Kate Bush Is Touring Again - The Last Time 'The Wuthering Heights' Star Toured In 1979... | HuffPost

The Last Time Kate Bush Toured...

Caroline Frost— The Huffington Post UK

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Kate Bush's return to the footlights is, rightly, being treated by jaw-dropping fans as The Second Coming.

It's been a mighty 35 years since the 'Wuthering Heights' star last stepped on stage, for what turned out to be the only tour in her career. 'The Tour Of Life' took place in April 1979 and lasted all of six weeks. With Kate Bush's celebrated control over every aspect of production, the lighting, choreography and set design were all top-notch with the artist herself making 17 costume changes. The chances are, the new tour will be, perhaps, a little less 'wow' but no less wonderful.

MORE: Why Kate Bush's Return Is More Important To Music Than Ever...

What else was happening in 1979? Well...

Margaret Thatcher was the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and one month away from entering Downing Street as Britain's first ever Prime Minister, a title she would hold until November 1990.

A pint of milk cost 15 pence (a shocking hike, apparently, three times the price it had been three years before)

A loaf of bread cost £1.20.

A pint of mild was 18 pence, a bitter was roughly 20 pence, and a lager... splash the boat out, a whole 24 pence

The average house price in the UK was £19,925.

The most popular toy was space-themed Lego. And whatever the toy happened to be in a McDonald's Happy Meal, introduced this year.

TV's new shows for British viewers included 'Blankety Blank', 'Antiques Roadshow', 'Paul Daniels' Magic Show', 'Question Time', 'To The Manor Born', 'Shoestring' and 'Terry and June', 'Not the Nine O'clock News', 'Worzel Gummidge', 'Tales of the Unexpected' and 'Sapphire and Steel'.

At the cinema, you could queue up to see 'Max Max', 'Warriors', 'Kramer vs Kramer', 'Life of Brian', '10' and the year's biggest box office blockbuster 'Alien'.

The biggest box office star in the world was Burt Reynolds, a perch he would occupy all the way through to 1983, when he was usurped finally by Clint Eastwood.

Other people in the charts included The Village People with 'YMCA', The Bee Gees with 'How Deep Is Your Love', The Boomtown Rats with 'I Don't Like Mondays' and the Police with 'Message In A Bottle'.

And the bestselling artist of the year was... Art Garfunkel, with 'Bright Eyes', the theme to 'Watership Down'.

Kate Bush through the years

Investitures at Windsor Castle(01 of34)

Kate Bush receives her CBE from Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in Windsor. (credit:PA)

Investitures at Windsor Castle(02 of34)

Kate Bush receives her CBE from Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in Windsor. (credit:PA)

Kate Bush(03 of34)

File photo dated 29/10/01 of singer Kate Bus, as a obsessive fan of the singer flew over from New York to the UK with a £3,000 Tiffany engagement ring and broke into her country home, it was reported today. (credit:PA)

UK Q Awards(04 of34)

Singer Kate Bush receives the Classic Songwriter Award during The Q Awards 2001 at the Park Lane Hotel in London . (credit:PA)

Royal Music Day Reception - Buckingham Palace(05 of34)

Singer Kate Bush. (credit:PA)

PA NEWS PHOTO 10/3/78 KATE BUSH AT LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT ON ARRIVAL FROM AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND...(06 of34)

PA NEWS PHOTO 10/3/78 KATE BUSH AT LONDON'S HEATHROW AIRPORT ON ARRIVAL FROM AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND (credit:PA)

Music - Kate Bush - 1979(07 of34)

British singer and song writer Kate Bush, pops up from the daffodils at the Inn-on-the-Park, London (credit:PA)

Kate Bush and Lenny Henry.(08 of34)

Spitting Image puppets of John McEnroe and Jefferey Archer flanked by Lenny Henry and Kate Bush at the launch of the comic relief book. (credit:PA)

Photo of Kate BUSH(09 of34)

UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01: Photo of Kate BUSH; Portrait of Kate Bush (Photo by Phil Dent/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush(10 of34)

Successful female vocalist Kate Bush, circa 1985. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)

Bush In A Bush(11 of34)

Successful female vocalist Kate Bush surrounded by leaves, circa 1985. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush(12 of34)

Kate Bush, British Pop Singer. (Photo by Photoshot/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush(13 of34)

English singer-songwriter and pop star Kate Bush, 1987. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(14 of34)

UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01: Photo of Kate BUSH; Kate Bush promoting The Dreaming (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush adresses fans at the Kate Bush Convention in 1980(15 of34)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 10: Kate Bush makes a surprise appearance to meet her fans at The Kate Bush Convention in Leicester Square on May 10th, 1980 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Performs On Stage(16 of34)

UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 01: Singer Kate Bush performs on stage in March 1980. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Performs On Stage(17 of34)

UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 01: Singer Kate Bush performs on stage in March 1980. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(18 of34)

UNSPECIFIED - MARCH 01: Photo of Kate BUSH (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(19 of34)

UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of Kate BUSH (Photo by RB/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Bush, Kate(20 of34)

Kate Bush performing live in the late 1980's.; (Photo by Steve Rapport/Photoshot/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush(21 of34)

Kate Bush performs on stage at the London Symphony Orchestra's 75th Anniversary Celebration at The Royal Albert Hall, London, on 18th November 1979. (Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush(22 of34)

Kate Bush performs on stage at the London Symphony Orchestra's 75th Anniversary Celebration at The Royal Albert Hall, London, on 18th November 1979. (Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Live At Hammersmith Odeon(23 of34)

LONDON - 12th MAY: English singer Kate Bush performs live on stage at Hammersmith Odeon in London on the penultimate date of her European tour on 12th May 1979. (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Live At Hammersmith Odeon(24 of34)

LONDON - 12th MAY: English singer Kate Bush performs live on stage at Hammersmith Odeon in London on the penultimate date of her European tour on 12th May 1979. (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Live At Hammersmith Odeon(25 of34)

LONDON - 12th MAY: English singer Kate Bush performs live on stage at Hammersmith Odeon in London on the penultimate date of her European tour on 12th May 1979. (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Live At Hammersmith Odeon(26 of34)

LONDON - 12th MAY: English singer Kate Bush performs live on stage at Hammersmith Odeon in London on the penultimate date of her European tour on 12th May 1979. (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Live At Hammersmith Odeon(27 of34)

LONDON - 12th MAY: English singer Kate Bush performs live on stage at Hammersmith Odeon in London on the penultimate date of her European tour on 12th May 1979. (Photo by Peter Still/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Kate Bush Performs Live In Amsterdam(28 of34)

AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND - APRIL 29: Kate Bush performs live on stage at The Carre Theatre, Amsterdam during her 'The Tour Of Life' tour on April 29 1979 (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(29 of34)

NETHERLANDS - APRIL 29: CARRE Photo of Kate BUSH, performing live onstage (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(30 of34)

NETHERLANDS - APRIL 29: CARRE Photo of Kate BUSH, performing live onstage, wearing leg-warmers (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(31 of34)

DENMARK - APRIL 26: Photo of Kate BUSH; Kate Bush, 1979 Copenhagen, Denmark (Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(32 of34)

NETHERLANDS - APRIL 01: Photo of Kate BUSH; Kate Bush, CarrT Amsterdam '79 (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(33 of34)

NETHERLANDS - APRIL 01: Photo of Kate BUSH; Kate Bush, CarrT Amsterdam '79 (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

Photo of Kate BUSH(34 of34)

NETHERLANDS - APRIL 01: Photo of Kate BUSH; Kate Bush, CarrT Amsterdam, 1979 (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns) (credit:Getty Images)

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