Live Review: The Thin White Ukes: A Bowie Odyssey

David Bowie’s death in 2016 spawned waves of sorrow, as well as a stream of tribute shows celebrating the icon’s music. No such cover band pays homage to the thin white duke quite like The Thin White Ukes, who were a standout of the 2018 Adelaide Fringe and have made a welcome return to the fabulous Spiegeltent in 2019.

The trio of Michael Dwyer and Robert Stephens (both in black) and Betty France (in a silver space-age jumpsuit and chunky platform shoes) grace the stage with just a ukulele each and a whole lotta love for David Bowie. The crowd size seems larger than the prior year’s show, so word has clearly spread.

After a slightly inauspicious start with Lady Stardust, things became airborne with The Man Who Sold The World and Let’s Dance which is the perfect example of three-way interaction of tenor, baritone and soprano harmonies.

Bowie’s classic Space Odyssey is done justice, thanks to an amazing solo by Dwyer and handclaps from the audience almost on cue. The limits of a one-hour show – “so many hits and so little time” – led to an inevitable medley of Rebel Rebel, Moonage Daydream and Golden Years.

Obligatory anecdotes included the fact that Bowie wrote Lust For Life for Iggy Pop on a ukelele (pity they didn't play that particular song on this occasion), as well as their response to the frequently asked question about why they play Bowie songs on ukulele (“well, we tried it on bagpipes…”).

Lady Grinning Soul (from Aladdin Sane) and The Secret Life of Arabia (from Heroes) were also thrown in, but it was the hits we had come for and that’s largely what we received. The introduction to Life On Mars received a round of applause and was clearly an audience favourite, while Heroes and Queen Bitch were also standouts.

David Bowie’s music is timeless and The Thin White Ukes reminded us what a brilliant songwriter he was, while at the same time showing us how an instrument as basic as a ukulele (in the hands of an entertaining and well-rehearsed trio) can so brilliantly portray his songs.