29 November 2017

PINK FLOYD ANNOUNCE ROME AS THE SECOND CITY FOR THE PINK FLOYD EXHIBITION: THEIR MORTAL REMAINS

The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, the critically acclaimed major retrospective of Pink Floyd, one of the world's most pioneering and influential bands, today announced, via a press conference with Pink Floyd founding member Nick Mason, that it will be opening at Rome's Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma (MACRO) on 19 January 2018. This will be the first exhibition to take place at the museum under its new management, Palaexpo. Following its highly-successful debut at London's Victoria and Albert Museum earlier this year, which saw over 400,000 people tear down the wall, the exhibition moves to Rome as its first international destination on the global landscape. The exhibition continues the first collaboration in decades of Pink Floyd's remaining members and is produced and promoted globally by Michael Cohl of Concert Productions International B.V. The Rome exhibition is produced in association with MondoMostre and Live Nation, and the Sound Experience is by Sennheiser.

Tickets are on sale today via Vivaticket.it, all Vivaticket outlet locations and by phone on +39.041.2719035.


ROMA PRIMA TAPPA EUROPEA DOPO LONDRA PER THE PINK FLOYD EXHIBITION: THEIR MORTAL REMAINS

Retrospettiva epocale a 50 anni dalla nascita di uno dei gruppi musicali più innovativi e influenti della storia, a gennaio arriva a Roma, acclamata dalla critica e in esclusiva per l'Italia, la mostra The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains.

Presentano la mostra, in conferenza stampa oggi a Roma, uno dei membri fondatori della band, Nick Mason, insieme al Vicesindaco con delega alla Crescita culturale, Luca Bergamo. L'esposizione – promossa da Roma Capitale Assessorato alla Crescita Culturale – verrà inaugurata al MACRO Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma di via Nizza il prossimo 19 gennaio e sarà la prima ospitata dal museo con la nuova gestione dell'Azienda Speciale Palaexpo. Dopo l'enorme successo del debutto di qualche mese fa al Victoria and Albert Museum di Londra, che ha visto la partecipazione di più di 400.000 persone, la mostra si sposta a Roma per la prima tappa internazionale.

Biglietti in vendita a partire da oggi, mercoledì 29 novembre 2017. I biglietti si possono acquistare online su Vivaticket.it, nei punti vendita Vivaticket e per telefono al numero +39.041.2719035.


15 November 2017

FROM THE KQED VAULTS

An additional recording made during the KQED session has just been uncovered – Pink Floyd running through Astronomy Domine.

Click here to watch.


8 November 2017

LIVE AT POMPEII ON TV

A 60-minute version of David Gilmour Live At Pompeii will be broadcast on BBC Two TV at 10.40pm on Saturday 18th November, and will feature solo material alongside Pink Floyd classics.

UK residents will be able to watch the show on the BBC iPlayer for 30 days after transmission.


27 October 2017

DAVID GILMOUR IS FRONT ROW THIS WEEKEND

The UK's BBC Two television show Front Row is being presented by Cambridge classicist Mary Beard tomorrow, Saturday 28th October.

During the show Mary will be speaking to David Gilmour about his recent film Live At Pompeii, which documents the first ever rock concert for an audience in the historic site.

David will be performing A Boat Lies Waiting live in the studio.

For more details about the show, which starts at 7.30pm (UK), click here.

Photo: Polly Samson.

For additional Front Row photos from Polly Samson, click here.



11 October 2017

VINYL REISSUES CONTINUE WITH 'A COLLECTION OF GREAT DANCE SONGS' AND 'DELICATE SOUND OF THUNDER'

The reissues of Pink Floyd recordings on vinyl continue on Friday 17th November, when Pink Floyd Records will reissue A Collection Of Great Dance Songs and Delicate Sound Of Thunder on vinyl, the first time they have been available on the format in over twenty years.

Originally released in 1981, A Collection Of Great Dance Songs contains alternative mixes and versions of the band's classics including Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2), and Money. The compilation album was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA in 2001, for more than two million sales in the USA alone. Delicate Sound Of Thunder was recorded live over five nights in August 1988 at the Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY, and became infamous for being the first rock album to be played in outer space.

As with the rest of the Pink Floyd studio collection released over the past two years, these albums are stereo versions on heavyweight 180g vinyl, mastered from the original studio tapes with album artwork faithfully reproduced.


29 September 2017

DAVID GILMOUR 'LIVE AT POMPEII' RELEASED TODAY

Finally, the wait is over. Released today via Sony Music, David Gilmour's much-anticipated Live At Pompeii album is available on 2-CD, Blu-ray, 2-DVD, 4-LP, deluxe Blu-ray box, and download. For more information, please click here.

