It’s no wonder Kate Bush’s first hit, “Wuthering Heights,” is not her most covered song. She sings it in such a high register that many vocalists likely have to drop it down to even hope to attempt it. But Irish singer-songwriter Ciara Thompson, known as CMAT as her middle name is Mary-Alice, has long been a fan of “Wuthering Heights” and dreamed of performing it. At a recent performance in London, Thompson decided to take it on for the first time.
After Thompson speaks about her dream of playing the song live, the piano begins and you can tell you’re in England—only in England would the entire crowd instantly recognize the song she’s about to sing. Thompson gamely goes after those high notes but adds a little vocal grit. She does miss a few, perhaps, but she’s doing this live and it’s a pretty impressive performance. There’s one note in the coda that’s particularly impressive. Fitting for “Wuthering Heights,” Thompson also dances around the stage theatrically, occasionally echoing Bush’s moves in the video.
The crowd is clearly ecstatic and it’s no wonder. This is a hard song for anyone to pull off live and Thompson does a pretty great job of it.
