I think this is perhaps the third or fourth Bowie tribute act I have seen since I first dipped my toe into the Bowie tribute waters back in 2016. This is the first I have seen that comes direct from the west end. Based on my poor experience at the music of Fleetwood Mac Concerts by Candlelight in Ripon a couple of days ago, the west end badge is not necessarily a good thing. However the Bowie Experience were stunning. The seven piece band were supremely talented and pulled off the Bowie sounds wonderfully. The set was obviously full of the big hits but also some lesser played songs like “Station To Station”, “TVC15” and “Blue Jean”. The songs ranged from 1969 to 1986 and given the proximity to the tenth anniversary of Bowie’s passing it was an emotional night.
The costume changes ranged from Ziggy through the Thin White Duke to the Serious Moonlight look and were carried out in perfect time and Laurence Knight who is Bowie in this group even gave a shout out credit to his dresser. The costumes were classy and looked pretty authentic too. Knight pulls off the idiosyncratic Bowie dance moves better than most. It was a show full of huge highlights and energetic singalongs. The obvious crowd pleasers were drawn from Bowie’s superstar phase (“Let’s Dance” and “China Girl”) but the best moments for me were the previously mentioned deep cuts and a soulful “Sorrow”, an ace “Young Americans”, a full on glam stomping “Rebel Rebel” and a towering, emotional romp through “All The Young Dudes” to close a fabulous night. I would certainly come to another Bowie Experience gig and if you’re a Bowie fan the you should too.
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