“David Bowie – For Ever And Ever”: at Defrag, a journey into the legend of the Thin White Duke through words and music

On Saturday, January 17th, Defrag_ hosted a special evening dedicated to the memory of David Bowie, ten years after his passing. The thread running through the night was the book “David Bowie. For Ever And Ever” by Claudio Fabretti, editor-in-chief of OndaRock. The author, in an in-depth conversation with Paolo Chemnitz, music critic and OndaRock writer, retraced the life and work of the Thin White Duke, examining his lasting relevance and his influence on later generations. The event was conceived as a genuine journey in stages: each phase of Bowie's career, introduced through the dialogue, was then brought to the stage by performances from various Roman acts.

From the early days to first success

The opening set was entrusted to Mind Your Step, joined for the occasion by singer-songwriter Sveva. The collective tackled two "sacred monsters" in "Space Oddity" and "Life On Mars?". A well-calibrated performance, marked by great technical precision and enriched by Sveva's intense vocals.

The Glam Era: The Rise of Ziggy

The baton passed to Shylock, a band with a distinctly British sound (echoes of Arctic Monkeys). Their rendition of "Starman" and "Ziggy Stardust", two absolute classics of the glam era, stood out for its interpretation and guitar work, both remarkably faithful to the originals.

From California to Berlin

Aspra brought another key period to the stage: the mid-1970s, marked by the embrace of plastic soul on “Young Americans” and then the move to Berlin, where the celebrated “Low”-“Heroes”-“Lodger” trilogy would be conceived. With their genre-blending sound weaving together jazz and funk, the Roman band reinterpreted “Fame” and “Heroes” in a fresh new light. Particularly appreciated was the guitarist's work, able to give the two classics a whole new shape.

The Star of the 1980s

The section devoted to Bowie's period of global stardom in the 80s was entrusted to Friday Nights (joined by Sofia on vocals), a band rooted in funk and dance. Their versions of "Let's Dance" and "Modern Love" captured the festive spirit and rhythmic drive of that phase of his career.

From the 90s to the Epilogue

The closing of the narrative circle fell to Wild Mint. Armed with a mature identity blending experimental rock, electronics and darkwave, they proved the ideal choice to interpret the darker, more reflective side of Bowie found in “I'm Afraid of Americans” (from one of the most fascinating works of the 90s, “Earthling”) and the epitaph “Lazarus”, from “Blackstar”, the English artist's testament album, released two days before his death.

At the end of the performances, the jury awarded a prize for the best cover of the evening. The winners were Shylock with their version of "Starman", convincing not only for the singer's interpretation and the guitarist's performance, closely faithful to Mick Ronson's style, but also for the visual presentation — from the multicolored lightning bolt across the face to the frontman's stage moves — which managed to evoke, with respect and charisma, the true Bowie spirit of the glam era.

The evening then closed with a jam session in which the bands performed their own original songs.

Ride the wave of great music

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