Holy Holy, Town Hall, Birmingham - review

In one brief chat with the audience Woodmansey recalled the night in March 1972 that Bowie in his Ziggy persona played this prestigious venue ­(outside Greek temple, inside Victorian splendour) with the Spiders from Mars. You could hardly forget the huge organ pipes that dominate the interior.

Apt then that this band, much more than a tribute act, were performing Bowie’s landmark album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in full.

Bowie fans were out in force because Holy Holy have authenticity. As well as gnarly Tyke Woody behind the tubs, the band boasts Bowie’s long-time producer Tony Visconti on bass, radiating quite cool, grey-haired, bespectacled and dapper like a university professor indulging his musical passion.

Up front is Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, not trying to sound like Bowie but his powerful vocals can handle these songs, and oddly his trousers appeared to be decorated with Bowie’s image!

It took two guitarists to take on the role left vacant by the late Mick Ronson, Paul Cuddeford and James Stevenson, the latter formerly of Chelsea and The Alarm. They passed the test with flying colours, particularly on the guitar ‘freak out’ closing Moonage Daydream and the iconic intro to Ziggy Stardust.

Credit also to keyboardist Berenice Scott and Visconti’s daughter, Jessica Lee Morgan, as saxophonist, acoustic guitarist, backing vocals and lead singer for Lady Stardust.

The first half of the evening had been given over to early Bowie album The Man Who Sold The World. Of its period, 1970, that album found Bowie at a crossroads, deciding between progressive rock (like Peter Gabriel- era Genesis) or dark heavy rock (hints of Black Sabbath). Instead, he went on to redefine popular music through the gender-bending medium of glam rock.

The title track was the stand-out tune but She Shook Me Cold was a fans’ favourite and the anthem The Supermen was impressive.

Then it was time for Ziggy, every song a classic but the biggest ovations were for Starman and Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide, and Suffragette City got the fans up out of their seats to boogie.

Holy Holy sprung a surprise with the first encore, leaving their avowed task of keeping to the 1969-73 timeframe by performing the poignant Where Are We Now? from 2013’s The Next Day album.

The it was Life On Mars, Changes and a rousing Rebel Rebel to send the fans home happy.

Finally, back to the beginning. Support act John Bramwell, from Cheshire, is one of the British music scene’s best kept secrets. The former frontman of I Am Kloot is an exceptional singer-songwriter whose songs perfectly balance sentimentality and cynicism, dripping with a world-weary melancholy. No wonder Elbow’s Guy Garvey is a fan.