An Evening Without Kate Bush — Underbelly Boulevard Soho Review

Review by Clara

Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review

Kate Bush is a rare creature. So is Sarah-Louise Young, I’d argue. 

She first appears on stage veiled, in a feathered headdress, a little light pulsing red, but otherwise enveloped in darkness. An Evening Without Kate Bush (made together with Russell Lucas) immediately leans into treating the bizarre with a high degree of seriousness, thus generating comedy.

Photo by Ed Fielding.

Singer-songwriter Kate Bush has been singular since her first album The Kick Inside kickstarted her career in 1978. “Wuthering Heights”, the lead single from that album, topped charts in the UK, in Europe, and as far afield as Australia and New Zealand. Her popularity in Australia has undoubtedly helped this show’s success there, including winning a Best Cabaret award at Adelaide Fringe 2025.

Kate Bush’s appeal endures. More than forty years since her debut, “Running Up That Hill” from 1985 topped charts internationally after Netflix’s Stranger Things introduced her genius to a new generation. 
Have you ever wished to hear an alternate version of “Babooshka”? Have you ever wondered how Kate Bush’s dance moves could be categorised? These and many more mysteries are revealed within Underbelly Boulevard Soho’s beautiful auditorium.

When Sarah-Louise Young embodies Kate Bush, she captures her free-spirited, unrestrained nature. She is also remarkably personable, her warm interactions with audience members balancing out the distance that Kate Bush’s fae-like persona can create.

Accoutrements abound in An Evening Without Kate Bush, but central to the experience is Sarah-Louise Young’s entrancing, enchanting portrayal of “the Bush”, as she calls the songstress, complete with wide eyes and wonderfully wavering vocals.

From recreating the (only mildly odd) music video of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush’s “Don’t Give Up” to the uncanny, ingenious use of giant eyeballs (you had to be there), the show is a kaleidoscopic box of tricks. The element of surprise and the unfurling of the unexpected cause the evening to fly by.
I will treasure the numerous surreal moments that were birthed by the magic of live theatre. The audience, initially Britishly reserved, is coaxed to join in, barking in tune with “Hounds of Love”. 

Photo by Ed Fielding.

The singalong elements were, to me, a testament to the curative power of singing and community. In a world brimming with division and strife, the show is a sweet antidote — joy, unity and unrestrained self-expression. If everyone had a superpower, Sarah-Louise Young’s would perhaps be creating joy.

I’ve come away from the evening feeling a great affinity for Kate Bush’s songs and artistry. I doubt that I’ll be able to listen to “Wuthering Heights” without thinking about this particular evening with Sarah-Louise Young.

P.S. If you are by any description a Kate Bush fan (“Fish People”, apparently!), add another ½ star to my rating below!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘An Evening Without Kate Bush’ runs at Underbelly Boulevard Soho in London until Sunday, 26 April 2026. Tickets are available from: https://underbellyboulevard.com/tickets/an-evening-without-kate-bush/ 

For more information and updates on upcoming dates, visit: https://www.withoutkatebush.com/

Photo by Ed Fielding.