An Evening Without Kate Bush – TAPAC: April 18, 2025
An Evening Without Kate Bush is very much an evening with Sarah-Louise Young. The multi award winning performer is on stage and in perpetual motion for the full 90 minutes of this entertaining and involving cabaret.
Audience participation — whether a devoted superfan, a casual fan, or someone simply tagging along with their partner — is a key part of the show, and Young quickly draws people in, ensuring each night feels unique. Knowledge and anecdotes about “The Bush” are shared and applauded, but they are not a prerequisite; this is a gathering that’s inclusive, not exclusive.
Over the course of the Good Friday performance, we learn why audience members are there, hear favourite songs shared, and witness a singing trio form before our eyes. Two couples respond to Young’s encouragement and take to the stage to dance slowly. There are plenty of moments to sing along too, adding to the sense of shared experience.
Dressed throughout in a red leotard, Young rifles through her suitcase to find wigs, props, and costumes that playfully recreate, or affectionately parody, Bush’s iconic music videos. It’s an energetic and physical performance, with dance moves and high notes that both look and sound remarkably close to the real thing.
Early in the evening, Young acknowledges that Running Up That Hill and Wuthering Heights are the songs we all know. After a journey through hits and deep cuts—including Breathing, Cloudbusting, and Don’t Give Up—the beat of Running Up That Hill kicks in. Young begins to march, and the moment builds into a high-energy climax that lands perfectly.
Then, the first distinctive notes of Wuthering Heights ring out. But does she sing it? You’ll have to go to the show to find out.
John Bradbury
Happening again tonight…
Tickets from www.withoutkatebush.com
X (Twitter): @withoutkatebush
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WithoutKateBush/
