Dublin Bowie Festival announces programme for next month
The annual Dublin Bowie Festival runs from February 26th to March 2nd.
This yer’s festival might be their biggest yet with a 3Arena Bowie show included and guests coming like Gail Ann Dorsey (who has also played with Lenny Kravitz, The National, Gwen Stefani, Charlie Watts and Bryan Ferry).
Here’s the rundown of some of the key highlights programme from the source:
Weds Feb 26th
Bowie Raw: Bowie Reimagined by BIMM @ Whelans
Join the students of Dublin’s BIMM Music College as they reimagine a selection of Bowie tracks in their own inimitable style. The college has seen a host of well known acts spring from its corridors recently – Fontaines DC etc – and has set a benchmark for its prodigious stream of talent. Who knows, we could be witnessing the birth of some new stars in the Bowie galaxy tonight.
Doors: 8pm . Adm: €15
Thurs Feb 27th @ The Bowie Alumni in Conversation: Gail Ann Dorsey, Mike Garson, Gerry Leonard, Mark Plati.
Join us for an incredibly special evening as four of the great Bowie alumni gather to share their stories of life with the Starman. It’s a first time Dublin Bowie Festival appearance for Bowie’s legendary piano man Mike Garson and Bowie’s iconic basswoman/co-vocalist Gail Ann Dorsey so we are beyond excited for this one.
Royal College of Surgeons, St Stephen Green, D2.
Doors: 8pm. Adm: €24.00
Friday Feb 28th
The Alumni in Concert: Mike Garson, Gail Ann Dorsey, Gerry Leonard, Mark Plati & Special Guests live from Whelans.
Anyone who was present at our Alumni live show at last year’s Festival will know how extraordinary it was, an unforgettable night for sure. The great news is.. It’s back! But this time Gerry and Mark will be joined by other Bowie Alumni legends Mike Garson and Gail Ann Dorsey for a super intimate show as they warm up for their Sunday night 3Arena RTE Orchestra performance. Seeing this quality of musicianship and performance up so close and personal is a rare treat for Bowie followers so this looks set to be one of the highlights of the Festival.
Whelans
Doors: 8pm. Adm: €35
The Songs Of David Bowie – The Bowie Alumni & The RTE Concert Orchestra
Featuring special guest vocalists: Faye O’Rourke (Soda Blonde), Dana Masters, Duke Special, & Shobsy After two remarkable sold out shows at The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre last year, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, under conductor David Brophy, returns to a bigger stage to perform The Songs of David Bowie, in Ireland’s premier indoor concert venue, The 3Arena. The show will feature specially commissioned arrangements of classics like Life on Mars, Heroes, Starman, Changes and Space Oddity as the orchestra and artists combine to salute one of the most imaginative, influential and iconic musicians of our times. Bowies former guitarist/musical director Gerry Leonard is the concerts Musical Director and is joined by other key David Bowie alumni Sterling Campbell, Mark Plati, Gail Ann Dorsey and very special guest Mike Garson as they revisit the venue they performed live with Bowie for his superb ‘A Reality Tour’ live concert film in 2003, the final time he played live in Ireland.
- In Association with Singular Artists *
3Arena. Doors: 6pm. Tickets from €59.
More from the programme.
Tues Feb 25th – Denis O’Regan @ Rathfarnham Castle
Rock photographer Denis O’Regan returns to the 17th century Rathfarnham Castle Gallery for a new exhibition of his photos of the iconic Starman. O’Regan is the man who has photographed Bowie more than any other photographer and his pics of Bowie are instantly recognisable. O’Regan was also an official photographer for Queen, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones and Duran Duran and was the official photographer at Live Aid.
Weds – Sunday: 10.30am – 4.30pm. (Closed Mon/TuFree admission)
Weds Feb 26th – Art Decade: 10 Years of the Dublin Bowie Festival photographed by Billy Cahill @ Central Library, Ilac Centre, Henry St, North City, Dublin 1.
A Dublin legend, official Festival photographer (and DBF committee member) Billy Cahill’s visual documentation of the Festival’s ten year run to date is celebrated with a very special exhibition of magical Festival moments. Featuring celebrated Festival guests, Tony Visconti, Gerry Leonard, Woody Woodmansey, Enda Walsh etc etc, the exhibition also focuses on the people who make our event extra special – the fans, the Bowie Worldwide Family.
Opens: 10am – 8pm (Weds/Thurs) 10am – 5pm (Fri/Sat) Closed Sunday. Free admission.
Saturday March 1st
Drive In Saturday – A Bowie Celebration
Dublin Bowie Festival takes over Dublin’s most revered rock n roll venue Whelans for day and night to bring you a feast of live music, a Young Americans listening party & panel discussion, screenings, markets and more. Dublin 6 piece The London Boys play 60’s Bowie covering his mod, baroque pop & music hall musings, Playback perform Bowie’s classic ‘plastic’ soul album Young Americans in its entirety and other funky Bowie classics, The Savage Hearts will be ripping through Bowie’s fantastic 1973 covers album Pin Ups from start to finish with some Glam classics thrown in and, all the way from the USA, comes classical pianist Monica Frank who will play a selection of self arranged Bowie songs. There will also be DJ sets and to cap the night off Brian Brody, lead singer of The London Boys, will be hosting a Bowie Singalong, a place where the Bowie Family can get together and sing communally all those songs we love and cherish so much.
Whelans
Doors: 1pm until 11.30pm. Adm: €40 for access to all areas the whole day. Tickets for individual band performances (i.e London Boys/Playback/Savage Hearts): €15. Stage times for all musical events will be posted in advance.
Rebel Rebel – The David Bowie Experience
Arguably planet Earth’s best Bowie tribute band return to headline our Saturday night celebrations with a wham bam, thank you mam selection of Bowie bangers, greatest hits and select album cuts. A two hour show featuring Ireland’s premier Bowie act, the Dublin based 8 piece always delivers a special night out and tonight they celebrate 50 years of Young Americans with some extra special renditions from Bowie’s classic 1975 album.
Opium, Wexford St.
Doors: 7pm. Adm: €29.50
Sunday March 2nd @ Bowie’s Piano Man – An Audience with Mike Garson
We are absolutely thrilled that the legendary pianist Mike Garson will be joining us for this very special event as he recounts his time with Bowie while performing live excerpts to illuminate the very special musical bond that he and David had over their long association with each other. American avant garde jazz pianist Garson was David Bowie’s longest-serving and most frequently appearing band member. They performed together for both Bowie’s first and last concerts in the United States as well as 1,000 concerts around the globe in between. Garson joined the Ziggy Stardust tour of 1972–73 and played on many albums and tours over the years with his amazing atonal solo on 1973’s title album track ‘Aladdin Sane’ arguably his most famous and iconic contribution to the Bowie canon. Garson has also recorded & toured with Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Duran Duran and St Vincent amongst others. We are graced to have a genuine musical legend with us for this Festival treat.
Royal College of Surgeons, St Stephens Green. D2.
Doors: 12 midday. Adm: €25
