iOATA and Deborah Conway in David Bowie: Nothing Has Changed. Photograph by Robert Catto.
Singer Deborah Conway told the audience something like, ‘Bowie was a poet, a gender-bender, actor, singer, songwriter and visionary which is why it takes so many of us to do justice to him.’ And of course there were also Bowie’s gang of alter egos including Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Thin White Duke. Wisely then, no attempt was made to mimic Bowie’s idiosyncracies; instead, each soloist channeled his hits their own way, even if iOTA did sport a Bowie look-a-like, jagged-edged, star-blazed onesie and glitter-glam makeup.
An especially memorable delivery was Tex Perkin’s growled, cindery, emotionally scorched ‘Young American.’ His anguished reiterations of, ‘She Wants A Young American,’ was extraordinarily heart-on-sleeve, almost painful to witness and punctuated by ear-pleasing funk guitar and eerie keys. The piano player was a blast.
Boldly and skillfully using every nook and cranny of her voice, Conway had the lion’s share of anthems including, ‘Starman.’ And, in ‘Oh You Pretty Things,’ her big, belted voice fielded the song’s irony superbly.
Bowie’s gender-bending dimension was conjured by successfully pairing male and female songsters, Conway and Perkins in ‘Golden Years,’ and, Adalita and Perkins in ‘Sorrow.’ Adalita looked slight, but her ‘Rebel Rebel’ and ‘Jean Genie’ were gutsy, engaging and had clout. Steve Kilbey’s ‘Diamond Dogs’ was a winner.
And on the subject of singers, it was rewarding to hear so many. A good move, which resulted in very different takes of the late singer’s hits. And the event hosted iOTA, in great form, Tex Perkins, Steve Kilbey, Deborah Conway and Adalita.
The band was sure-fingered, tight, authentic and the guitarist-cum-Music Director achieved a well-rounded, lively, presentation although the best, edge-of-the-seat performances were all before interval. Afterwards, there were gems, but some flawed covers too which failed to fly and yet, the duds did not dent this slick, crowd-hugging, showbiz event’s overall success.
But here’s a grumble, a bee in the bonnet. Why are orchestras invariably ‘heard’ but not ‘seen’ in rock n’ roll concerts? In this entertaining homage, a fun tribute to the late David Bowie, there were blistering sax solos coming from behind the Perspex screens, which shielded the QSO from the audience. Surely, seeing the saxophonist play alongside the guitarists and drums in ‘Young Americans’ would have added a sparkling extra? Is there a fear that the sight of orchestral players could infect the rock songstresses and crooners with ‘old, daggy’ music?
Yet again, the QSO’s instrumental army were bound and chained sound slaves contributing – insultingly easy-peasy, string lines sustained for days or underscored tune shards, thickened, doubled up textures and boosted riffs. The sight of conductor Guy Noble looking bemused over his side of the Perspex divide, good-natured irony splashed on his face, was a reminder of the dazzling possibilities of instrumental colour which could be unleashed– arrangements permitting- from his side of the tracks.
Visually, a simple yet illuminated stage setting of a starry sky background, Bowie’s ‘red lightning slash’ seriously blown up and washed with inspired lighting was enough to transport the appreciative, sell-out audience to the last century and of course, Bowie’s remarkable, futuristic, space-driven, back to the future music scene.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
David Bowie: Nothing Has Changed
A Tribute with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Featuring: iOTA, STEVE KILBEY, DEBORAH CONWAY, ADALITA, TEX PERKINS
Conductor Guy Noble
Creative Director Amanda Pelman
Musical Director Ashley Naylor
1 October 2016​
