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ZIGGY AT 50: A CELEBRATION
On 10th February 2022, a commemoration took place, back where it all began - in Tolworth. It was 50 years to the day since Bowie took to the stage as his most iconic creation: Ziggy Stardust. Two hundred Bowie fans packed into Tolworth Station car park, just yards away from the site where the Toby Jug pub once stood to dance, sing and celebrate this momentous moment.
THE MURAL
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In advance of the 50th anniversary of the first night of the Ziggy tour, graffiti artists daubed the walls of Tolworth underpass with their astonishing artwork. A Ziggy mural, and a visual testimony to the numerous bands who graced the stage of The Toby Jug back in the day now commemorates the impact this little pub had on the lives of some of the most famous bands in the world - and their fans. Pictures of the mural on this site are by Julia Gavin.
THE DISCO
On 10th February 2022, the celebrations began with 150 people at Waterloo Station taking part in a silent disco of Bowie tunes. The children boogied to the great man's hits before boarding a train for Suffragette City (aka Tolworth Station) and a gig celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bowie's first official performance as Ziggy. News crews from around the world filmed the happening and you can see more by clicking this link: Let's Dance!
THE GIG RECREATED
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200 people gathered just a stones throw from where the now demolished Toby Jug once stood, to celebrate the songs, sounds and threads of Bowie as Ziggy. It was 50 years on, and as the sun set, Ziggy played guitar once more, under the guise of Thin White Duke, one of the greatest Bowie tributes around. From Moonage Daydream to Changes ... Suffragette City to the Jean Genie, All The Young Dudes rocked out and remembered.
THE NEW BANDS
Where would Bowie play as Ziggy today? When he donned the glitter, platforms and flares, DB was still a star to be discovered. The progressives knew his power, but the mainstream were still to uncover his magic. The Toby Jug was a platform for a young performer about to make his mark on the world. And we did the same in the week of his 50th anniversary, working with The Basement Door music youth charity, to host a gig with eight young local bands, giving them that very same platform to share their own tracks and their versions of DB's songs.
THE TOWER
In 2021, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of David Bowie's first tour performance as Ziggy Stardust, The Community Brain turned the iconic Tolworth Tower into a tribute to the great man. Repleat with blue and red lightning strike, the Tower loomed over the A3 road stretching between the seaside and London, reminding motorists and locals of the legacy that this tiny commuter town left on rock n roll music half a century before.
THE BOOK
Tim Harrison's book is the most detailed, comprehensive and informative tome you could ever wish for if you wanted to know more about that night and the history of this essential British rock n roll pub. Learn about the ale house that housed Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, The Yarbirds, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Genesis and Howlin' Wolf. You can buy the book on this site.
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