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1966
Date Venue Title Media Cover Art
1 January 1966 Bus Palladium, Montmartre, Paris, France Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
2 January 1966 Golfe-Drouet Club, Montmartre, Paris, France Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
6 January 1966 Gaiety Bar, Victoria Tavern, London, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third (Record Launch)
7 January 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
12 January 1966 Community Hall, Newmarket, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
15 January 1966 Alexander Tavern, Harrow, London, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
17 January 1966 Holly Bush, Carlisle, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
19 January 1966 Cedar Club, Birmingham, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
28 January 1966 Town Hall, Stevenage, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
29 January 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third
29 January 1966 Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, UK Davie Bowie & The Lower Third (Rehearsals cancelled)
 

Formed in February 1966, auditions for David's new band were held at the Marquee and at Ralph Horton's flat. The name 'Buzz' was suggested to them by DJ Earl Richmond (aka John Dienn).

The Buzz members were: David Bowie (vocals, guitar, saxophone), John 'Hutch' Hutchinson (guitar), Derek 'Dek' Fearnley (bass guitar), John 'Ego' Eager (drums) and Derek 'Chow' Boyes (keyboards).

 
3 February 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK Auditions
4 February 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK Auditions

 

5th Feb: John Hutchinson: 'I first met David after I had spent a year playing Rhythm & Blues with The Apaches in Goteborg in 1965. I turned up at a very professional audition at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London, one Saturday morning, and got the gig. I reckon David chose me because I was wearing Swedish clothes, a suede jean-jacket, suede jeans and blue clogs - nobody in England had seen that stuff before and I think David was impressed. I was also probably the best of the guitarists at the audition by the way!'

 
5 February 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK Auditions
7 February 1966 London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz Rehearsals
10 February 1966 Mecca Ballroom, Leicester, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
 

11th February 1966: The show is advertised as David Bowie and The Lower Third although it was The Buzz who backed David. Also on the bill were Boz and The Sidewinders.

 
11 February 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
26 February 1966 Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
28 February 1966 Club Continental, Eastbourne, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
5 March 1966 Cranes Record Shop, Birmingham, UK Promotional visit
? March 1966 Crawley, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
? March 1966 Bournemouth, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
12 March 1966 Club One-O-One, Brighton, UK David Bowie & The Buzz

 

18th March: The show is advertised as Dave Bowie & The Lower 3rd although it was The Buzz who backed David.

 
18 March 1966 Target Club, (Co-Op Memorial Hall), High Wycombe, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
? March 1966 Southampton, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
? March 1966 Nottingham, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
? March 1966 Peterborough, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
? March 1966 Newmarket, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
25 March 1966 Alexander Tavern, Harrow, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
2 April 1966 Holly Bush, Carlisle, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
3 April 1966 Edinburgh, UK David Bowie & The Buzz (Rehearsals cancelled)
4 April 1966 College, Dundee, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
5 April 1966 Green's Playhouse, Glasgow, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
6 April 1966 Hawick, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
9 April 1966 Guildhall, Thetford, UK David Bowie & The Buzz (Two Sets)
 

Starting on the 10th April through to 12th June, David and The Buzz appear at The Marquee Club, Soho, London for a series of six Sunday afternoon shows (3.00pm - 6.00pm) entitled 'The Bowie Showboat'. The show was sponsored by Radio London.

 
10 April 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
17 April 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
24 April 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
25 April 1966 Chester, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
1 May 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
8 May 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
15 May 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
22 May 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
29 May 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK (Matinee) David Bowie & The Buzz
29 May 1966 South Pier, Blackpool, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
5 June 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
11 June 1966 California Ballroom, Dunstable, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
12 June 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
13 June 1966 Pleasurama, Coronation Ballroom, Ramsgate, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
14 June 1966 Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
 

15th June: John Hutchinson leaves the band. Billy Gray ('Haggis') replaces him on the 27th June, his first gig being The Red Lion Hotel, Warrington on 2nd July 1966.

 
17 June 1966 Catford, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
18 June 1966 Thetford, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
19 June 1966 Charity Show, Racing Track, Brands Hatch, Fawkham, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
22 June 1966 Shoreline Club, Bognor Regis, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
23 June 1966 Lowestoft, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
24 June 1966 California Ballroom, Dunstable, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
27 June 1966 Britannia Theatre, Great Yarmouth, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
2 July 1966 Red Lion Hotel, Warrington, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
3 July 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
15 July 1966 Loughton Youth Centre, Loughton, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
30 July 1966 Rhodes Centre, Bishop's Stortford, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
 

2nd July: At the Red Lion Hotel in Warrington the booking was made for 'David Bowie & The Lower Third' for the princely sum of £30.  This was the first gig with new band member Billy Gray ('Haggis').  Also on the supporting bill were The Powerhouse - Eric Clapton (guitar), Pete York (drums), Jack Bruce (bass), Steve Winwood (vocals/organ), Paul Jones (harmonica) and Ben Palmer (piano).  They were only paid £25!

For a total of eleven weeks, 21st August to 13th November, 'The Bowie Showboat' is performed at The Marquee Club, Soho, London.

 
12 August 1966 Latin Quarter, Leicester, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
13 August 1966 Gliderdrome, Brighton, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
21 August 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz

 

Kent Messenger - 26th August 1966

BIG L DISC NIGHT

News

   Radio London fans going to the Big L Disc Night at the Coronation Ballroom, Pleasurama, Ramsgate this Friday will have the opportunity of witnessing the completely new act of David Bowie and the Buzz.

   To coincide with the release of his latest record, I Dig Everything and I'm Not Losing Sleep, issued by Pye last Friday, the group has re-shaped its act, spending as much as eight hours a day rehearsing.

 
26 August 1966 Coronation Ballroom, Ramsgate, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
27 August 1966 Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, Wembley, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
28 August 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
4 September 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
11 September 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
12 September 1966 Woodhall Community Centre (The Hop), Welwyn Garden City, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
16 September 1966 The Place Discotheque, Bryan Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
18 September 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
23 September 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
25 September 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
2 October 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
9 October 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
16 October 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
23 October 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
29 October 1966 Shoreline Club. Bognor Regis, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
30 October 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
6 November 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
13 November 1966 Marquee Club, London, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
 

19th Nov: Billy Gray leaves The Buzz and they continue as a trio.

 
19 November 1966 Olympia Ballrooms, Cromer, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
26 November 1966 Community Centre, Gosport, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
27 November 1966 The Maid's Head, King's Lynn, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
2 December 1966 Severn Club, Shrewsbury, UK David Bowie & The Buzz
 

The final gig by The Buzz in December saw them perform 'Waiting For The Man' by The Velvet Underground as one of the encore songs.   David played this song live before anyone else in the world, he performed it before the album was actually released after receiving a testing pressing from his then manager Ken Pitt.