The Thin White Duke in Petersham (Dec 2011)

After a heavy run of theatres and exhibitions it was good to go to a concert again with The Thin White Duke returning to the Fox and Duck. This was the fourth time that I had seen them there and, as always, it was a total blast.

The Fox and Duck likes The Thin White Duke as much as I do and turns out in force to sing and dance to the music of David Bowie.

I'll admit to joining in on the singing bit, how can you not shout out "Hot Tramp, I love you so" during Rebel Rebel, but I draw the line at dancing, to the relief of those having a good time.

The Thin White Duke have a wide repertoire of Bowie songs to call upon and they like to mix the selection and the order a bit.

This time the first half was a bit ChangesOneBowie featuring some of the older classics like John, I'm Only Dancing, Oh You Pretty Things, Life on Mars and Space Oddity. All classics, all delivered superbly and all enthusiastically received.

After a short break to allow band and audience to refresh we moved forward a few years with songs like Fashion, Fame, China Girl and Boys Keep Swinging. If anything these were even better received which is probably more a reflection on the relative youth of the audience than anything else.

The thing that I like most about The Thin White Duke is that they are happy to stray boldly away from the hit singles on to territory like Moonage Daydream (the opener), Diamond Dogs, Breaking Glass and Hang on to Yourself. A little something for the purists there to enjoy.

The two hours or so that The Thin White Duke played just whizzed past in a whirl of good tunes, good humour and good times.

Afterwards I managed to collect a set list (which they more or less followed) and snatch a few words with some of the band. The best news there is that they are looking to improve their technology so that they can extend their repertoire to include songs like Station to Station. I hope to witness this soon, even if I have to trek to Berrylands to do so.