THEY paid tribute to the Starman with an emotional evening of music and dance.

A lecturer was moved to tears as students and staff at Southampton Solent University performed in memory of David Bowie.

The Heroes hitmaker died on January 10, just two days after the release of his final album, Blackstar.

The Spirit of Bowie show featured songs from throughout his 50-year career, performed by absolute beginners and professional musicians.

Among the highlights was a reggae version of Let’s Dance by music scholars including Serrah Sillah.

The students were also joined by Bournemouth’s The Chicken Soup Choir who treated a packed audience at the university’s JM315 studio to a rendition of Space Oddity.

Programme group leader of music Paul Rutter, who performed on the night and helped organise the event, said: “This concert was the first of its kind for us and the music lecturers were awestruck by the professionalism of the student musicians, our guests, and crew manning the event.”

Bowie fan and popular music journalism course leader Prof Martin James also performed alongside his students.

He said: “It was both an emotional and inspiring experience performing a Bowie song with students. Emotional, because the song we played was Lazarus, which as well as being one of his last, deals directly with death. 

“Inspirational, because the extremely talented students played the song with a creative maturity that belied their youthful years. I was literally brought to tears on both counts.”

The university, earlier this year, became a member of UK Music’s Music Academic Partnership (MAP) earlier this year, joining some of the UK’s leading industry trainers including the BRIT School in Croydon whose alumni include the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse and Kate Nash.

The membership will help give students a boost into the music industry, provide them with hands-on experience at concerts and allow them to take part in research projects in and around Southampton.