2019-07-01_Uncut_UK

90 • UNCUT • JULY 2019

abasketofcatsdyinghorriblyina fire.It wassowild

andchaoticthatBowiesometimeshadtoshouthis

lungsofftobeheardabovethenoise. The audience

wouldsitthereopen-mouthed.”

SaysGabrels:“Thespectacleofit wasthatwe

wereplayingintoosmalla placeforsomeoneof

David’sstature,butintheright-sizedplacefora band

likeus.Therewasnowayhewasevergoingtobe

anonymouswithinthat,butthefansthatlumpedhim

inwithRodStewart,TinaTurnerandPhilCollinswere

goingtofallbythewayside,whichwaspartoftheidea.”

Whateverthemeritsofthisnew-lookBowie,purginghis

recentpastbyinsistinghewasnowjustonequarterofa

noisyavant-rockband,hardcorefanscametoseehimin

theirdroves.“WhenweplayedtheRoxyinLA,therewere

overa thousandpeopleonSunsetBoulevardandtickets

weregoingfor$600apiece,”saysTonySales.“Itwas

crazy,peoplewereclimbingupalloverthebuilding.But

thatwastheidea– toplaysmallplacesandcausea riot.”

Thebandwereforcedtoadda seconddate.“Wehad

linesaroundtheblock,”Gabrelsrecalls,“withpeople

shimmyingupdrainpipesontheoutsideoftheplaceand

tumblingintoourdressingroomwhileweweregetting

dressed. One guy fell in and went, ‘Don’t rough me up!’”

I

fTinMachinewasanattemptbyBowietoputan

endtohispopstardom,heseemedintentonfurther

layinghispasttorestin1990.fromMarchto

September,heembarkedonthemulti-million-pound

Sound+ VisionTour– a greatesthitsshowintendedto

celebrateforonefinaltimehismostfêtedsongsbefore,

heclaimed,retiringthemforgood.Thetourcameatan

inconvenienttimeforTinMachine:theywerehalfway

throughrecordingtheirsecondalbuminAustralia.By

thetimetheyreconvenedinspring1991,Bowiehad

fallenoutwithEMI,partlyowingtotheirlackof

enthusiasmoverhiscontinuedinterestinthegroup.

ThebandinsteadturnedtoVictoryMusic,a newlabel

distributed by London Records and Polygram.

Grenada.“ItwasDavid’syachtandGaryOldman

waswithus,”Gabrelsrecalls.“Davidtooka

photoofmeintheoakconferenceroomthat

showsthehorizonata 90-degreeangleandmy

feetnottouchingtheground,becausewewere

insuchroughwaters.Garywasthrowing up, he

wasn’treallyanocean-goingfellow.”

AnotherNassauofferingwas“CrackCity”,

whichtookinspirationfromthecityinwhichthey

wererecording,whereharddrugswereinplentiful

supply.“TheBahamaswasreallya strangeplace– dead,

bloateddogswashingupoutofthewaterandfucking

crackheads,”says Hunt Sales. “I liked it there! It was

goodfodder.”

Whenit cametopreviewthealbumforBowie’s

recordlabelinNewYork,Palmerrecalls:“Werented

a bigPAbecauseDavidwantedtocrankit up.I think

hewantedtoseedistressonthesuits’faces.A lotof

peoplefromEMIweresetupina semicircle.We

playedthealbum– loud – and they didn’t know what

hadhitthem.”

Undertakinga 12-datetouracrossAmericaand

Europe,TinMachineconfoundedaudiences,too.

Bowiehadalreadymadeclearthatanyoneexpecting

tohearthehitswouldleavedisappointed.Theband’s

setwasmadeupentirelyofthenewsongs,alongside

twoorthreecovers.Choosingtoplayvenuesbuiltto

accommodate2,000peopleatmost,it wasa direct

contrasttothetheatricalityandscopeoftheGlass

SpiderTour.Andwherethattourhadbeenmicro-

managedtothesmallestdetail,TinMachine

improvisedfreely.“Thatmeantthatsomenights

werereallygoingtosuckandsomewouldbereally

amazing,”saysGabrels.“It was like strapping

yourselfintoa rocket.”

“Thatbandwassofuckingloud,”laughs

Armstrong,whoservedasfifthmemberonstage.

“Ina wayit waslikea bigchest-beatingcontest.

The Hunt and Reeves dynamic was sometimes like

“Wildand

chaotic”:onthe

firstTinMachine

tour,Paradiso,

Amsterdam,

June 24, 1989

Limeyin New

Yo rk :B ow i e

arrivesatthe

Pi e r, 1991

“theIdeawas

toplaysmall

pl acesa n d

causea rIot”

TONy SALES

roB VerhorST/reDfernS; keVIn MAzur/wIre IMAGe