Absolute Bowie

Tribute acts. Love them or hate them, but these days you simply cannot ignore them. So, if you are going to pay out good money to watch an act of doppelgangers recreate the hits of your favourite stars, then you want to pick a good one. Right?

I have been to several at Norwich's Epic Studios, and I have to admit that watching a tribute Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, or T.Rex tribute in a venue the size of Epic makes the whole experience much more believable. Their stage, sound system and lighting rig completely lends itself to recreating an arena show in a way that most village halls and pubs cannot expect to compete. So, on Saturday night, having found somewhere to park the car, and having negotiated the demolition site that once was Anglia Square, I surrendered myself to the magic that is Absolute Bowie.

I was not on the coach that set off from Lowestoft on Friday May 21st 1973, bound for Norwich Theatre Royal, and a date with David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars. But school friends of mine were, complete with their Ziggy haircuts. There may even have been some of them at Epic Studios tonight – the wide range of ages present would certainly have made that possible. But what is clear is that Australian former builder John O'Neill, who has been fronting Absolute Bowie for the last twenty years, has created a stage persona that authentically leads the audience through an evening of memories and music that took us right back to Space Oddity, and transported us in time through more than two decades to the likes of Fame and China Girl.

We were missing two members of the band tonight, so the saxophone and piano parts, together with additional backing vocals, were provided via backing tapes, but lead guitarist Andy Marr really seemed to nail the Mick Ronson guitar sound, and delivered a blistering solo during Moonage Daydream. Other band members Telegram Sam on bass and Monster on drums (not their real names!) were solid, but all eyes were on O'Neill as he walked the walk, and talked the talk, and sang the songs, from The Man Who Sold The World right through to an encore rendition of Rebel Rebel, with a passion and purpose that was actually very impressive, even if the Australian accent did sometime creep in at times.

With some chameleon-like costume changes, O'Neill switches from Bowie's iconic wide-legged Kabuki jump suit to silk kimono, to one-legged Yamamoto tights, and finally to tailored suits, and as he does so his entire body movements change with each outfit, and each segment of songs. It is not a surprise to learn that Absolute Bowie have won both 'Best UK Band' and 'Best Bowie' at the National Tribute Music Awards (no, I didn't know that there was such a thing, either)

So, there you have it. Another impressive tribute show hosted by Epic Studios, proving once again that they probably come closer to any other Norwich venue in creating an arena experience worthy of the magnitude of the acts being tributed.  

My only disappointment – he didn't do The Laughing Gnome, or Little Fat Man.