For the second year in a row The Court played host to this event, celebrating all things wonderful about the Starman himself, David Bowie. The Beaufort Street venue was the perfect location for such a colourful evening, with sideshows including Bowie style-glitter face painting, auctions and a stunning Bowie portrait being painted live by Fremantle artist Rahalie McGuirk during the evening’s musical entertainment all helping to raise money for Cancer Council WA. And Perth’s Bowie fans certainly didn’t disappoint, with the early evening event receiving wonderful support throughout.
Compare Bob Gordon took charge of proceedings, reminding us all it was already four years since the passing of the Brixton-born singer/songwriter, as he introduced guitarist Sean Coulson to start the musical smorgasbord off, with two songs from Bowie’s fourth studio album ‘Hunky Dory’, which was released way back in 1971. Next to take to the stage were the fabulous Thin White Ukes, a trio from Melbourne who have been encapsulating audiences since 2014 with their wonderful rearrangements of the Bowie songbook, accompanied by their glorious harmonies & of course, their ukuleles. Betty France (soprano uke) adorned from head to toe in her spacesuit of silver and backed by Michael Dwyer (tenor uke) & Rob Stephens (baritone uke) had crowd members up dancing & singing along, as they tore through a collection of ten Bowie classics including Ashes to Ashes, Space Oddity, Life on Mars & Let’s Dance.
Set List: Ashes to Ashes, John I’m Only Dancing, Moonage Daydream, Space Oddity, Golden Years, Living End, Life on Mars, Fame, Let’s Dance, Where Are We Now
As audience members recharged their drinks, it became increasingly apparent that the glitter face paint was now adorning more people than not, as the lights dimmed to highlight the stunning & colourful images of David Bowie that adorned the huge rear screen, as The Home Band took to the stage, comprising of a vast collection of some of Perth’s finest local musicians. It was hard to keep up (in a good way), as a host of lead vocalists took charge of singing duties and with guest musicians entering the stage each & every song, it was a refreshing way to enjoy Bowie’s ever-changing career path.
James Redman (The Limbs) kicked things off with ‘Cracked Actor’ before Chris Murphy (Murphy’s Lore, Australian Idol), Clayton Bolger, Bob Gordon, Ella Munro, Matthew de la Hunty (Tall Tales & True) & co-founder of the event Greg Dear (Beautiful Losers) all took in turns to take centre stage during the eighteen song set list, as the Home Band charged through songs including ‘Rebel Rebel’, ‘Changes’ & ‘Young Americans’. It wasn’t just the guys & girls out front who showcased the quality of the musical gathering before our eyes with experienced Murphy’s Lore’s members Kieran Murphy (drums) & Shaun Street (bass) as well as Mark Ralph (keys) keeping everything tight in the rhythm section. Backing vocals from De La Hunty, Susanna Morley Wong, Gordon & a reappearance from The Thin White Ukes gave the music an impressive added depth, as the energy & celebrations in the venue reached fever pitch.
The final six songs of the set took the night to a whole new level; adding the rock element to the band was outstanding guitarist Selina Paul (Ballbreaker, ex-Legs Electric) and she nailed the ‘China Girl’ solo with ease. Chris Murphy returned, encouraging the crowd to join in with ‘All the Young Dudes’ before more line-up changes for ‘Ziggy Stardust’, ‘Suffragette City’ & ‘Under pressure’ featuring Murphy’s wife Sherri. There was little room on stage as the collective gathered for the final song of the night, and what a finish it was. ‘Heroes’ has always been one of my favourite Bowie tracks and it was certainly a case of saving the best till last, allowing Bolger to once again showcase his fine vocal talents, with the band joined by accomplished local guitarist Errol H. Tout to help close out the night.
The whole evening was a wonderful tribute to an artist who left his mark across so many musical genres and this event highlighted the enjoyment that Bowie’s music will keep on giving, having left such a vast imprint on the world. Bring on next year’s celebrations!
Set list: Cracked Actor, Rebel Rebel, Jean Genie, Rock n’ Roll Suicide, Changes, Drive in Saturday, Song For Dylan, Sorrow, Man Who Sold the World, Young Americans, Diamond Dogs, Queen Bitch, China Girl, All The Young Dudes, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Under Pressure, Heroes
