Wells Festival of Literature to explore the spiritual side of David Bowie

By Laura Linham 3rd Sep 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 1 hour ago

Before David Bowie fans head to Wells Cathedral for Bowie By Candlelight in November, there is a chance to dig a little deeper into the ideas and beliefs behind the music.

Journalist and Bowie superfan Peter Ormerod will appear at Wells Festival of Literature on Monday, 19 October at 7.45 pm, discussing his new biography David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God.

The book looks at Bowie's lifelong fascination with spirituality and the way that search for meaning fed into his music, lyrics and changing identities.

Ormerod traces that journey back to Bowie's earliest musical encounters as a choirboy before following his interest in religion and spirituality through the different stages of his career.

Tibetan Buddhism was among the first traditions to capture Bowie's imagination as a young musician, beginning what Ormerod describes as a spiritual journey which would go on to influence some of his most significant work.

The book explores the Kabbalah influences surrounding Station to Station, Ziggy Stardust's messianic imagery and the life-affirming defiance of Heroes, placing some of Bowie's best-known music in the context of the ideas he was wrestling with at the time.

Ormerod argues that Bowie's search for meaning helped carry him through both the darkest and most successful periods of his life, adding another layer to songs which have connected with listeners around the world.

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Religion is familiar territory for the author himself. Raised in a clergy family, Ormerod has a lifelong interest in faith and has written about both culture and religion for The Guardian. He is also an arts editor for NationalWorld.

His Wells appearance comes just weeks before the Cathedral hosts Bowie By Candlelight in November, giving local fans the chance to explore the man behind the music before hearing the songs themselves in rather grand surroundings.

Wells Festival of Literature is a sponsor of Wells Nub News and runs from 16 to 24 October, bringing writers, broadcasters and thinkers to the city for nine days of talks and events.

Peter Ormerod appears on Monday, 19 October at 7.45 pm. Tickets and full festival details are available through the Wells Festival of Literature website.

For anyone who already knows every lyric, haircut and Bowie incarnation, this one offers something slightly different: the beliefs, questions and obsessions that were humming away underneath it all.