The Kate Bush Story ★★★

From the question posed by Sarah-Louise Young in the fascinating I Am Your Tribute (review HERE) how do you pay tribute to the musical act you admire. Reflecting the resurgence in popularity thanks to the classic Running Up That Hill being deployed at a pivotal moment in the hugely-popular Netflix series Stranger Things, Kate Bush is surfing a (ninth) wave of popularity at the 2024 Fringe. In fact, in terms of legendary acts who are being homaged in Edinburgh, Kate must be top of the city!

And each show approaches their tribute from their own unique perspective. While Kate Butch Wuthering Shites offers an irreverent jukebox-musical comedy and An Evening Without Kate Bush is an affectionate exploration of the nature of fandom, The Kate Bush Story is more basic in its approach.

A four-piece band with singer Hannah Richards work their way through the best-known tracks from Kate’s back catalogue while interspersing the gaps between songs with little info nuggets about the iconic singer. For example, did you know that her moment of musical epiphany was in 1973 seeing David Bowie live, in his Ziggy Stardust phase? If you’re a Bush fan, you probably did…

The trouble with the “Story” element of the title is that, while her art is ever fascinating, Kate’s biography isn’t particularly interesting. And while various facts, figures and tidbits might be mildly diverting, they do not a story make.

In some ways the limiting of the setlist (nothing after 1989, and only one non-single in the form of Oh To Be In Love from The Kick Inside album) means musically this doesn’t tell (pardon the pun) the whole story.

Hannah Richards has a very admirable voice – powerful, impressive upper register but it sounds nothing like Kate’s. There is no reason to expect an impression but it does need to convey something of the essence of the artist. Whether on Hounds of Love, This Woman’s Work or Wuthering Heights, Richards’ vocals are more likely to evoke Alanis Morissette or the late Dolores O’Riordan from The Cranberries. Her powerhouse renditions leave you wondering wither the ethereal? This lack of Kate is replicated by the style of the band. While their musicianship is excellent, too often the songs are overwhelmed by their sheer attack. A tub-thumping Babooshka steamrollers the innate strangeness of the song and where Wow needs light and shade, it finds only volume.

It would be impossible not to enjoy an evening of Kate Bush songs, but to honour this singer and her art a deeper understanding is needed of this woman’s work.