David Bowie Rings in the New Decade

On this day 31st December 1979

On this day in history New Year’s Eve 1979, David Bowie closed out the decade with a pair of memorable television appearances on opposite sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, he performed a stripped-back, acoustic version of “Space Oddity” on The Kenny Everett New Year’s Show, offering a reflective take on the song that had first launched him into the public consciousness a decade earlier.

The performance was striking for its intimacy. Gone were the theatrical costumes and character this was Bowie alone with his guitar, revisiting Major Tom at the end of a turbulent and transformative decade. It felt like a moment of reflection, perfectly timed as the 1970s drew to a close.

On the same day in the United States, Bowie appeared on Dick Clark’s TV special Salute to the Seventies, celebrating a decade in which he had continually reinvented himself from Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane to the Thin White Duke and the Berlin era. By the dawn of the 1980s, Bowie stood as one of the most influential artists of his generation, poised for yet another creative rebirth.

Join me on my David Bowie walking tour of Brixton and Soho, where we explore the places that shaped Bowie’s life and career from the streets of Brixton, where he was born, to the clubs, studios and late-night haunts of Soho, where his sound, style and legend were forged.

📆 Check the Calendar in the main menu for available tour dates and times.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Private group and Corporate tours are available please just email direct fro details.