THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW – CONGRESS THEATRE, EASTBOURNE 9.11.22
We caught The Australian Pink Floyd Show ahead of their performance at the Brighton Centre on 12th November. Not got your tickets yet? There’s still time…just! Purchase your tickets HERE.
Lights, Camera, Action … What a spectacular show. The Australian Pink Floyd Show is without doubt one of the finest tribute shows of its kind. This magnificent and long-running touring band opened in the Congress Theatre with one of the greatest Pink Floyd tracks of all time ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ from the album ‘Wish You Were Here’. Written as a tribute to one of Pink Floyd’s founding members Syd Barrett, whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the band early on in their career. They take meticulous care to ensure that every detail from Floyd’s recordings is revived and relived. Their attention to detail and reproduction of each track was scrupulous and accurate in every detail.
There is very little interaction between the band and the audience, 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 which seemed to add to the performance, professional and focused exhibition of classic Pink Floyd music and shows. The Australian Pink Floyd simply deliver one musical masterpiece after another to a well-informed audience.
There were so many highlights, ‘Time & Breath’ were superb which led into ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’, the female backing singers were truly outstanding with all three taking turns with the solo theme. Next up was ‘Money’, another classic and performed with incredible accuracy. The first set finished with two tracks off ‘The Wall’ album, a blow up menacing figure of a 30 foot inflatable teacher suddenly appeared at the start of ‘The Happiest Days Of Our Lives’ followed by ‘Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2’. Again the performance was a meticulous reproduction and left the crowd wanting more.
The second half opened with ‘In The Flesh’ followed by the Floyd’s first single recorded in 1967, ‘See Emily Play’. It was time for ‘Pigs’ , a political parody on George Orwell’s 1984. It was clear that the audience were enjoying every second especially when it was time for another classic, ‘Wish You Were Here’. Throughout the performance there were many references to the bands Australian heritage playing clips in-between tracks including ‘Neighbours’, ‘Skippy’, ‘Crocodile Dundee’ and many more. As the second set finished with ‘Run Like Hell’ a giant pink kangaroo suddenly appeared centre stage!
The crowd wanted more …. so the encore, ‘Comfortably Numb’ with an incredible solo from David Domminney Fowler which even David Gilmore would have been proud of. An amazing show which I can truly recommend.
Band Members:
David Domminney Fowler – guitar, vocals
Luc Ledy-Lepine – guitar, vocals
Jason Sawford – keyboards
Paul Bonney – drums
Mike Kidson – saxophones
Emily Lynn – backing vocals
Lara Smiles – backing vocals
Lorelei McBroom – backing vocals
Chris Barnes – vocals
Ricky Howard – bass guitar, vocals
Set One:
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)’
‘Learning To Fly’
‘Time’
‘Breathe (Reprise)’
‘The Great Gig In The Sky’
‘Money’
‘Welcome To The Machine’
‘On The Turning Away’
‘The Happiest Days Of Our Lives’
‘Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2’
Set Two:
‘In The Flesh’
‘See Emily Play’
‘Pigs (Three Different Ones)’
‘Mother’
‘Wish You Were Here’
‘Coming Back To Life’
‘High Hopes’
‘One Of These Days’
‘Run Like Hell’
(encore)
‘Comfortably Numb’
