Live: Princess Pavilion, Falmouth

David Bowie gave a solo performance at the Magicians’ Workshop at the Princess Pavilion in Falmouth on 24 December 1968.

It was one of two shows at the venue, the other taking place on Boxing Day two days later. Bowie was invited to perform there by his friend Gerry Gill.

On this occasion Bowie shared a bill with the Steve Miller Band.

In the absence of a further advance of royalties from publishing, David’s income for the year had plummeted to £905.19.10, but his income from actually performing had increased by £200. Christmas was approaching and with it came all the anxieties that seemed to beset David at that time of the year, but he cheered up when an acquaintance named Gerry Gill had invited him to spend the holiday in Cornwall and to perform for two nights at the Magician’s Workshop in Falmouth.

Nothing had been said about money and David clearly could not afford the return rail fare, so he asked me if I would speak to Gill about the matter. Gill told me that he had booked the Steve Miller Band to play on the 24th and Keef Hartley on the 26th and would like David to give a twenty minutes’ performance on each night and to spend Christmas Day with him. He agreed to pay David £50 for the two shows, plus the rail fare and to provide a suitable tape deck and amplification equipment. David did the two gigs and spent Christmas Day at Gill’s home, the address of which was The Coach House, ‘Pairc’, Higher Broad Lane, Poole, near Redruth. David returned to London probably well fed, but certainly empty handed, for when he asked for his earnings it seemed that all the money had disappeared.

Gerry Gill had learnt a few tricks in the Magician’s Workshop.