Retro double bill brings Bowie and ABBA to Geelong

ADAM CARSWELL

A double hit of nostalgia is heading to Geelong, with Bowie and ABBA tributes set to share the stage for one night only.

The Wool Exchange will host Starman – The David Bowie Tribute Show alongside Dancing Queen – The ABBA Tribute Show on 16 May, bringing decades of iconic music together in a single show.

Fronting the Bowie tribute is performer Jon Harris-Black, who said the project grew from a casual comment into a full-scale deep dive into one of music’s most shape-shifting artists.

His Starman tribute began to evolve after a friend told him he had a striking resemblance to Bowie.

“I went away and thought, hang on a minute, actually, let’s have a look at this,” Harris-Black said.

“I was familiar with him prior to that, but I’d never really done a deep dive into his discography before.

“So, I spent over a year delving into his music, how he acted and what his voice was like, and realised there’s a lot of things that I identify in him as being quite similar to myself.”

Harris-Black said the aim is not parody, but precision.

“One thing that stood out to me from one fan was that they’d been burned in the past by some previous tributes they’d seen,” he said.

“They’d seen several acts where they felt that it was a little bit of a piss take, dressing up vaguely like Bowie and singing some of his songs and kind of mocking him a little bit.

“That’s certainly the furthest thing from what I want to accomplish.”

Audiences can expect a setlist spanning Bowie’s many eras, delivered with close attention to detail and performance style.

“People can tell that there’s a love and a respect there for the man himself and for the music and the counterculture he created,” Harris-Black said.

“I’d definitely say, if you’re a Bowie fan who wants to actually sit down and listen to as close to how he performed back in the day, then come along and give it a try.”

The ABBA half of the night brings a shift in tone, leaning into high-energy pop, sequins and crowd-favourite hits, with organisers promising a feel-good, singalong atmosphere.

The show takes place at the Wool Exchange on Saturday 16 May.