An exciting event for rock fans, and specifically for Pink Floyd fans came to Casino NB on March 06…Brit Floyd! A cataclysm of light and sound the Brit Floyd show is an onslaught of music that sweeps you up in it’s melodic menagerie and dances you to the end. Newly branded, the show may be new but the players are not, all the musicians are drawn from the better known Australian Pink Floyd show which is still currently touring and has been for almost twenty years.
Brit Floyd’s show began promptly at 8:00pm with a long melodic intro to the first song…the crowd roared in appreciation, the lights dim, the video screen came to life and the show hummed to life. The fans of Floyd also tend to have a penchant for ‘herbs’ and took the opportunity to partake of such at this moment…like a heart monitor the video screen pounded out a beat and we were on our way. Brit Floyd excel in their visualization and in recreating the conceptual stories that often came hand in hand with the many songs which provide a core to Pink Floyd’s albums. Even if you have been fortunate enough to see the origina Floyd live, you will not be disappointed by the Brit Floyd show, at times closing my eyes, and feeling like I was hearing the real thing with only slight subtle nuance differences.
Rolling through their first three songs (even though this took almost twenty minutes) I was almost thrown off enough that I forgot to take pictures at how amazing the sound on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” was with guitarists Bobby Harrison and Damian Darlington providing a roller coaster of sound from either side of the stage. The band was massive with the aforementioned guitarist Bobby Harrison, Drummer, Arran Ahmun, Percussionist/Saxophonist Carl Brundsen, Bassist Ian Cattell, gutarist & musical director Damian Darlington, keyboardist Rob Stringer, and background vocalists Emily Jollands, Jacquie Williams, and Ola Bienkowska. All played a part, that took us through album after album of Pink Floyd musical history.
The band ended the almost three hour night to grand applause from the greatly appreciative Casino NB crowd that brought the band back for a finishing touch performance of ‘Run Like Hell’ complete with bass player and singer Ian Cattell in biker shades and leather trench coat. I highly recommend, if you are a Pink Floyd fan, rock music fan, hell just a music fan to see Brit Floyd if you get the chance, it’s a wonderful musical experience that will leave you wanting more…I’ll be seeing them again next time they come around! To the band, Casino NB, and CMP Live I thank you for a wonderful night of musical entertainment…until next time!