KillerStar On Working With Bowie’s Old Bandmates

KillerStar’s crunchy brand of catchy Glam-influenced art rock will strike a chord with anyone who grew up in the 1970s on a diet of Slade, Sweet, T.Rex and Bowie. The connection is even stronger when you know the band includes former Bowie bandmates Mike Garson, Earl Slick, Mark Plati and Gerry Leonard.

The group, formed by Rob Fleming (vocals, guitar, synth) and James Sedge (drums) releases its second album of original material, The Afterglow, today (20 March). Tim Cooper talked to the duo about the privilege and pressure of working with Bowie legends like Garson and Slick, and the tricky balance of honouring Bowie’s legacy without being seen as a tribute act.

HOW DID YOU TWO GET TOGETHER IN THE FIRST PLACE TO FORM KILLERSTAR?

Rob: James and I have known each other for a long long time.  We’ve each pursued our own separate paths prior to this with various music-related projects. As friends we have always shared a common taste in music, often attending gigs together. But KillerStar is the first time we’ve really worked together in any significant way. There was no grand plan to form the band, it just evolved naturally when I wrote some songs, created demos and asked James to play drums on them.  From there one thing led to another – the first batch of songs turned into several more and we decided to form KillerStar and make an album. 

WERE YOU (ROB AND JAMES) ALWAYS PLANNING TO WORK WITH BOWIE’S FORMER BAND MEMBERS?

James – That was never planned. We joke that IF we had told people we planned to do that they would think we were crazy. On the first album (‘KillerStar’, 2024) we have former Bowie band members from all eras of his career. On this new album it’s with Mike Garson, Earl Slick and Mark Plati throughout the album, and Gerry Leonard guests on two songs. It came about because we are friends with Emm Gryner, who was also in Bowie’s band. We asked her to sing backing vocals on the first album. She suggested we ask Gail Ann Dorsey to play bass and Gail liked the demos and agreed to play on the album. From there it seemed logical to ask Mike Garson and Earl Slick to become involved. Again, they liked what they heard and one thing led to another.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THE KILLERSTAR SOUND, AND YOUR LYRICAL PREOCCUPATIONS?

Rob – Well, its been called ‘Art Rock with hooks’ by one music writer. I suppose we blend quite a few musical elements and also combine the old and the new to an extent. On the albums there is quite a lot of musical detail, hooks, riffs, ‘ear worms’. And there tend to be quite a few uplifting anthemic choruses. Lyrically on the new album (‘The Afterglow’) themes encompass a lot of optimism and capturing of vibrant, euphoric moments which the title song embodies. There are themes exploring mortality, but also some vignettes that verge on the humorous.

HOW HAS THAT SOUND EVOLVED ON THE NEW ALBUM?

Rob: It feels to us like a natural progression from the debut album. Clearly linked to that album but on this one we feel there is evolution in terms of the songwriting. There is a lot of cohesion from the musicians playing together on the debut album and subsequent live shows and we feel that comes through on this one. This includes James and I with David Bowie band alumni Mike Garson, Earl Slick and Mark Plati. We are also delighted to have added The Webb Sisters (Leonard Cohen, David Gilmour) who bring some incredible backing vocals and harmonies. Alfio Annabilini (Envy Of None) also guests on a song.

TO METHE CRUNCHY GUITARS EVOKE THAT EARLY-SEVENTIES SOUND OF GLAM ROCK IN GENERAL AND BOWIE IN PARTICULAR.

Rob – We weren’t look to invoke Bowie in particular but we love that crunchy guitar sound! Its something I embrace and for the other main guitar player on the album – Earl Slick – it’s in his DNA, and of course he played with Bowie on many albums and tours. That said, there are plenty of times the guitar sounds also invoke a more spacey, clean sounding vibe on the album too.

WERE YOU CONSCIOUSLY TRYING TO RECREATE THAT SOUND AND MOOD YOURSELVES?

James – I grew up in the 1970s: we were so lucky to have the very best music in the mainstream at that time. It’s in my DNA, so for me that’s how a guitar should sound! We don’t consciously try to recreate any of it though, it really depends on each song and what it needs.

Rob – No not all. The songs written for the album dictated the sound and mood. My musical influences are wide-ranging to be honest, certainly including 70s Rock but also 60s, 80s across many genres and there are also a lot of current day rock artists I love.

HOW CONSCIOUS ARE YOU OF KEEPING YOUR OWN IDENTITY SEPARATE FROM BOWIE’S?

Rob – Well, the band is ultimately defined by our songs. Its not a tribute act. We do not play Bowie songs. We’ve found some people initially came to us intrigued by the ex Bowie band players and then became KillerStar fans after getting into our songs and our sound. Others came to us actually not due to any Bowie band connection, just attracted by what they heard of KillerStar, enjoying the songs and the sound we have.

WORKING WITH BOWIE’S COLLABORATORS MUST BE A GREAT PRIVILEGE. BUT DOES IT ALSO CREATE AN ADDED PRESSURE TO DO HIS LEGACY JUSTICE?

It doesn’t, because we are not trying to emulate David Bowie and we do not play his songs in this band. But for sure it is a privilege to have the players we have in the band. And we are honoured that having heard the KillerStar songs they wanted to be involved. We have now made two albums together of KillerStar music and played several gigs so there is a strong bond and cohesion in the band when playing the music together.

WHEN YOU’RE TOGETHER, DO THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR MEMORIES OF BOWIE?

There is some for sure but mostly when we are together we are rehearsing and getting ready for live shows so the focus is on the KillerStar songs and prep.

THE HARMONIES BY THE WEBB SISTERS ADD AN ETHEREAL ELEMENT TO SOME SONGS – HOW DID YOU COME ACROSS THEM?

We connected with Charley and Hattie Webb after their shows at the Royal Albert Hall with David Gilmour. They are extraordinary singers. We asked them to sing on three songs on the album to start with; they loved the songs. We had a great vocals session at RAK Studios and then they came back for subsequent sessions to sing on the rest of the album. The melodies and backing/harmony vocals are an important part of the songs and our sound and we are over the moon to have them involved.

MIKE GARSON’S PIANO PLAYING IS SO UNMISTAKEABLY ‘BOWIE-ESQUE’ ISN’T IT?

James – There are some moments during the gigs when I recognise a phrase or a way of playing from Mike. He sometimes quotes the ending of his Aladdin Sane piano solo, and he looks across the stage grinning at me as my head spins round to look at him.

Rob – Yes it is. The word ‘unique’ is often bandied around and in this case I would say it is exactly the right word to describe Mike Garson’s playing. He is a true ‘great.’

KillerStar’s new album The Afterglow will be out on 20 March 2026! Preorder HERE

New single ‘The Afterglow’ is available now on all streaming platforms! Listen via link HERE

More of Tim Cooper’s writing at his Louder Than War author’s archive and at Muck Rack. He posts music daily at EatsDrinksAndLeaves.com More about KillerStar and all social links at their official website