Kate Bush to make return to touring at 55

She will play a 15-date residency at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, which was the venue for a celebrated concert film she made in 1979.

The 55-year-old made a surprise announcement about the shows – to be called Before The Dawn – yesterday, with the first taking place on August 26.

Bush talked about a desire to return to playing live in an interview three years ago, saying she would love to play again before she became “too ancient”.

She was just 20 when she completed The Tour Of Life after topping the charts with Wuthering Heights the previous year.

Over the years, theories about her absence from the stage have included her perfectionism, a fear of flying and the death of one of the tour crew, lighting director Bill Duffield, during a show.

But in a rare interview with Mojo magazine in 2011 to mark her comeback, she explained that her years of silence on the touring circuit were simply down to the sheer exertion of the ordeal.

“It was enormously enjoyable. But physically it was absolutely exhausting,’’ she said.

“I still don’t give up hope completely that I’ll be able to do some live work, but it’s certainly not in the picture at the moment because I just don’t quite know how that would work with how my life is now.”