It’s that time of year again, when the Australian Pink Floyd Show brings its note for note perfect tribute to a sold-out Windsor Hall.
Having first seen this act a couple of years ago and having my socks blown off by the whole experience and attention to detail, I was super excited to see what the latest All That You Feel world tour had to offer.
The ten-piece band started the show with Obscured by Clouds quickly followed by In The Flesh before they slipped into a series of absolute classics (mind you, which Pink Floyd song doesn’t meet that description?) from probably the most critically acclaimed and best-selling album of all time, Dark Side of the Moon.
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The Great Gig in the Sky gives the vocalists chance to showcase their vocal agility with each of the girls receiving a resounding round of applause from an appreciative audience. Money came with, probably the only bit of flamboyance in the evening, as Sax player Mike Kidson wore a pink ensemble, playing a pink sax and doing a bit of dad dancing.
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There is almost no interaction between the band and the crowd, not even an introduction of the songs or a Thank You. Each band member only taking to the stage when they have a part to deliver. But that is OK.
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It is all part of a highly tuned, professional and focused presentation of classic Pink Floyd music and shows. TAPFS simply deliver one musical master piece after another to a well-informed audience.
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It’s hardly surprising that there is subliminal Australian theme throughout the evening and was it just me or was there a Didgeridoo sound running through Keep Talking?
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The first half of the show ends with a couple more songs from The Wall; The Happiest Days of Our Lives and Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 accompanied by a 30 foot inflatable teacher – which seemed to appear out of nowhere and remained glaring over the auditorium throughout the 30 min interval. Maybe for future shows he could run a raffle?
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Soon into the second half and we are treated to Shine on you Crazy Diamond accompanied by pictures of Syd Barrett on the iconic circular video screen and then Wish you Were Here. You could almost hear the crowd sing along to these over the band.
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The technically challenging Sheep followed and then the intensity of the music and jaw dropping light show increased with One of These Days. This is usually accompanied by a large inflatable pig but apparently “someone had forgotten to pack it”. Never mind, we still had the 30 foot inflatable pink kangaroo to add a little humour. The set closes with Run Like Hell which had everyone on their feet.
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I have seldom heard such a demand for an encore from a Windsor Hall crowd but, as if it was planned, TAPFS reappeared and performed Comfortably Numb.
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An absolutely incredible evening’s entertainment that should not be missed by anyone, Pink Floyd fan or not. I went home sockless again and judging by the conversations going on as we left the BIC, I wasn’t the only one.
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