Let All the Children Boogie?
There’s no denying that David Bowie was, and still is after his death, one of the seminal artists of our lifetime. My relationship with Bowie’s music started when I was around seven, when my mum gave me a cassette (remember those?!) of Space Oddity. I popped the tape in my bright white ghetto blaster, turned off the lights and absorbed the intergalactic hit. I played it so much I nearly wore the tape out, as I dreamt of space travel and imagined sitting in my tin can, far above the world…
I was excited to see the Bowie Experience at The Grand Opera House York, and took along a friend who is an even bigger Bowie fan than myself. Whilst this probably isn’t something you would take your children to (although there were one or two in the audience near us, aged around 9 or 10) I’m reviewing the show as an option for a grown-up night out. So is it worth putting on your red shoes for? Find out below…
Sound and Vision
Laurence Knight pays tribute to Bowie, changing costumes and wigs to help represent different eras of his career. These changes are relatively slick, and covered by extended riffs and the odd solo.
However, in a show reliant on the lead singer as the iconic Bowie, the levels weren’t balanced and the band all too frequently overwhelmed Knight’s vocals. This wasn’t such a problem in the more familiar songs that I knew well, but in the lesser known tracks I couldn’t make out the lyrics. We were seated near the front of the Dress Circle so it wasn’t a case of being too far from the action.
When he could be heard, Knight often sounded like Bowie, in some songs more than others. He could certainly sing, and imitated some of the swagger of the rock n’ roll legend well. It’s clear Bowie is one of his Heroes, and his enthusiasm for his life and work shows.
The band are undeniably talented and played the songs well, but I was willing them to show a little more of their own personality. The exception was Emily Westwood on backing vocals and saxophone who was the only member, except Bowie, who really seemed to be enjoying herself. Others barely looked up, barely rocked out, and seemed to be simply going through the motions.
Accompaniment was all in key and in time, but generally lacked showmanship. Despite this, it was great to hear Bowie’s catalogue played live, having never got to see the real deal during his lifetime. The sound was rich and toes were tapping.
Each song featured video projection, and the show was peppered with animated images of Bowie, a few facts and life affirming quotes. The lighting design helped to create the atmosphere of a concert, even though this jarred a little with the elegant surroundings of the traditional theatre. On that note, a tribute show in a theatre is something of a (Space) oddity – with audiences often itching to dance but not wanting to obscure the view of those passively watching behind. Many settled for clapping along.
Dancing in the Seats
Despite a few issues, the audience generally seemed to enjoy the show. For whatever reason some people left early but others stayed for the duration, and many in the Stalls were on their feet dancing by the end. I was expecting a little more theatrical (Ziggy) stardust and polish, but of course no Bowie tribute is ever going to quite live up to the real thing so perhaps expectations were too high.
My friend felt the same, and thought the content jumped around too much chronologically and that some of the hits were missing. However, at 2 hours 30 minutes with an interval it’s a packed show and features many fan favourites.
If you fancy a ch-ch-change from the usual nights out, it’s worth a watch but would benefit from a few technical tweaks and extra direction.
MAGIC RATING 
VALUE FOR MONEY 
OVERALL
Tickets range from £13 to £44 and the show is currently touring into February 2021. More information can be found at www.bowieexperience.com
Disclaimer: Tickets were kindly provided for this performance, however all opinions are honest and are our own.
Review Wizard 