David Bowie--The Konrads

nine sheets (251 x 189mm.) of pencil sketches and notes, including slogans ("You can't sit down ... When the Konrads are around") and preliminary designs for posters, with additional doodles, circa 1962-1963, some light creasing and smudging (9)

David Hadfield, drummer

Hadfield joined The Konrads in late 1962, having placed an advert in a local record shop window seeking a band to play with. Six years older than Bowie, Hadfield became the "leader" of the group during this period.

David Bowie joined his first band in June 1962 at the age of 15. The Konrads had already been performing for around a year before Bowie joined as a saxophonist and vocalist. Over the next twelve months, the band performed most weekends at local pubs and events in South East London and Kent. These rough sketches for promotional ideas reveal both a youthful excitement and an insight into Bowie’s mind-set as a young performer. 

Although Bowie left the Konrads at the end of 1963, the band went on to support the Rolling Stones on tour in March 1965.