David Bowie sees King Crimson live

David Bowie watched the debut live performance by King Crimson at the Speakeasy in London on 9 April 1969.

The band featured Robert Fripp on guitar, who would collaborate with Bowie on 1977’s “Heroes” and 1980’s Scary Monsters… And Super Creeps.

This was a significant night for another reason: it was the first night Bowie spent with his future first wife Angela.

Bowie had first met Angela Barnett after a Turquoise show on 14 September 1968, when he was in a relationship with Hermione Farthingale. Their union ended in early 1969.

On 9 April he went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Soho, with Barnett and Calvin Mark Lee, who wanted to sign Bowie to Mercury.

The Speakeasy was situated in the basement of 47 Margaret Street, London.

We talked about all the things you talk about, and we danced and listened to King Crimson, and as the night went on we knew we’d be going home together.

I worried that if I took David to bed, Calvin might freak. I was pretty sure they had slept together (they had), but I didn’t know how it stood between them, what the rules were. So I paid close attention to the signals Calvin was giving out.

Yes, he approved. No doubt about that, none at all. If he had wanted to make himself any clearer, he would have had to push us out the door together. He didn’t have to, of course. David and I seemed to like each other. We seemed to be making a bond.

So we went back to Paddington together, and what was going to happen started happening.