ceremony itself are here.

Who else is being inducted this year? Also being inducted this year are Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, George Michael and the Spinners. There are six more inductees beyond that list, with the distinction of being selected by a select Hall of Fame committee to join the seven performers who were voted in via general balloting. These are singer Chaka Khan, instrumentalist-producer Al Kooper and lyricist Bernie Taupin, all in the “musical excellence” category; pioneering rock guitarist Link Wray and hip-hop originator DJ Kool Herc in the “musical influence” division; and “Soul Train” TV host Don Cornelius as the recipient of the annual Ahmet Ertegun Award.

What have the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame been saying about Kate? On their site they have a page about Kate in which they describe her as “a spellbinding visionary, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Kate Bush created a unique space in rock. She used lush soundscapes, radical experimentation, literary themes, sampling, and theatricality to captivate audiences and inspire countless musicians.” They have also put together the “Inductee Insights” video below:

Will Kate be attending the ceremony? We have absolutely no idea whether Kate intends to show up at the ceremony in person, or make any video or audio contribution to the proceedings. Kate last attended an awards event in 2014. Hall of Fame president and chief executive Joel Peresman told Rolling Stone that he hoped Kate would perform at the induction ceremony: “We open that door. It’s up to her.” We know of several fans who have purchased tickets and are travelling to NY, just in case – everything crossed guys! If she did perform it would be her first live performance since her 2014 London concert residency, Before the Dawn, and her first television performance in almost 29 years.

We do know that the award/induction is traditionally presented by another artist who has been influenced by the inductee and we note that vocal Kate Bush fan, singer St Vincent (Annie Clark), will be performing on the night and has teased on social media that she is inducting a performer. Kate’s friend and musical idol Elton John will also perform on the night, though possibly to honour his writing partner, Bernie Taupin. Stevie Nicks, Queen Latifah and Sia will also be performing on the night among many others.

What has Kate said about being inducted to the Hall of Fame? Kate responded in May on her official site: “I have to admit I’m completely shocked at the news of being inducted into the Hall of Fame! It’s something I just never thought would happen. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. It means a great deal that you would think of me. It’s such a huge honour. Now as part of the initiation ceremony I get to find out about the secret handshake… there is one, right? – Kate”

Anything else? Kate’s name is featured on various Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2023 memorabilia on sale here. Performers are listed alphabetically so it’s nice to see Kate’s name on top!

In November Kate’s album catalogue is being reissued on regular black vinyl and CD branded with the new Fish People logo labels, and additionally, last week, several independent record shops in the UK, Ireland and the USA (and possibly elsewhere) began taking pre-orders for gorgeous new Fish People indie record store colour vinyl editions of Kate’s albums. These are due for release on November 20th and are part of her first catalogue refresh since a new global audience has discovered her music in recent years on TikTok and via the massive global success of Running Up That Hill in 2022.

While many fans will be content to hold on to the Remastered vinyl they may have purchased in 2018 (these reissues are the same remasters) this gives new fans the opportunity to pick up Kate’s vinyl catalogue afresh, as well as giving collectors what they’ve always wanted (but never thought they’d get!) – colour vinyl Kate Bush editions just like those issued in recent years for Bowie, ABBA, Joni Mitchell, Queen, Kylie Minogue, Fleetwood Mac and many more artists. Rather than having any interest in a “cash-in” greatest hits album package in the wake of her global success last year, Kate continues to care about the presentation of her album catalogue and it’s availability in “bricks and mortar” stores in particular – cherished businesses that “indie” releases like this hugely support.

A new comment by Kate has been quoted by the music press in relation to the vinyl reissues: “It’s very exciting to see people appreciating the physical presence of an album released on vinyl. It’s how it’s always been for me, especially when I was a teenager. The whole buzz of the record store was part of the experience. Buying an album was an event.”

Each indie edition (sold exclusively through independent record stores, hence the name) is pressed on 180g coloured vinyl with paper obi strips which match the album artwork – something we’ve usually only seen with Japanese vinyl pressings from years gone by, a very nice touch. According to the Super Deluxe Edition site, “these coloured vinyl pressings are described as “unlimited editions” and will be in production constantly. The only thing that will change is the pressing date on the obis.”

