Ziggy Stardust – legacy celebrated in Tolworth

This February marks the 50th anniversary of a musical milestone when David Bowie introduced the world to his Ziggy Stardust persona at the Toby Jug pub in Tolworth.

The Community Brain, a Tolworth-based not-for-profit organisation, is planning a year-long celebration, which includes a mural being painted in the underpass to where the Toby Jug once stood, and a virtual recreation of the legendary venue. It also hosted a silent disco at Waterloo station, an event train and a festival at Tolworth station – see the highlights below!

The Ziggy Fun Continues tomorrow – 12 Feb!

The Ziggy-related fun is continuing at Tolworth Station tomorrow from 11am with a Battle of the Bands Charity event featuring upcoming new performers. 
The event is being led by The Basement Door music charity, which supports young people with developing employment skills through music. Tickets are available on the door or from: WeGotTickets | Simple, honest ticketing | Botb 2022 Heat 3.

The Community Brain’s year-long #ZiggyReturns programme will not only reflect on the past, but will also focus on the vital role grassroots venues play in cultivating bands of the future.

Robin Hutchinson MBE, The Community Brain founder, said: “We’re celebrating Tolworth as a place of firsts and discovery. It was at the Toby Jug pub that David Bowie unveiled Ziggy Stardust on the first night of his world-wide Spiders from Mars tour, which catapulted him to fame. That’s an important moment for the history of pop music and it happened in Tolworth.

“There’s an obscene amount of creativity and musical talent in suburban towns like Tolworth. Yet, fifty years on from the Ziggy gig, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a venue in the town for live music. It’s something the local community have been after for a while – where would an artist like Bowie play today?

CELEBRATE ’72 – IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES ON FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM

To coincide with #ZiggyReturns, the now demolished Toby Jug pub has been bought back to life using immersive augmented reality technology. Facebook app users can explore a 3D recreation of the Toby Jug wherever they are, as part of a piece of digital art inspired by Bowie’s track Changes, which was on the setlist for the ’72 gig.

Meanwhile, Instagram fans can join in the #ZiggyReturns celebrations by using the Tolworth ‘72 camera filter to give their selfies a 1970s Ziggy-esque makeover and share them with the hashtag #ZiggyReturns. Check out The Community Brain’s social feeds to see when these are available.