The Blu-ray and DVDs include highlights from the concert performances of both of David Gilmour's Pompeii shows in July 2016, filmed in 4K by director Gavin Elder. The audio, available on CD and LP, was mixed by Andy Jackson and David Gilmour, with Damon Iddins. The formats run to around 148 minutes each, with more than two additional hours of material included in the deluxe 4-disc Blu-ray/CD set.

The album release follows a one-off cinema showing in more than 2,500 cinemas around the world, which broke records for a music screening event, topping the box office in several countries, including Germany, Italy and France, as well reaching No. 2 in the UK, No. 3 in Mexico and hitting the Top 5 in Australia, Denmark and The Netherlands.

The concert is a spectacular audio-visual experience, featuring the famous huge circular cyclorama screen as well as lasers, pyrotechnics and stellar performances from an all-star band. Live At Pompeii shows an artist at a creative peak, in a unique setting, on a very special occasion and is simply not to be missed.


8 September 2017

ONE OF THESE DAYS AVAILABLE AS AN INSTANT GRAT

An iTunes audio Instant Grat is a way for consumers to get a track in advance of an album release, which acts as a 'deposit' against a subsequent purchase of the digital version of the album, slotting into the full downloaded file. One Of These Days has just been made available as the second Instant Grat from David Gilmour's forthcoming Live At Pompeii album, and the video clip can be seen above.

Directed by Gavin Elder, it is included in the worldwide one-off Live At Pompeii cinema feature performance on Wednesday 13th September, as well as on the Blu-ray, DVD, and Deluxe 4-disc versions, which are all available from Friday 29th September. The audio and audio-visual formats all contain at least 148 minutes of music; for more details, please go to www.davidgilmour.com/pompeii or www.davidgilmourcinematickets.co.uk.


2 September 2017

DAVID GILMOUR APPEARS ON US NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO'S WORLD CAFÉ, SEPTEMBER 6

World Café is a two-hour-long music radio programme that originates from WXPN in Philadelphia, USA, and is nationally syndicated there by National Public Radio (NPR).

World Café features live performances and interviews with established artists, and they will be broadcasting David Gilmour's episode on Wednesday 6th September as part of World Café Words and Music.

The programme can be heard on over 200 stations nationwide in the US: fans can tune into their local affiliate station at the scheduled World Café broadcast time, and should check local listings for details. To listen live online around the world, fans can hear the WXPN Philadelphia stream at 2pm Eastern Time at XPN.org by choosing WXPN from the 'Listen Live' drop-down at the top of the page.

David Gilmour's segment will also be archived for on-demand streaming at WorldCafe.NPR.org at approximately 5pm Eastern Time on the day of broadcast. We hope to receive the dedicated link to the broadcast from World Café before the air date, and will post it here in an update as soon as we do.


30 August 2017

RECORD-BREAKING PUBLIC DEMAND SEES EXHIBITION EXTENDED BY TWO WEEKS

Following unprecedented visitor numbers, The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains will be extended by two weeks and will close on 15 October. The huge public demand created by its critical acclaim and immersive mix of music and spectacular set design has made The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains the V&A's most popular exhibition of the year to date. The exhibition is promoted by Michael Cohl and Iconic Entertainment Studios.

Tickets are on sale here.


21 July 2017

DAVID GILMOUR ANNOUNCES LIVE AT POMPEII ALBUM

 

Only a select few fans were able to witness David Gilmour's ground-breaking return to the Pompeii amphitheatre for a brace of incredible performances in July 2016, but from 29th September every fan will be able to experience them, with the release of the recording of those concerts on CD, Blu-Ray, DVD, LP, and download.

Released via Sony Music, Live At Pompeii will be available on 2-CD, Blu-ray, 2-DVD, 4-LP, deluxe Blu-ray box, and download. For more information, please click here. The Blu-ray and DVDs include highlights from the concert performances of both shows, filmed in 4K by director Gavin Elder. The audio, available on CD and LP, was mixed by Andy Jackson and David Gilmour, with Damon Iddins. The formats run to around 148 minutes each, with more than two additional hours of material included in the deluxe 4-disc Blu-ray/CD set.

The Pompeii concerts marked a return by David Gilmour to the venue 45 years after Pink Floyd filmed in the legendary Roman Amphitheatre there, his two spectacular shows forming part of the year-long tour in support of the No. 1 album Rattle That Lock. David's performances were the first-ever rock concerts for an audience in the stone Roman amphitheatre, and, for two nights only, the 2,600-strong crowd stood exactly where gladiators would have fought in the first century AD.

The stellar performances are complemented by an audio-visual spectacle, featuring lasers, pyrotechnics and a trademark huge circular screen, but paramount is the music; the show includes songs from throughout David's career, solo and with Pink Floyd, including One Of These Days, the only song that was also performed by the band there in 1971, and six songs from Rattle That Lock, as well as two from 2006's On An Island.

