David Bowie, Tin Machine

29th June 1989   Kilburn National, London NW6

The (relatively) intimate setting of the Kilburn National, still an over 2,000 capacity venue, played host to David’s ‘band’ project, Tin Machine, where the Starman tried (and truth be told, failed) to become just another member of a band.

People were only ever going to be interested in T.M. because of Oor Dave (name another single member of the band) and in terms of his entire Oeuvre it’s not up there with the greats.

In fact it could very well be the creative low point of an otherwise stellar career.

All I remember about the gig is how very very close I was to the stage and so the performers… musically, whilst writing this I had to go back to listen to the eponymous album to remind myself how utterly mediocre the music was.

Still the venue was sold out!

Fun fact, The Kilburn National Club was started by Michael ‘Butty’ Sugrue out of the ruins of the Grange Cinema on 31st December 1975

Butty was a Kerry man who was also a wrestler, circus performer and was known as ‘Ireland’s Strongest Man’, able to lift four 56lb weights attached to a cart axle and dragging a cart filled with ten men using a rope clenched between his teeth.