Nile Rodgers and The Last Dinner Party to curate new David Bowie Centre

The Victoria & Albert Museum has announced that award-winning musician Nile Rodgers and Brit Award-winning indie rock band The Last Dinner Party will guest-curate special exhibitions at the new David Bowie Centre, which opens on September 13, 2025, at V&A East Storehouse in London, providing free access to over 90,000 items from Bowie's personal archive.

Mick Rock Studio Photographs exhibit

Mick Rock, often referred to as "The Man Who Shot the Seventies," captured some of David Bowie's most iconic images during the artist's transformation into Ziggy Stardust. As Bowie's official photographer from 1972 to 1973, Rock documented the glitter-clad, mascara-eyed persona who blurred boundaries between genders and reality, creating a visual legacy that perfectly complemented Bowie's musical innovation. Their artistic bond went beyond professional collaboration, with Rock immersing himself in Bowie's inner circle and serving as both photographer and videographer, even directing seminal music videos for "John, I'm Only Dancing," "Jean Genie," "Space Oddity," and "Life On Mars."rockarchive+2

Rock's collection spans intimate portraits to spectacular stage shots, offering rare glimpses into Bowie's carefully guarded personal life. From candid moments like Bowie smirking behind a lit cigarette to elaborate performance shots at Earls Court showcasing the full Ziggy Stardust character, these images serve as historical artifacts documenting Bowie's artistic evolution. The photographs have been exhibited worldwide, including at The Print Room at Beetles + Huxley in London and TASCHEN Gallery in Los Angeles, with limited edition prints available through various galleries and the Mick Rock Estate, with prices starting around $1,500. Rock's work continues to provide invaluable insight into one of music's most enigmatic and transformative figures.sfae+2

Station to Station Tour Setlists exhibit

The Isolar Tour (also known as the Station to Station Tour) showcased Bowie during his Thin White Duke phase with a consistent core setlist that balanced his latest material with fan favorites. The typical performance opened with the epic title track "Station to Station" followed by a mix of glam-era hits like "Suffragette City" and newer funk-influenced tracks like "Fame" and "Stay." The spiritual "Word on a Wing" provided a contemplative moment amid the high-energy show, while covers like The Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man" highlighted Bowie's musical influences.wikipedia+2

Most concerts featured approximately 15-16 songs over about 90 minutes, with the main set typically closing with "Diamond Dogs" before an encore of "Rebel Rebel" and "The Jean Genie." The tour's relatively short setlist disappointed some fans hoping to hear omitted classics like "Golden Years," "Ziggy Stardust," and "Space Oddity." Bowie was backed by his "Raw Moon" band featuring Carlos Alomar (rhythm guitar), Stacy Heydon (lead guitar), George Murray (bass), Dennis Davis (drums), and Tony Kaye (keyboards)—establishing a tight musical foundation that would evolve through subsequent tours.setlist+1

EMS Synthesizer Berlin Trilogy

The EMS Synthi AKS became a defining instrument in Bowie's sonic reinvention during his Berlin Trilogy (Low, "Heroes", and Lodger). Brian Eno, who joined Bowie and producer Tony Visconti for these groundbreaking recordings, utilized this portable analog synthesizer to create the atmospheric textures and experimental soundscapes that characterized this era. The same model had previously been used by Pink Floyd on tracks like "On The Run," but Eno's application of the instrument helped forge Bowie's new electronic-ambient direction.wikipedia+1

The synthesizer's distinctive contributions are particularly evident on the instrumental side of Low, where Eno arrived after the backing tracks were "essentially" finished and introduced new sonic possibilities. Working alongside Visconti's innovative use of the Eventide H910 Harmonizer (which Visconti famously described as something that "fucks with the fabric of time"), the EMS synthesizer helped create the trilogy's signature sound—a fusion of art rock, ambient, and krautrock influences that proved massively influential despite modest commercial success at the time. This electronic experimentation represented a dramatic departure from Bowie's guitar-based rock, emphasizing atmosphere and tone in ways that would later influence post-punk artists like Joy Division and Gary Numan.reddit+2