The release of Live At Pompeii will be preceded by a worldwide cinema screening of around 107 minutes – click here for more details. Live At Pompeii showcases an artist at the top of his artistic game, performing incredible material with his world-class band, in a unique setting, on one very special occasion.


12 July 2017

LIVE AT POMPEII TRAILER

 

Distributors Trafalgar Releasing have just launched the trailer for the September 13th, one night only, cinema showing of the David Gilmour Live At Pompeii film.

Over 2,000 cinemas worldwide will be showing the film, directed in 4K by Gavin Elder and shot at David Gilmour's groundbreaking concerts in the amphitheatre at Pompeii, Italy, on July 7th and 8th last year. Where the cinema is able to support the formats, the film will be presented in 4K and Dolby Atmos; please check locally for details.

To see the full cinema list and to buy tickets now, please go to www.davidgilmourcinematickets.com.

The site has a special 'Demand It' feature: if David Gilmour Live At Pompeii is not screening in a specific area, fans can make a request for it by filling out a form on the Website, and Trafalgar Releasing will do their best to bring the event to a cinema near them.

Please see the previous news story, below, for more details.


7 June 2017



Thanks for the song Billy Bragg.


31 May 2017

DAVID GILMOUR LIVE AT POMPEII FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

On July 7th & 8th 2016, David Gilmour performed two spectacular shows at the legendary Pompeii Amphitheatre in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, 45 years after he first played there for Adrian Maben's classic film Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii.

The concerts were the first-ever rock performances played to an audience in the ancient Roman amphitheatre, which was built in 90 BC and entombed in ash when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. David Gilmour is the only performer to play to an audience in the arena since the time of the gladiators, almost 2,000 years ago.

Speaking about the Pompeii shows David commented, 'It's a magical place and coming back and seeing the stage and the arena was quite overwhelming. It's a place of ghosts...'.

For one night only on September 13th 2017, over 2000 cinemas worldwide will be showing David Gilmour Live At Pompeii.

The concert performance film, David Gilmour Live At Pompeii, will be distributed to cinemas worldwide by Trafalgar Releasing on Wednesday 13th September and will include highlights from both shows, filmed in 4K by director Gavin Elder, and will be presented in Dolby Atmos sound.

The show includes songs from throughout David's career including the title tracks of his two most recent No. 1 solo albums Rattle That Lock and On An Island. Also included are other solo and Pink Floyd classics such as Wish You Were Here, Comfortably Numb, and One Of These Days, the only song that was also performed by the band in 1971. Both concerts also saw very special performances of The Great Gig In The Sky from The Dark Side Of The Moon, which David rarely plays as a solo artist.

The concert is a spectacular audio-visual experience, featuring the famous huge circular cyclorama screen as well as lasers, pyrotechnics and stellar performances from an all-star band.

David Gilmour Live At Pompeii shows an artist at a creative peak, in a unique setting, on a very special occasion and is not to be missed on the big screen.

Tickets are now on sale worldwide with more cinemas to follow soon, including Latin America and Central America. Via 'Demand It', if David Gilmour Live at Pompeii is not screening in a specific area, fans can make a request for it by filling out a form on the Website, and Trafalgar Releasing will do their best to bring the event to a cinema near them.

For details of cinemas taking part in this very special one-night-only event, and ticket information, click here.


22 May 2017

URGENT MESSAGE FROM DAVID GILMOUR




"Today's your last chance to register to vote. It takes two minutes.

"Please register at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

"I'm voting Labour because I believe in social equality."


David Gilmour




5 May 2017

CLIVE BROOKS

"With a heavy heart our Pink Floyd family say farewell to dear Clive Brooks, drum technician extraordinaire, who sadly passed away."
Nick Mason on Facebook.


30 April 2017

NEW ALBUM

Roger Waters' new album Is This The Life We Really Want? will be released on Friday 2nd June. For full details go to RogerWaters.com.


14 April 2017

SHRIMP NAMED AFTER PINK FLOYD

A newly discovered species of pistol shrimp has been christened synalpheus pinkfloydi. Read more about it here.


5 April 2017

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

David Gilmour won Concert of the Year at yesterday's LEA awards in Germany for the show at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, on June 28th 2016, ahead of fellow nominees Adele, Andreas Gabalier, Iron Maiden, and Yello.

More than 500 live productions were screened in the year 2016 by PRG LEA's jury, composed of renowned music journalists, radio broadcasters and cultural managers. It also assessed the outstanding achievements of promoters, artisans, booking agencies and tour operators.

