Bowie’s magic seen in orchestral light

You come at the king, you best not miss. Taking on David Bowie, even with the backing of an amazing orchestra and five-piece rock band, is a daunting task for any singer. But it is a challenge that Shihad frontman Jon Toogood, Fur Patrol’s Julia Deans, singer-songwriter Anna Coddington and former Kora lead vocalist Laughton Kora take on with verve and passion in Symphonic Oddity at the Horncastle Arena. The four singers take it in turns to perform classics from one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. The choice of songs is broad and dazzling. There are the pop classics like Let’s Dance and China Girl, but also the more avant garde numbers like Boys Keep Swinging and Station to Station. There is even a touching performance of Lazarus, one of Bowie’s last songs before his death last year.

And each song is given an interesting new perspective by the inventive orchestral arrangements.

Symphonic rock is a bit of a cliche and can sometimes feel a little dubious. It brings to mind Cypress Hill stealing Peter Frampton’s orchestra in The Simpsons. Or, heaven forbid, Sting.

But CSO chief conductor Benjamin Northey brings his experience of collaborating with hip hop bands and Australian musician Tim Minchin. The orchestra works best when Northey keeps it tight, nimble and funky. The conductor knows to keep it subtle and serve the groove. A paired down performance of Oh!You Pretty Things with just vocal, piano and reed instruments is particularly effective. But he also knows when to make it epic, with a beautiful version of Life on Mars with Deans taking advantage of the orchestra’s heft.

Some songs work better than others. The sound can sometimes feel ill-defined when the orchestra is trying to do too much and sometimes the performers struggle to match the range and power of Bowie.

Toogood is the stand out singer, infectious showmanship and incredible voice bringing the Horncastle Arena alive.

So what could be one of the most elaborate karaoke machines brings a fresh perspective to some of the best songs ever written.

It feels like holding familiar gems up to the light at different angles, appreciating anew their magnificent and unique strangeness.