Having wowed audiences on debut at the Edinburgh fringe The Kate Bush Story is doing it all again here in Adelaide.
Is there a difference between a cover band and a tribute band? I wasn’t sure. Until now. Presented by Night Owl shows, who manage a huge roster of tribute acts including Blondie, Amy Winehouse and Fleetwood Mac amongst many other big hitters. I think representing Kate Bush adequately would be the pick of the bunch especially if you relish a challenge.
Opening with Hounds of Love, my first thought is how young everybody on stage looks. I wonder what individual stories each one has with regard to their journey to Kate!? There are plenty of stories being told on stage, and after hearing of Kate’s connection to Emily Bronte ( they share a birthday) that familiar piano intro rings out and Wuthering Heights unfurls, only 2 songs in. Hang on to your hats!
There are so many highlights: Hannah Richards’ solo rendition of The Man With The Child In His Eyes, Oh To Be In Love ( a wonderful and surprising inclusion), and during This Woman’s Work you could have heard a pin drop (and maybe some tears).
Hannah Richards knows her stuff and its clear she has a close connection to the subject matter. We find out that the song Don’t Give Up almost didn’t make it to Kate as Peter Gabriel’s first choice was Dolly Parton. Oh how history could be re-written! It is sung with real passion and soul with Angus Munro taking on the Peter Gabriel role in a magnificent cameo and Hannah’s voice and pathos have me believing it actually is Kate up there.
As the show progresses you notice that not only does Hannah sound uncannily like Kate but she has something of herself in there as well. A real life force emboldened by Kate’s legacy. Hitting all the high notes in Kate’s early songs is astonishing enough, but Hannah really inhabits Kate’s world whilst revealing much of her own character.
The band were tight and slick and didn’t miss a beat/trick with some brilliant ebow work on the guitar emulating synth sounds and those Dave Gilmour-esque solos. Given the ridiculous heat I was impressed by how cool and composed they appeared.
So is there a difference between a cover band and a tribute band? If you get it right there is and The Kate Bush Story instilled enough of their own spirit and belief into the cause to make Kate Bush herself proud.