Kate Bush Tour Tickets Sell Out In Minutes

Tickets for Kate Bush's first live shows in 35 years have sold out in less than 15 minutes.

The Wuthering Heights singer announced last week she would be playing 15 dates at London's Hammersmith Apollo, starting on August 26.

She then added seven more shows to the run, such was the demand for pre-sale tickets.

Speaking after tickets went on sale at 9.30am on Friday morning Bush said: "I'm completely overwhelmed by the response to the shows.

"Thank you so much to everyone. Looking forward to seeing you all later this year."

Simon Presswell, managing director of Ticketmaster UK, said: "As expected demand for Kate Bush tickets was phenomenal. At our peak the Ticketmaster website had over 65,000 fans looking for tickets, and our call centre was humming.

"After a 35-year wait several thousand lucky fans will be seeing Kate Bush perform live, but despite playing 22 dates demand has significantly exceeded the number of tickets available so regrettably a number of fans will be left disappointed."

Fan @chrissie_author wrote on Twitter: "30 years I've been a Kate Bush fan. Always wanted to see her in concert and no luck getting tickets today. I am more than gutted."

And @MrDanielBrowne posted: "Damn you people who got Kate Bush tickets. I hate you all. Tonight I'm going to get drunk, listen to Babooshka and cry."

And touts have been taking advantage of desperate people willing to pay over the odds for tickets.

Some, which were originally priced from £49 and upwards, are for sale online for £1,500 each.

Bush's first and only live tour was in 1979 when she was 20 years old.

Her decision to abandon touring has long fuelled rumours about her health.

But she has since released eight albums and has continued to influence artists like Madonna, Florence Welch and Lady Gaga.

Hanna Hanra, founding editor of Beat magazine, said: "Kate Bush was the first to make proper videos and she dictated her own career rather than let her management or record label do that for her.

"It was very unusual and certainly set a precedent for other women in the record industry."

Over the course of her 22-night residency in August and September, Bush will perform to about 80,000 people.

The singer might have been out of sight for over three decades, but she has not been out of mind.

She was nominated for a Brit Award and an Ivor Novello for her 2011 album 50 Words For Snow.

Bush, whose hits also include Running Up That Hill and Babooshka, has given no indication as to what songs she might play or whether she will attempt to recreate the flamboyant and physically demanding performances she put in as a young woman.