Special celebration of 'This Woman's Work'

DESPITE A STELLAR CAREER, KATE BUSH HAS RARELY PERFORMED LIVE. THE NEXT BEST THING IS TRIBUTE ACT CLOUDBUSTING, AND THEY'VE GOT A SPECIAL SHOW IN BIRMINGHAM...

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IT'S pretty unusual for a touring tribute band to be accompanied by a full symphony orchestra.

It's perhaps even more surprising to see a tribute band perform with musicians that played on the original recordings of the songs they're performing.

But Cloudbusting are no ordinary tribute band. Unlike others, there's no hint of pastiche or impersonation - an approach which has won them universal approval.

Formed in 2012 in the West Country, the five-piece has made it their mission to perform Kate Bush's incomparable and often complex music as faithfully to the recordings as possible.

The katebushnew.com website says they "deliver the most heartfelt, genuine and accomplished live interpretation of Kate's work there has ever been, apart from Kate herself, of course".

And they don't stop at the hits. They can play almost every song in the Bush canon, even doing 'anniversary' tours where they play the album that's being celebrated in full.

This has often meant additional musicians joining them on stage. For instance, in 2015, for the 30th anniversary of Hounds of Love, they enlisted the London Bulgarian Choir for the track Hello Earth.

This year, they're taking it a step further, with three special 'Classical Kate Bush' shows, including one at Birmingham's famous Town Hall, where they will be joined by over 40 members of West London Sinfonia.

And they've enlisted BAFTA-winner and three-times Ivor Novello award-winner Rob Lane as musical arranger.

We asked Cloudbusting's singer, Mandy Watson, to tell us more...

How, when and why did the band get together?

The band was formed back in 2012, primarily driven by our shared passion for the music. Our early shows in backroom venues and community halls brought very few people initially, but we loved it! We were playing the music of Kate Bush and that was what mattered.