Since David Bowie’s passing, there has been a rush of public outpouring for the beloved singer. Sarah Blasko, Arcade Fire and Lido have all done tributes to Bowie’s work in the form of covers, and today Miguel joins the ranks with a stripped down and moving performance of Space Oddity.
The singer performed the song at an intimate 300-person free-gig at Bardot in Hollywood, Los Angeles. With the help of only one guitar, Miguel does a sweet and poignant cover of one of Bowie’s most renowned hits. The tribute eventually segues into a rendition of Miguel’s own track, Waves from his album Wildheart.
The only video that exists thus far is shot on an iPhone, but even the granular footage is enough to demonstrate Miguel’s raw talent and ability as a live performer.
Over an hour, Miguel played a variety of tracks, including Simple Things, Hollywood Dreams and Adorn. “We need music and film and visual art. We need to seek knowledge in life,” said Miguel said to the crowd.
“There’s an amazing Kurt Vonnegut story about a society where they had these things attached to their heads where every 30 seconds there was a sharp ring where they forgot everything that happened in the last 30 minutes, and I feel like we’re being programmed the same way.”
“Tonight I just wanted to feel something… new. We all know that life is about being who you are, doing what you believe in, trusting yourself, trusting your instincts. There’s an infinite knowledge of wisdom that you already have that transcends all this programming.”
Back in October, Miguel states in an interview with NME that his wishes he had written Space Oddity, and listed Bowie as one of his biggest inspirations. “That song is just forever going to be classic,” he said. “At the time … we were just going to the moon. It’s just insane, the timing of it.”
Since releasing Wildheart last summer, the accompanying videos for the singles have been steamy to say the least. Coffee, Waves …goingtohell are all sure to leave you red-faced afterwards.
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