As we know, back in February of this year Kate announced that the distribution of her catalogue was changing over to The State51 Conspiracy and her official Fish People site and social media channels were updated with a brand new logo design and a range of new Fish People merch was made available. The vinyl records have been pressed at the Record Industry plant in the Netherlands with new lacquers for the vinyl cut by Bernie Grundman – which should bode well for the sound quality, Bernie is overseeing the recent remastering of Joni Mitchell’s album catalogue. As we know Kate’s remasters were carried out by James Guthrie.

Outside the US her first three albums will continue to be distributed by Warner Music Group. The indie edition colour vinyl of The Kick Inside, Lionheart and Never For Ever are therefore only available on import outside the US – so ask your local independent record store about ordering them in or pre-order direct from a US indie store online. Rough Trade, for example, have them listed along with all the others.

For decades fans had debated whether that background on Kate’s 1993 The Red Shoes album cover showed a landscape, a tempestuous body of water or even the grooves of a vinyl record but this morning a fascinating post on Instagram sheds more light on what Kate’s feet are dancing on…

Studio Wallop is a collaborative motion design studio based in Plymouth and Cornwall in the UK set up by director and designer Stephen Tolfrey. They write:

“Looking through some old portfolios I found this. It’s the original airbrush illustration by Mark Wilkinson we had commissioned for the Kate Bush album cover The Red Shoes. The year was 1993 and we were still doing mechanical artwork! Shoes photo (these are Kate’s feet) by John Carder Bush. Sleeve design and artwork by Stephen Tolfrey”

Mark Wilkinson’s work can be seen at his official site – he has also designed artwork for bands like Iron Maiden and Marillion. Update: Mark spotted our post and had the following to say about the illustration from his Facebook account:

“The KT is there, I declared myself a huge fan, so Kate said that I must know of the symbol KT on ( most? not sure) albums that appeared on her albums up to then. It’s plain to see on Lionheart, not sure about the rest. Anyway, I did as I was asked and airbrushed it on. The original airbrush art I always assumed had gone missing. It was meant to be ambiguous, were they waves or desert dunes. It didn’t matter really. It’s absolutely one of my favourite albums of Kate’s and a privilege to be asked to contribute in a small way to the design“

Read more about Stephen Tolfrey and Studio Wallop at their website here. Instagram post is here. The creatives there were also involved in some of the promotional design for The Red Shoes including a proof of a poster for the Moments of Pleasure single. They write: “Another find. A cromalin proof of some point of sale we designed back in the day. Anyone else old enough out there remember cromalins?”

It’s an honour for us to wish Kate Bush the happiest of 65th birthdays in the year in which her song hit over 1 Billion streams on Spotify and in which she was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame! We cherish what you do so much, Kate. Your music has changed our lives. Our sincere wish for you is that you continue to live and enjoy your life, in your own unique way, amongst your loved ones – and especially today on July 30th! You’re simply magnificent and oh, so very loved.

Much love and hugs from Seán, Peter, Krys, Dave and all your countless loving fans xxx

We are all reeling today after the news of the death of Sinéad O’Connor. Kate has paid tribute to Sinéad on her official site. She writes:

SINEAD

It’s like a light has gone out, hasn’t it? A beacon on a high mountain. Sinead didn’t just move us with her incredibly emotive voice, she stood up with it.
    I salute her. We were lucky to have such a magical presence move among us.

     Kate

To celebrate the 85th birthday of the world’s longest running comic, The Beano, a group of 3,000 children (aged seven to 14) were asked in a poll which celebrities they would like to invite to their own birthday party and be friends with. The resulting list of guests are featured on the special wraparound cover which is available in shops in the UK and Ireland today.

The huge awareness of Kate now among young people since her massive 2022 chart success means that she is featured on the cover alongside stars such as singers Harry Styles and Adele, Sir David Attenborough, presenter Claudia Winkleman, singer Fleur East, racing driver Lewis Hamilton, the King, Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales, singer Dua Lipa, rapper Stormzy, singer Lewis Capaldi, presenters Ant and Dec, Spiderman actor Tom Holland, actors (and football club owners) Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, footballers Jill Scott, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and social media influencer KSI.

