As I only knew one Kate Bush song going into An Evening Without Kate Bush, I didn’t really know what to expect from a tribute act. I think I was ready to roll my eyes, raise my eyebrows and leave no longer friends with the people who dragged me along, but instead I left the Assembly Checkpoint a different woman to the one that came in, former friendships still intact. Now, I’m not only a Kate Bush fan but a Sarah-Louise Young fan, long may she reign.
Heart warming, laugh inducing and featuring outfits to rival Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, An Evening without Kate Bush wasn’t just a tribute act but an hour long extravaganza mixing fan stories with back stories, funny stories and a great pair of red leggings.
Having very little preexisting knowledge of the woman of the hour, I felt quickly welcomed into the “Fish people” (I’m still not 100% on the origin, but it seems to be what these fans of the Bush called themselves). The jokes were accessible, and Young’s personable warmth brought the show together. I don’t know anyone else who could successfully convince two audience members to recreate their fast dance on stage to a room full of strangers. But Young managed it with sincerity and poise.
All I did know about Kate Bush was that one Wuthering Heights song and her eerily majestic voice, with Young did a marvellous job of. I was really quite sad when it ended.
So if you don’t know who Kate Bush is, go. And if you do, go even more.
An Evening Without Kate Bush is on at Assembly Checkpoint at 19:10 until 26 August.
Buy tickets here.
Image provided by Assembly Press Office.