As is the case with pretty much all stars, before the beautiful butterfly came the unremarkable caterpillar. Bowie was born in Brixton, South London on 8 January 1947, and named David Robert Jones. His father was a promotions officer for the children’s charity Barnardo’s and his mother a cinema usherette. He had one sibling – half-brother Terry – who had, like much of the extended family, sadly suffered from severe mental problems.
Topics: Rock Icons, David Bowie
After the sad passing of David Bowie yesterday (11.01.16), there was some inevitable Bowie music-playing going on at Flame Tree. However, whilst we stuck on a playlist of his tracks, the question arose, which one was his best? So, I quickly took a survey of our staff’s top picks and whittled it down to a top 5.
Topics: David Bowie
On February 19, London’s O2 Area was home to one of music’s biggest events, the 2014 Brit Awards. The star-studded award show, hosted by comic actor James Corden for the fifth and last time, was broadcasted live on ITV in the UK. Performances by 'Drunk In Love' singer Beyoncé, as well as Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding, Lorde and Pharrell left audiences electrified at home and in the arena.
Topics: Pop Music, David Bowie
2013 is almost at an end and the world of music has not been quiet this year, oh no! From Bieber goes bad to Rihanna gets raunchy the music world has given us some memorable moments that need to be remembered before the bells of Auld Lang Syne chime! Here, in the first of two blog posts, we count down the most memorable music moments of 2013 from ten to six.
Topics: Pop Music, David Bowie
Glam rock was in full swing in 1974 when this signature song by the erstwhile Davey Jones hit the charts. A pivotal point in rock and roll history, this was an era of regrettable sartorial and musical fashions in many ways, when builders called Clive from Slough would dress up in skintight lurex, call themselves Dayglo Dave and play watered-down Sweet covers in working men’s clubs. Our man Bowie largely avoided these errors, carving himself an image somewhere between visiting alien and demon mullet-wearer with wonky eyes, and to this day his glam-era material is worth your time, ‘Rebel Rebel’ in particular, which was effectively his last foray into the genre. The opening riff, with its top-heavy overdrive and tinkling arpeggiated chord, is instantly recognizable, even if the amp and effect he’s using on it sound as if they cost tuppence.
Topics: 70s music, David Bowie
Young mod. Hairy hippie. Ziggy Stardust. Aladdin Sane. Halloween Jack. The Thin White Duke. Plastic Soulman. Godfather of the New Romantics. Tin Machinist.
Topics: 70s music, 60s music, David Bowie
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