I was so excited to review ‘The Rock ‘N’ Roll Alien’ as I am a huge David Bowie Fan. I knew it was not going to be the usual tribute act, so I really wanted to see what it was all about. The show is almost a chronological story of Bowie’s music legacy starting with ‘Space Oddity’ and ending with ‘Lazarus’ before the ending encore of ‘Heroes.’ It is essential to add that the visuals are show stopping, I would be happy to just watch the screen behind the performers with the songs playing. The vibrant flashing visuals were a show all of their own and I am disappointed that there was not time to just focus on the backdrop screen while watching the performers. The dancers and their costumes also made the show; without these you would not be able to associate and piece it all together. During ‘Ziggy Stardust’ the dancers all came on stage wearing a variety of costumes similar to Bowie’s iconic looks of the early seventies. In ‘Sound and Vision’ they wore yellow velvet suits with TVs on their heads. In ‘Ashes to Ashes’ the dancers almost replicated the New Romantic look from the video of Steve Strange dressed as a bishop. All this attention to detail which highlighted Bowie’s influence on fashion and trends made the whole evening a spectacle to behold, without even considering the music.
Now let’s focus now on the performers themselves. Three stars with incredible voices. It’s interesting to see a variety of styles singing the Bowie numbers. Of the three, one stood out a mile, Greg Oliver, and was rewarded by huge applause every time he arrived on stage and sang with a passion that our alien hero would have been proud of. The other two were more like classical stage/musical acts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it was just different and as I said before it’s not a copycat tribute show. Both with amazing vocal ranges but we need to remember that Bowie, in fact, was not a great singer, so hearing his lyrics sang differently you need to appreciate their talent and not expect to hear or see the great man at all. Sian Crowe ended the first part of the show with ‘Wild is the Wind’ which sounded more like a theme from James Bond with her dramatically trained stage voice. Sometimes she appeared very child like and innocent but her voice is mightily impressive. Elliot Rose can sing on many distinct levels, with a triple Octave range, but I felt his part of ‘Under Pressure’ where he assumed the role of Freddie Mercury was probably better suited to him. Delivering Bowie in his own indomitable way was great, but he lacked the movement needed to complement the style of those amazing, choreographed dancers moving around the stage at the same time.
The story of this show starts with humble roots and the visuals, dancers, stylists, and costume designers are assembled from people with skill who by chance were brought on board. Looking further into the production you can see that this was a true labour of love and mutual appreciation and admiration for Bowie. Simon Gwilliam’s vision for the Rock ‘N’ Roll Alien has brought all these artists together under one roof. It is Simon’s drive that has put all the music and visuals together to create a combination of Bowie’s life through music and look. Another family member Billy Gwilliam has also been involved with photography and filmmaking for the visual backdrop. A shout out also to the lighting team and the use of laser beams and torches by the dancers is effective.
The dancers were choreographed by Sophie Quay who auditioned as one of the dancers and then became the choreographer. The dancers were dazzling in both movement and costume; the success of this show is also down to their timing and teamwork.
Sadie Gwilliam, co-producer and the costume director, should be highly praised for putting the whole look together. The costumes were assembled from a collection belonging to Sheila Gwilliam, the mother of the shows vision, Simon Gwilliam. As you can see The Rock ‘N’ Roll Alien is a family affair. Sheila has been collecting and selling vintage clothes since the 60s/70s. Other stunning pieces have been created by Rebecca Martin (Rebel Rebel Doll Dress) and Cathy Kelly (Ashes to Ashes Jacket, Ziggy Frock-coat and more).
The band were also fantastic, and multi dimensional. The sound was true to the original with twists and turns here and there. Alex Turney the musical a director and keyboardist should be congratulated on assembling such a masterful team of musicians; Damon Oliver saxophone and flute, Billy The Rock ‘N’ Roll Alien Stookes on drums, Laura Browne on Guitar and Dave Rice on Bass. Sitting behind us was a pianist who had played with Bowie back in the day and he was extremely impressed. I spoke to many other people in the audience around us who loved every minute.
Would I go to this show again? Definitely, at the drop of a hat and I do not say that often enough. This show was a one off to fill a night at the Adelphi between its long running Back to the Future. However, at the moment it is a one-off performance so keep following on Facebook or Instagram for future shows which pop up here and there across the country.
Watch the official YouTube clips here:-
https://youtu.be/AfrrrrGp2KY?si=hG8KQcLf-UD_Kstg
https://youtu.be/ZEfgDG-ndfQ?si=y1UCMsEDgwnn-xx6
Reviewer - Penny Curran
Tuesday 27th May 2025
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