Kate Bush's Brockley days have been covered at Transpontine before, living at 44 Wickham Road and playing at local pubs including the Rose of Lee (now Dirty South) and the Royal Albert. Recently a great 1979 documentary surfaced on Youtube all about Kate Bush preparing for her first big tour. The 'Convent girl from Bexley', as she is described, talks (at about 3:30)about her first singing appearance in public 'about two years ago in a pub in Lewisham, and I was so scared, I really was but once you're up there it's different you just forget all about it because they're there to see you and you have to give it to them... Considering it was a pub and we were totally unknown, they were very good, they were very respectful. It was good, yeah'
She is also seen rehearsing with her band at Wood Wharf Studios in Greenwich, with some great shots of the undeveloped riverfront (at 9:45): 'Every lunchtime after leaving her dancing practice physically drained she'd drive across the Thames to Greenwich to rehearse the music, at Wharf studios - the best available place with the right facilities for just running though the songs time and time and time again'.
Dire Straits also rehearsed at the same Greenwich studio in the late 1970s - this documentary also seems to have been filmed there:
Thanks to Clive Shaw for spotting this.
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3 comments:
Omg that Kate Bush video does not make me nostalgic for my youth!
Thanks for the namecheck!
Yep, that's Wharf studios in the Dire Straits clip too. Recognise the view out of those windows. When Billy Jenkins ran the place I held an exhibition of prints and stuff upstairs (mid 80s).
Sure I have some photos around from it. Love that the fog in both clips too... Clive
I think Kate Bush's 'King of the Mountain' was also shot at the Rivoli Ballroom (Crofton Park) . . . she's always been mindful of her South London roots.
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