Echoes of Pink Floyd

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Posted 2023-05-07 by Steven G ⇒ follow

Sat 06 May 2023

On May 6, 2023, the Echoes Of Pink Floyd band presented the Signs Of Life concert, to celebrate 35 years since the album Delicate Sound Of Thunder, a live set, was released.

Before I start the review, I should say that I was at Thebarton Oval in 1988 as part of the Delicate Sound Of Thunder Tour (I was 17) from which the live album was taken, so this concert was not just me reliving the music of Pink Floyd, but the memories of one of the best concert experiences I have had.

This was a show of more than two hours of music delivered with some stunning visuals and a sound that mirrored a lot of what we had 35 years ago. With Pink Floyd no longer a going concern, it is tribute acts like this one that keep the mantle going for the band and its music, beyond listening to the classic albums of their discography . And with bands like , that music feels like it is in safe hands.

Okay, before I start the review, two small negatives first. There were a few occasions when the guitar solos were drowned out and a couple of times when the singer/s could not be heard. That's it. Not a single "bum" note, no missed cues, no dud songs, just two-plus hours of some of the best music.

The audience was interesting – the ages ranged from pre-teens to people in their eighties. It was quite a mix and, with what seemed to be a full house, it was enjoyed by everyone.

I did get a chance to speak to a few of the band members. The band was started in 2009 by the drummer Jason Miller and lead guitarist Daniel Hunter (who was also at Thebarton Oval in 1988 and was also aged 17 at the time, meaning he is my age). The singer Matt Goodluck said this line-up of the band has been reasonably constant for around ten years, and that shows in the way they play together, as a unit.

So, this was a celebration of the album, as I mentioned. But they did not play this as a carbon copy of the album. The order of sings was different, and they put their own little touches into some of the tracks, so that, while Pink Floyd, there was something that told you this was a loving tribute in every sense of the word.

Before I run through the show, the visuals were stunning – and I will mention one that really amazed me (and my sister, who was with me) – and the lighting was well done. Oh, and when the artists in the band were not required for a song, they left the stage, which was good because they didn't just stand there, and it put all the focus on those playing the songs. And every performer got a chance to shine, to show their musical chops, and demonstrate that these are all very fine musicians.

So…

They opened with 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', like the album, and this told us from the word go that we were in for a great night of music.

'Signs Of Life' (with incredible visuals) went into 'Learning To Fly'. This was followed by 'Another Brick In The Wall pt 1/ Best Years Of Our Lives/ Another Brick In The Wall pt 2' for the first fan sing-along. In the past, they have used a choir from a local school but didn't need it this time with the full house joining in.

'Round And Around' became 'A New Machine', then 'Terminal Frost', which had the most incredible visuals of the night, with the doubled shots creating a mesmerising effect. This was followed by 'Sorrow', and then the first half finished with 'Money'.

After a brief intermission, we opened the second half with 'One Of These Days' (a song with personal meaning for me), then 'Time' and 'On The Run', which led into 'Great Gig In The Sky'. One of the two backing singers – Bree Gregory – did the voice and… wow. The audience sat in stunned silence as she delivered a tour de force.

Then we had a trio of songs that were introduced as being still relevant to the world today – 'Us And Them', 'Dogs Of War' and 'On The Turning Away'.

This was followed by 'Wish You Were Here', with a guest guitarist. Will Healey, a local talent, and a teenager, came out to join in. He told me that he was in a school choir that did 'Another Brick In The Wall', was impressed by the guitarist, kept in touch, and now he performed with the band. That is the sort of thing that I could never put in one of my books – it'd be too unbelievable! Anyway, this is my sister's favourite Floyd song, and she thought the two guitarists did a great job, and it was her personal highlight. This was also a song where the singer "made" us join in (like we needed to be forced!), singing the chorus, which we did with gusto.

Then we had 'Run Like Hell', which closed out the live album, and it was played like the finish. It was great, and they all left the stage… and then came back and finished with 'Comfortably Numb', where we all sang along again, and the ending come with the wall of music on top of which the second guitar solo of the song was overlaid, and it was just a fantastic way to end a night of great music.

If you get the chance to see live – and they do have some more shows coming up later this year – take it. The music lives on and is being taken care of and allowed to breathe and exist in the hands of .

A show worth catching. One of the better live music shows I've seen in years.
Simply fantastic.