Kilkenny concert for Kate Bush tribute band

It's 40 years since Wuthering Heights announced to the world the genius of Kate Bush. To celebrate four decades of her song-writing genius, Kate’s studio engineer and bass player Del Palmer has teamed up with members of ‘Cloudbusting' to tour ‘The Kate Bush Song Book’ around Ireland, the landscape which so inspired her in the first place.

The tour will be in The set Theatre, Kilkenny on Wednesday, October 17

Cloudbusting have been championed by BBC ONE as one of the most authentic tributes in the world, winning over sceptical Kate fans and earning the praise of Kate’s own collaborators from stage and studio wherever they perform. It was certainly the highest accolade Mandy Watson (vocals) and Michael Mayell (keys) could hope for when Del Palmer offered to join them on electric bass - the first time he’s performed many of these songs since recording them with Kate in the studio so many years ago. 

‘I wanted to celebrate 40 years of Kate’s music by working on some of her lesser-known songs with Mandy and Michael. Songs that some of my heroes and great friends contributed memorable bass parts to. Songs we worked so hard on in the studio to create complex arrangements also work so well in this simpler, more intimate setting.’   Del Palmer

Through the course of the show Del explores the distinctive sounds of a range of electric bass guitars, fretless and fretted, including a rather esoteric electric upright bass specially commissioned for the Song Book. 

On keyboards, Michael takes the songs like Houdini and Night of the Swallow back to their origins. ‘As a young girl Kate Bush was shown middle C on the piano by her father and left to her own devices. With the Song Book we get to explore the fruits of her imagination let loose the keyboard - all those songs you’d never expect to hear live.’

Mandy never attempts to mimic Kate on stage. ‘There can only be one Kate Bush. When you sing her music the characters in the songs take over - they are what you become, not Kate. We're just fans, amazed at this chance to perform the music we love so much. Especially with Del!’