It’s fair to say that Kate Bush’s long-awaited return to live performance in 2014 met all the lofty expectations, with its stunning, multisensory delivery and genuine sense of spectacle. Two years on comes a live album recorded during that 22-night residency at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. Split over three CDs, with one disc each largely devoted to The Ninth Wave (from Hounds of Love) and A Sky of Honey (Aerial), it offers a faithful representation of the show, save for the addition of Never Be Mine, which wasn’t performed during the concerts. Perhaps it’s too faithful in some respects: David Mitchell’s dialogue, which punctuates The Ninth Wave, sounds even more out of place now. You really did have to be there. Highlights abound, but a thrilling Aerial and a sumptuous Top of the City deserve particular acclaim. Now, where’s that accompanying DVD?
