Beans on Toast Review
By David Fowler
Review for Ay Up Duck Radio’s Sugarmill Show
On Saturday 12 March, I went with a mate to the sugar mill to see Absolute Bowie – The Greatest hits show.
Bowie has been my hero since I was a kid and I was fortunate to see him live a couple of times so I approached this tribute show with a little trepidation, worried it would be more “tonight Matthew I’m going to be …..” caricature of the great man.
The show began with a set from ziggy and the spiders. Panic in Detroit blasted out and I was impressed. Ziggy looked and sounded the part as did the rest of the band. Mick Ronson looked just as uncomfortable in his costume as the original did and he played a gold top Les Paul which was a great touch of authenticity andTrevor Bolder on bass guitar sported a fine mullet. The whole band were excellent, as Ziggy himself once said, “And he was alright, the band was all together.” This was no caricature. It was a lovingly crafted tribute to the great man.
So the first set was effectively a Ziggy Stardust concert comprising of Ziggy Stardust, Panic in Detroit, Suffragette City, All the Young Dudes, Star Man and Life on Mars. And it was pretty impressive. The audience loved it, waving, clapping and singing along, egged on by Ziggy who had them in the palm of his hands.
For the second set, our hero appeared as the Thin White Duke complete with a hamlet style skull. In my opinion, this part of the show was even more impressive. He played the part perfectly, and from where I was standing, it could have been the man himself.
Beginning with Station to station, then excellent versions of Fame, Golden years and Young Americans
The next costume change brought us into the 1980’s with the iconic yellow suit and matching hair. We were treated to Ashes to ashes, Modern love, China girl and Let’s dance. The crowd (some which sported Bowie makeup) loved it and continued to sing and dance as Bowie commanded the stage.
When the audience demanded an encore, they were not disappointed, and were treated to excellent versions of Space Oddity and one of the greatest songs ever written – Heroes.
All in all a great night out. John O’Neill as David Bowie, supported by his brilliant band gave The sugarmill a realistic and respectful performance. Enough to please hardened Bowie fans (like myself) and entertaining enough to convert others to the music of Bowie.
Follow The Sugarmill Show on Facebook and Instagram @thesugarmillshow and join our mailing list by dropping us a message on our socials or email us at SugarmillShow@gmail.com!
© David Fowler 2022
Contact: SugarmillShow@gmail.com