Bush: Fans took my breath away

Kate Bush has thanked the fans who attended her Before The Dawn shows for taking her breath away.

The 22-date residency in London was her first live major commitment since 1979 – and she’s already suggested she may not be seen again for some time.

Bush says: “It was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life. I was really delighted that the shows were received so positively and so warmly – but the really unexpected part of it all was the audiences. Audiences you could only ever dream of.

“They took my breath away. Every single night they were so behind us. You could feel their support from the minute we walked on stage. I just never imagined it would be possible to connect with an audience on such a powerful and intimate level; to feel such – well, quite frankly – love. It was like this at every single show.”

She adds: “It was a truly special and wonderful feeling for all of us.”

On opening night at the capital’s Apollo Theatre in August, Bush credited her live return to son Bertie, who sang in the production and was listed as creative advisor, saying: “Without him there’s no way it would have happened. He gave me the courage to get it started.”

After the final performance on October 1, she told the crowd it would be “a while” before she returned to the stage, adding: “I’m going to miss everyone so much.”

Two shows in mid-September were filmed for a possible DVD release. The sold-out residency led to reignited interest in her back-catalogue, making chart history when she became the first female artist to have eight albums in the top 40 at the same time.