Greetings, wanderers of the Internet, and welcome to Gaffaweb!

Gaffaweb has been assembled by a group of volunteers from the Love-Hounds Internet forum (a.k.a. rec.music.gaffa) with the aim of creating the ultimate resource for Kate Bush fans.

Kate Bush -- singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, actress, and director -- has inspired a devoted following around the world, and in August 1985, Doug Alan created an online discussion group about Kate. At first taking the form of a mailing list called Love-Hounds, it soon grew into a usenet newsgroup called rec.music.gaffa. The name was chosen over "rec.music.katebush" to indicate that discussion would not be limited to Kate Bush alone. Other artists discussed in Love-Hounds / rec.music.gaffa include those who have been involved in Kate's work in some way, such as Peter Gabriel and Roy Harper, as well as those who have been influenced by her or likened to her, such as Tori Amos and Happy Rhodes. Together, the mailing list and the newsgroup form an informal fan club known as "Love-Hounds." More information on all of this is available in the FAQ.

There are already a number of sites on the World Wide Web devoted to Kate. Some of these have been incorporated into Gaffaweb itself, and Gaffaweb will ultimately include links to all other Kate Bush sites on the Web. In addition, there are selections from the best of the Love-Hounds archives, a comprehensive FAQ, a vast selection of images, and much original material specially created for Gaffaweb.

Note: Like every other site on the Web, new things are continually being added to Gaffaweb. Still to come are a set of "song story" pages which will offer in-depth discussion and analysis of each of Kate's songs, a fully searchable database of all Kate Bush lyrics, the truly delightful Cloudbusting: Kate Bush In Her Own Words collection, a searchable archive of over a decade's worth of discussion and debate in Love-Hounds, and more. Check back often for new developments.

Gaffaweb is intended as a source of information and entertainment for the devoted fan and the curious newcomer alike. If you're already a fan, you've definitely come to the right place. And if you're not yet familiar with the work of Kate Bush, we hope this is an introduction you'll enjoy.

Okay, here goes. Make yourself a cup of coffee (homeground or otherwise), surf on, and get ready to be totally Bushwhacked!

Emmy May Lombaerts
30 July 1996