Holy Holy @ Norwich Arts Centre

As my first live review for Outline I didn’t half strike gold – Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansy’s Holy Holy with Heaven 17 frontman Glenn Gregory performing David Bowie’s 1971 album The Man Who Sold the World in full and other hits from that era. Wow. If David Bowie is God (and I’m pretty certain he is) then these are his holy disciples, arguably some of the most talented musicians in the world with a combined age of 300+ and some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most prolific albums under their belts.

The evening was jam-packed to accommodate the long headline set so support was short but sweet, but just as legendary. First on the bill was Canadian born Phillip Rambow of the Winkies fame, a 70s pub rock group who once worked with the likes of Brian Eno and Mick Ronson. He played 20 minutes of acoustic rock, stood boldly on the smoky stage, about summers long ago when “we were high but we weren’t smoking… we weren’t broken”. Next came another big name in the form of Jessica Lee Morgan, daughter of Tony Visconti and folk singer Mary Hopkin. On acoustic guitar accompanied by a bassist, her half hour set contained original material and covers that were lively and fun.

Almost immediately it was time for the real show to begin. Snaking up the side of the auditorium the Holy Holy troop made their way to the stage whilst a glorious classical introduction heralded their arrival and seconds later they emerged through the lights and the smoke to a roaring applause. Fronting the legendary ensemble Glenn Gregory took his spot centre stage next to Tony Visconti on bass, James Stevenson and Paul Cuddeford on guitar and Terry Edwards on saxophone. Behind, out of the spotlight, the legendary Woody Woodmansey himself sat on drums, his kit bearing the piercing ornate eye of Ziggy Stardust from all those years ago. Wasting no time on introductions, the fantastic super group launched into The Man Who Sold the World’s first track, the majestic 8 minute The Width Of A Circle, instantly casting aside any notion that the evening would be a disappointment. The crashing Black Country Rock guitars confirmed this, as did Gregory’s sensational vocals throughout the whole performance.

Gregory’s flamboyancy and dazzling charisma (and iridescent blazer) made him a perfect frontman for the group, as did his perfectly tuned whiny vocals, channelling Ziggy Stardust to such perfection that if you closed your eyes it was almost like being in the Hammersmith Odeon for that timeless show 42 years ago. The on-stage theatricality was mesmerising, Gregory strutting back and forth with his mic stand, and the chemistry within the band and the audience was almost tangible.