As a huge David Bowie fan, I always have an eye out for any content related to him. His face clutters the walls of my bedroom, his albums crowd my record cabinet, and my several Bowie T-shirts are in the regular rotation of my wardrobe. So when I heard that a Bowie cover band was playing in Victoria, and that this band has been credited as one of the most realistic Bowie experiences in North America, I was immediately intrigued and excited to see them on Friday, November 18.
The band in question, Ground Control, with their show A Night of Bowie: The Definitive Bowie Experience, have been entertaining with their tribute to the late British artist for over 30 years, with Victoria’s Syl Thompson performing as Bowie.
Accordingly, I had high expectations of the show, and was deeply impressed. Thompson and his band of six musicians played a dynamic, relatively diverse set of 23 tracks touching on many albums in Bowie’s discography.
The musicianship was excellent; every performer was incredibly talented. The timing was extremely tight, showing their synergy with one another and giving the impression that they are very well practiced with their set. Thompson’s impersonation of Bowie was accurate and captivating, achieving the exact styling of his vocal tone and nailing every high note.
The overall sound mix of the show was superb for the most part, not blowing my ears off or feeling withdrawn. The band kept true to the original tracks, yet took interesting creative liberties that utilized their resources as a full band. The colour-changing lights that lit up the Alix Goolden Performance Hall were fun and immersive, striking a nice balance of visual interest without going overboard.
The only drawbacks I can note from this performance are few, and are overshadowed by the many positives. I won’t lie: I was very excited to hear at least one track off of Low, especially since the concert was advertised as spanning much of Bowie’s discography, so I was disappointed that album was neglected. Additionally, the vocals were slightly on the muddier side and that caused them to get lost in the overall sound at times—understandable from the echoing acoustics of the venue, but still noteworthy. Finally, while the performance was very enjoyable and worthwhile, the ticket price of $50 is relatively steep for a student’s budget.
Still, all in all, it was a great experience and it felt like, just for one night again, to quote Bowie’s “Lady Stardust,” it was all right, the band was all together.