Kate Bush tribute heads for Middlesbrough

KATE Bush, Unbelievable or not, is surely one of the most influential singer/songwriters of recent decades. Voted No 2 in The Telegraph's recent poll after John Lennon, her first live performances in 35 years sold out in minutes. She then went on to break the record for a female singer, with eight entries in the UK album chart at the same time.

Cloudbusting are bringing Kate's remarkable back catalogue to spectacular life at the Middlesbrough Theatre on Friday, February 19. Fans across the UK have embraced the five-piece band's authentic arrangements of classics such as Wuthering Heights, Running Up That Hill and Babooshka. Mandy Watson is the voice of Kate and Bush's original drummer Preston Heyman has performed with the band on numerous occasions. He says: "Mandy's vocals were so good I could have been listening to Kate herself."

Rock biographer Mick Wall calls Cloudbusting's theatre show "absolutely, surreally, brilliant" thanks to some eye-popping 3D-mapped projections and original videography contributed by Bush-inspired artists around the world.

Michael Mayell on keyboards explains that the band is passionate about spreading the experience of Bush's music beyond her existing fans. "Younger members of the audience, who only knew one or two of the hits, often tell us they've never heard music like it and were inspired to go away and buy all ten of Kate's albums. Our job is done," he says.

* Middlesbrough Theatre Box Office: 01642-815181 or middlesbroughtheatre.co.uk

Tickets £18, performance starts 7.30pm.

Viv Hardwick