David Bowie’s key collaborators, friends and other musicians will perform at a worldwide series of benefit gigs in honour of what would have been the musician’s 70^th birthday.

Taking place on January 8 next year, the gigs will take place in locations with a strong connection to Bowie and his music. The performances will feature 30 core musicians and 40 local artists, with the London event set to be held at the O2 Brixton Academy, in the part of south London where Bowie was born in 1947. Proceeds from the show will go to Children & The Arts.

The idea for the performances was inspired by the series of tributes  that took place after Bowie’s death, particularly the two shows in spring this year, in which more than 70 artists and musicians in Los Angeles and San Francisco celebrated his career. The cast included Gary Oldman, Seal, Ewan McGregor, Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, and Bowie band alumni from 1969’s Space Oddity to his final album, Blackstar.

Bowie was honoured at the BRIT Awards, when his touring band played Life On Mars with Lorde. Oldman, who spoke movingly at the BRITS, will be joined in Brixton by former Bowie band members Mike Garson, Earl Slick, Adrian Belew, Mark Plati, Gerry Leonard, Gail Ann Dorsey, Sterling Campbell, Zachary Alford, Holly Palmer and Catherine Russell, along with many other special guests to be announced.

Tickets for Celebrating David Bowie are priced between £55-150 and are on O2 Priority presale from November 16 at 9am and on general sale from November 18 at 9am.

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