‘Holy grail’ footage of David Bowie at his peak to feature in immersive London show

Earl’s Court performance of Heroes in 1978 is among highlights of exhibition exploring singer’s life and work

Rare “holy grail” footage of David Bowie performing Heroes at Earl’s Court in 1978 is to feature in a new immersive show about the singer’s life and creative practice.

Extended footage of the performance has been pieced back together by the team behind the new Lightroom exhibition, who had access to new camera angles found on film reels discovered in the artist’s archives.

Mark Grimmer, the show’s producer, who was also behind the landmark V&A show David Bowie Is in 2013, said placing the performance of one of the star’s most loved songs in an immersive space – where it can be seen from multiple angles and perspectives at once – will be transformative.

He said: “It’s a holy grail; fans haven’t seen it before. The quality of the material is amazing and he was absolutely at the height of his powers. We just had to get out of the way and let the performance speak for itself.”