Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets: Thursday 13th June, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham

The ubiquitous e-ticket. 🤬

 

Online advert/flyer, listing this gig

 

And an A5 flyer specific to this gig

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The ‘Set the Controls’ tour

Gary Kemp (guitars, vocals) / Dom Beken (keyboards, vocals) / Lee Harris (guitars, vocals) / Guy Pratt (bass, vocals) / Nick Mason (drums, percussion)

Having seen the band as recently as two years ago I decided to go again having been promised in a Facebook response from the band that this was going to be a “significantly different” show to that of 2022. And true to their word, new songs to the setlist for this tour were ‘Remember Me’ (first time ever by any Pink Floyd solo performer), ‘When You’re In’, ‘Fearless’, (complete with Anfield Kop choruses) and most poignantly, Syd Barrett‘s ‘The Scarecrow’ (first time by a solo member since 1968), so it really was “significantly different”. The projected backdrops, on the other hand – ‘acid’ lava lamps and the like – seemed to be the same or at least very similar to the ones of two years ago, but as this is the image that we probably most associate with early Pink Floyd, it was all good.

(L-R) Lee Harris, Guy Pratt, Nick Mason, Gary Kemp & Dom Beken

It’s great to see Mason doing this because, as I am sure you are well aware, all of the Pink Floyd tribute bands out there – and even Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour themselves – tend to ignore the vast catalogue of pre-‘Dark Side of the Moon’ material, which is a great shame because there are some real gems in there. Mason passionately embraces this significant portion of the band’s early work. In a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine he declared that the band’s initial phase was “extremely varied and equally fascinating”. He is correct, and his Saucerful of Secrets project provides a thrilling dive into their formative music.

The night opened with ‘Astronomy Domine’ from the band’s first album, followed by vibrant performances of early singles, ‘Arnold Layne’ and ‘See Emily Play.’ Gary Kemp, ex-Spandau Ballet star and Floyd enthusiast, took on guitar and vocals. Guy Pratt, a long-time live performer with Pink Floyd and a regular in Dave Gilmour’s solo tours, played bass and sang. Lee Harris, former guitarist with Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and Dom Beken, handling keyboards and effects, rounded out the ensemble that honoured the music authentically.

Dom Beken in the spotlight

From birth, Pink Floyd was predominantly steered by the imaginative co-founder Syd Barrett, whose tenure with the band was regrettably short, spanning just two albums and a handful of singles. In perhaps the most poignant moment of the night, the band surprised the audience by performing ‘Remember Me’, a song which dates from 1965 and was originally recorded when the band were known as The Tea Set. Not such a surprise, you might think, until I explain that while we watched and heard the band playing we were treated to Syd singing! Beken had “surgically” lifted Barrett’s vocals from the original ¼-inch tape – no easy task by any means, but very much worthwhile.

While both Kemp and Pratt are not renowned vocalists, both did fine jobs taking us through highlights from the Floyd’s early catalogue covering songs from albums including ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn’, ‘A Saucerful of Secrets’, ‘Atom Heart Mother’, ‘Meddle’ and ‘Obscured by Clouds’.

The back projections were typical Pink Floyd

Lasting just over and hour, the first set concluded with a dramatic rendition of ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun’, prefaced by Mason telling us that he was pleased to be able to finally play the famous gong adding that Roger Waters had always played it during live performances. Then in an amusing joke, he pretended to take a phone call from “Roger”, going on to explain that he was enjoying a quiet night in watching ‘Police Interceptors’ and that, no, he didn’t have any idea where Waters’ gong was; why would he know? How could be cart that thing about with him? Trés amusant!

After a short break it was back to the debut album and another new introduction to the set, the psychedelic folk of Barrett’s ‘The Scarecrow’. This was a first for me too as I had never heard it before. Next up was a powerful version of ‘Lucifer Sam’, Barrett’s ode to his Siamese cat with Kemp and Beken enjoying churning out the song’s descending guitar riff; another highlight for me. But the zenith of this particular gig was yet to come – the set-closer, ‘Echoes’. From the band’s epic ‘Meddle’ album, we were treated to a truly magnificent rendition of the 20-minute long song that foreshadowed the evolution of the Floyd’s sound in their subsequent albums. It was completely and utterly brilliant and, judging by the reaction of the packed concert hall, it wasn’t just me who was hugely impressed.

The opening chords (and accompanying graphics) of ‘Echoes’, spotlights on Kemp and Beken

Each band member had their moment to shine, but it was especially delightful to witness Mason, whom Kemp had earlier dubbed the band’s Robin Hood, with the rest as his Merry Men—a jest that obviously varies with each venue—still adept at energetically drumming at the venerable age of eighty. And despite obvious sound issues for the first few minutes of the encore – ‘One of These Days’ and a condensed version of ‘A Saucerful of Secrets‘, subtly interweaving a range of other lesser-known Floyd tunes – where he clearly seemed to simply give up, Kemp enjoyed a cracking time on guitar, excelling on occasion as a twiddle-fest developed involving his multitude of guitar effects.

The performance was immensely enjoyable, the band rendering a heartfelt homage to Floyd’s formative years. They accomplished this with profound reverence and palpable delight, celebrating a peerless period of musical innovation, and I am now left wondering what they can possibly do to top this when next they tour.

A truly great night, and a definite contender for ‘Gig of the Year’. If I could give it ten stars, I would! 🤘👍

Oh, and, for once – the photos are all mine! 😊

Setlist: Set 1: Astronomy Domine; Arnold Layne; See Emily Play; Remember Me; Obscured by Clouds; When You’re In; Remember a Day; If; Atom Heart Mother (abridged); If (reprise); The Nile Song; Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun; Set 2: The Scarecrow; Fearless; Childhood’s End; Lucifer Sam; Echoes; Encore: One of These Days; A Saucerful of Secrets (abridged including “Something Else”; “Up the Khyber” drumloop instead of “Syncopated Pandemonium”; Guy on crash) 

And, as a bonus, Lee Harris and Guy Pratt talk here about the stories behind the songs in that setlist. 🙂

There are also dozens of ace close-up photos from tonight’s gig HERE.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.