Tonight saw us spend another terrific evening in the company of Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets. Having seen this show a few times before, it is simply not one to missed. What started as an idea from early-Floyd enthusiast Lee Harris has blossomed into an incredible presentation of the bands formative years. And with increasing demand to see the show from audiences around the globe, the quintet of Mason, Harris, Gary Kemp, Guy Pratt and Dom Beken will hopefully continue for a few more years yet. It was also refreshing to witness the band digging even deeper into the treasure trove of early Floyd, with one remarkable surprise by way of ‘Remember Me’. This early Syd Barrett rhythm and blues blow out dates back to sometime around the end of 1964, before they were even known as Pink Floyd. What made it really special is that the band played along to Syd’s isolated vocal track, together with images of the legendary front man displayed across the rear video wall.

Split into two halves, the two hour show initially took the audience back to 1967 and the psychedelic overload of ‘Astronomy Domine’, followed by early hit singles ‘Arnold Layne’ and ‘See Emily Play’. Moving through the gears they revisited the Obscured By Clouds soundtrack for the title track, along with Rick Wright’s nostalgic ‘Remember A Day’ and the cod rock of ‘The Nile Song’. Nick then took a call from ‘Roger’, asking about the whereabouts of his gong, to which the drummer feigned ignorance. This was the cue for an astonishing ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun’, highlighted by some extraordinary guitar dynamics from Lee and Gary. If the gig had ended there and then no one would have been disappointed, but thankfully there was still much more to come.

The second half began with Syd’s whimsical ‘The Scarecrow’, a song Saucerful of Secrets had not attempted before. A dreamy ‘Fearless’ and revved up ‘Lucifer Sam’ then took them into what was a wonderful version of ‘Echoes’. What SoS do so well is to take the essence and spirit of the original songs and add their own creativity to them, meaning this is not simply a ‘tribute’ show but one which allows each of the band to make their own mark. This was certainly true in the case of ‘Echoes’, powered along by Nick’s drumming and Guy’s solo and Lee’s inspired use of feedback at the climax. There was, of course, time for an encore with ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ seguing into the ‘Celestial Voices’ section of ‘A Saucerful of Secrets’, before Guy’s throbbing bass led into the familiar refrain of ‘One of These Days’ and a much deserved standing ovation. A final word about the wonderful Nick Mason; for someone who could have settled into cosy retirement decades ago, it is simply amazing to witness him performing live again and clearly having a terrific time on stage. By agreeing to take this band on the road, Nick has given many of us the opportunity to enjoy the music and the experience of early Floyd, performed by an original member along with band mates who have a real understanding and affinity with the material. In a word, stunning.

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
The Nile Song
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun

Set 2:
The Scarecrow
Fearless
Childhood’s End
Lucifer Sam
Echoes

Encore:
Interstellar Overdrive
A Saucerful of Secrets
One of These Days