Kate Bush's son gave her the courage to perform again.

The 'Wuthering Heights' hitmaker - who played her first show in 35 years at London's Hammersmith Apollo on Tuesday(22.08.14) to mark the start of her Before The Dawn tour - admitted she would have struggled to take to the stage without the support of her son, Bertie.

She told The Daily Star newspaper: ''Without my son Bertie, this would never have happened.

''In the early stages I was very frightened to commit to pushing the 'go' button.

''And without his encouragement and enthusiasm, I'm sure I would have backed out.

''Throughout he has been my chief consultant, my editor, my confidant.''

Bertie also provides backing vocals on the tour, which famously features images of the 56-year-old singer swimming in a giant flotation tank projected onto the big screen.

However, the pretty brunette admitted she started to question her sanity after suffering from hypothermia as a result of spending so much time in the water.

She explained: ''After six hours of floating around in a tank with a full diving team I started to feel a tiny bit irritable and cold.

''That night I could feel my temperature rising.

''I was worried I might have pneumonia. By the next morning I had a fever that felt like flu and I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't make the filming and it turned out I had mild hypothermia.

''It was the first time in all my years of nutty ideas that I really questioned my sanity.''

Kate's shows sold over 100,000 tickets in just minutes and she is said to have chosen the smaller West London venue in order to ''have contact'' with her fans.

She has also asked them not to take pictures or film her performing because of the nature of the arena.

Kate wrote on her official website: ''We have purposefully chosen an intimate theatre setting rather than a large venue or stadium.

''It would mean a great deal to me if you would please refrain from taking photos or filming during the shows.

''I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras. I know it's a lot to ask, but it would allow us to all share in the experience together.''