Kate Bush fans have got her teenage son Bertie to thank for her comeback - the singer has revealed he convinced her to return to the stage.

She surprised the audience by introducing one of her five backing singers as 16-year-old Bertie at her opening Hammersmith Apollo show, her first live gig in 35 years.

Bertie went on to feature in mini-plays throughout the evening and according to the Daily Mirror, Kate said: "Without my son Bertie, this would never have happened.

"Without his encouragement and enthusiasm, particularly in the early stages when I was very frightened to commit to pushing the 'Go' button, I'm sure I would have backed out.

"Throughout he has been my chief consultant, my editor, my confidant. In order for him to be part of this, which has always part of the deal, he has had to work really hard in order to keep his school commitments as well as his commitments to the show."

Writing in the show's programme, she added: "He is a very talented actor and beautiful singer, as you will witness and he brings something special to the show through his presence.

"Thank you Bertie. Thank you so much."

Kate explained of how the shows had come about: "In March 2013 I said to Bertie 'shall we do some live shows?'

"He said, 'Absolutely!' I really wanted to do something different from working on another album and felt a desire to have contact with the audience that still liked my work."