Last year, The Beano helped re-introduce their readers to Kate with fun quizzes, such as “Which Kate Bush Song Are You?“, “Running Up That Hill Lyrics Quiz” and “The Ultimate Kate Bush Quiz“. The BBC website reports: “Since the Beano launched in Dundee in 1938, more than 4,000 issues have been printed featuring around 700 characters, such as Dennis [the Menace] and Gnasher, the Bash Street Kids and Billy Whizz….”

“To mark the anniversary, 2,023 issues of the special edition Beano – which first went out to subscribers at the weekend – will be given out to classrooms across the country through the Beano for Schools programme this week, while prizes can also be won on its website.” Read more at The Beano’s Facebook page here.

We’ve never seen Kate sign quite so many things in such a short period of time! With a recent run of hundreds of signed paperback editions of her book, How To Be Invisible, which helped support indie book and record shops, in May we also reported that Kate had signed a series of prints at her home based on the soundwave of her song Running Up That Hill to raise funds for the charity War Child UK, which protects, educates, and stands up for the rights of children caught up in conflict zones across the globe. That run of prints sold out immediately.

War Child has long been a favourite charity of Kates, so much so that Soundwaves Art Foundation has brought out a 2nd, final edition collection, again created from the soundwave for ‘Running Up That Hill’. The Foundation writes: “Kate has been incredibly generous with her time and the money from both collections will benefit War Child UK whose work is more important than ever in the world we live in today.

There are two colourways and 75 prints available from each print. Every print is signed by Kate Bush and the Soundwaves artist Tim Wakefield. Every artwork is numbered 1/75 – 75/75. These will be the last artworks available from ‘Running Up That Hill’ and there are only a handful left as the official waitlist was recently contacted with the chance to purchase.”

Get yours here: https://soundwavesartfoundation.com/collections/kate-bush-version-2 (with thanks to Tom Wakefield for letting us know)

Uncut Magazine are no strangers to publishing great looking Kate Bush cover features and their upcoming issue (September 2023 – it’s a publishing thing!) is no exception, featuring a wonderful portrait of Kate by her brother John Carder Bush – we remember seeing a variant from this “orchid” photo session used way back on a cover of Record Mirror in 1981. This issue, which features “The untold stories of 40 of her greatest songs” is out in the shops in the UK and Ireland from Thursday 13th July this week OR YOU CAN ORDER IT ONLINE HERE.

We’ve actually seen the feature in Uncut now (out in shops today!) and the good news is we’re very impressed! The selection of 40 (greatest) songs is very well-considered and agreeably career-spanning, while each song in the 10-page feature is illuminated by the welcome presence and insights of those gifted individuals who actually worked on the songs with Kate; drummer Stuart Elliott, engineer Peter Henderson, producer Andrew Powell, guitarist Brian Bath, singer Roy Harper, Fairlight pioneer Richard Burgess, drummer Preston Heyman, engineer Teri Reed, Irish trad musician Donal Lunny, bass player Youth, strings arranger Dave Lawson, producer Joe Boyd, concertina player Alistair Anderson, saxophonist Nigel Hitchcock, vocalist Lol Creme, accordionist Chris Hall, drummer Peter Erskine, engineer Stephen W Tayler, drummer Steve Gadd and multi-instrumentalist Kevin McAlea! Phew.

Thanks to Uncut editor Michael Bonner for sending the news on to me. He writes:

“In June, “Running Up That Hill” passed one billion streams – another phenomenal milestone in the long, strange afterlife of KATE BUSH’s uncanny masterpiece. But there are, of course, many other classic songs in her canon – potent and idiosyncratic mini-dramas about escapologists, snowmen, second-rate actors and even the King of Rock’n’Roll himself, whose creator has utilized harpsichord, uilleann pipes, smashed crockery, a Bulgarian folk trio and even the sonic attributes of a kitchen cupboard to realise her extraordinary artistic visions.

In this month’s UNCUT we celebrate 40 of Kate’s greatest songs in the company of musicians and eyewitnesses, as we attempt to unravel the magical thinking and creative mysteries behind one of the most consistently adventurous and radical songbooks of the last 50 years – from her career defining hits to b-sides, deep cuts and even a Christmas song.

“The one thing that she taught me, there are no barriers,” says one collaborator. “Too many people think you shouldn’t do this or that. But Kate would often ask, “Is that weird?’ or ‘How can we make this weird..?”

Uncut Magazine can be ordered online here.