h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Pink Floyd guitarist was instrumental (no pun intended ) in getting her career started. A demo tape of her songs found its way into his hands, and he was so impressed that he funded a session at a professional studio (AIR Studios in London I think)to make something more polished. EMI liked what they heard (Floyd were on Harvest Records, which I believe is an offshoot of EMI) and signed her up, but since she was only sixteen at the time (but had already written one of her best songs - 'The Man With The Child in His Eyes') and still somewhat 'raw' as a talent, they decided to hold back on releasing anything immediately, and she spent the two years before 'Wuthering Heights' was released studying mime and dance, which always featured heavily in her performances and videos.

Dave Gilmour has been her producer, her executive producer, and has often been guitarist in her band, such as when she played... was it on one of the 'Secret Policeman's Balls'?

One of my favourite cover versions is Hue & Cry's version of 'The Man with the Child in His Eyes', which I'd heartily recommend to anyone who likes a haunting ballad.

And to 14 people who don't.

Dave Gilmour did perform with Kate when she appeared at 'The Secret Policeman's Third Ball', two benefit concerts for Amnesty International on 28 & 29 March 1987. She sang 'Running Up That Hill' and The Beatles' 'Let It Be'. Dave also contributes backing vocals to 'Pull Out The Pin' on 'The Dreaming', and plays guitar on 'Rocket's Tail' and 'Love And Anger' on 'The Sensual World'.

Actually, one unusual aspect of Kate's career is that she rarely had need of a live band, because she very seldom played live. She only did one full-scale tour in her career - a series of UK and European dates in 1979. They were, by all accounts, immensly ambitious shows, lasting for two and a half hours and involving lots of dancing and costume changes. They were extremely well received by press and public.

Unfortunately, the whole enterprise was touched by tragedy. The tour was billed as 'The Tour Of Life', and that title took on a horrible irony at a very early stage. Before the main part of the tour began, on April 2, 1979, Kate and her band played a warm-up show at the Poole Arts Centre in Dorset. The show itself went well, but as the set was being dismantled afterwards, lighting engineer Bill Duffield fell to his death. Kate decided to press ahead with the tour, and the first London Hammersmith Odeon date on May 12, 1979 was turned into a benefit show for Duffield's family. Peter Gabriel and Steve Harley, who'd also worked with Duffield, made guest appearances.

Kate also developed throat problems during the mainland Europe dates, and had to shorten three of the shows. She was reportedly suffering from mental and physical exhaustion at the end of the tour, and needed time off to recuperate. After all that, it's no wonder that she never toured again, although she did make other isolated live appearances such as those at the Amnesty International benefit shows.

I believe that the tour was also something of a financial disaster

Considering how elaborate the show was, that's certainly possible. I've read that the tickets sold out very quickly in Britain, but the tour may not have done so well in mainland Europe. It did produce a couple of spin-offs, though: a 'Live At Hammersmith Odeon' video and the 'On Stage' EP, which reached number 10 in the UK singles chart in 1979.

One other thing I forgot to mention earlier: the song 'Blow Away (For Bill)' on 'Never For Ever' was dedicated to Bill Duffield.

And yet another connection I've just found: Kate made her first live appearance for almost 15 years when she appeared as a guest at Gilmour's London Royal Festival Hall concert on January 18, 2002. She sang the old Pink Floyd number 'Comfortably Numb' - the song that was recently turned into an improbable dance hit by The Scissor Sisters.