Barracuda Music promoted both of David's shows at the Vienna venue.


16 February 2017

ROGER AND NICK V&A EXHIBITION PRESS CONFERENCE

Roger Waters and Nick Mason made a rare public appearance together today at London's May Fair Hotel at a media briefing and Q&A session for The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, due to open in May at London's V&A museum. Hosted by DJ Matt Everitt, the event started with a short description of the exhibition by co-curator Victoria Broackes, outlining the attention to detail that has gone into every aspect.

This was followed by a Question & Answer session with Matt and Pink Floyd's Creative Director Aubrey 'Po' Powell of Hipgnosis, alongside Ray Winkler, CEO of the exhibition's designers Stufish. Po spoke evocatively and warmly of his personal history with the members of Pink Floyd, and with Syd Barrett in particular, providing a creative and cultural overview of the ups, downs and importance of Pink Floyd's career, while Ray Winkler touched on the design and architectural elements of Pink Floyd's live staging.

Daniel Sennheiser, CEO of audio electronics company Sennheiser, then talked about the company's involvement with Pink Floyd from their earliest years, and their shared commitment to audio excellence, which will manifest itself in 360-degree audio mixes played in a portion of the exhibition, as well as the headphone technology used to provide aural accompaniment to the exhibits.

Finally, Roger and Nick took to the stage to answer questions from Matt Everitt and some media in the audience. With thoughtful, and occasionally hilarious, answers, they covered topics such as playing specific concerts and Roger's forthcoming album, to be entitled 'Is This The Life We Really Want?', while Nick admitted that he was probably the member of Pink Floyd most likely to have kept photos and memorabilia. Both of them professed their admiration for the V&A curation team in unearthing interesting and meaningful objects, whether historic personal letters from the band or the actual cane used to beat Roger at Cambridgeshire High School For Boys, accompanied by the school's 'Punishment Book' listing the beatings.

They both looked forward to viewing the exhibition in person, including passing through the entrance, a special reconstruction of the band's Bedford CA van, into a world of Pink Floyd history, starting with psychedelia and progressing to the ambitious stagings of the later years.

The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, presented by the V&A and Michael Cohl's Iconic Entertainment Studios, runs from the 13th May till the 1st October 2017.

Tickets are on sale now: in person at the V&A; online at www.vam.ac.uk/pink-floyd or by calling (in the UK) 0800 912 6961 (booking fee applies); or from ticketing partners Ticketmaster, LOVETheatre, See Tickets, and Encore.

www.pinkfloydexhibition.com | www.vam.ac.uk/pink-floyd | #TheirMortalRemains

Photo: Jill Furmanovsky.


15 February 2017

THE EARLY YEARS, 1965-1972: THE INDIVIDUAL VOLUMES

On Friday 24th March 2017, Pink Floyd will release a series of book-bound individual collections of the band's seminal music from 1965-1972. The six individual collections were first released as part of The Early Years 1965-1972 box set and will be released in the same deluxe format as those in which they first appeared.

The stand-alone packages, each of which includes audio material on CD and audio-visual material on DVD and Blu-ray, were originally released exclusively as the full Early Years: 1965-1972 box set that was reviewed as one of the best box sets of 2016. Now available as bite-sized volumes broken down by years 1965-1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and, finally, 1972, they include early recordings, unreleased studio and live performances, BBC radio sessions, outtakes and many TV and live films of the band performing songs from early albums including The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful Of Secrets, Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, and Obscured By Clouds. Also included is unreleased material and remixes from Pink Floyd's original soundtrack compositions for the films More, Zabriskie Point, and La Valle (Obscured By Clouds).

Each package (CAMBRIDGE ST/ATION, GERMIN/ATION, DRAMATIS/ATION, DEVI/ATION, REVERBER/ATION, OBFUSC/ATION) has been entitled up by Roger Waters to give an insight into where the band were at that particular point in their career.

The Early Years: Individual Volumes give fans the opportunity to hear the evolution of the band. From the earliest 1965 recordings, through their first single Arnold Layne all the way to the 20-minute Echoes, this is an insightful collection that explores the Pink Floyd story from the time Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and Syd Barrett met at London's Regent Street Polytechnic through to Syd's departure and David Gilmour joining to form the iconic lineup.

For fans wishing to immerse themselves in the full Pink Floyd story, the complete box set The Early Years: 1965-1972 collates all of the individual volumes plus extra discs, collectables and memorabilia exclusive to the box set. In addition to the individual volumes and the deluxe set, a 2-CD highlights album The Early Years – CRE/ATION is also available.

Track Listings:

1965-1967 CAMBRIDGE ST/ATION
1968 GERMIN/ATION
1969 DRAMATIS/ATION
1970 DEVI/ATION
1971 REVERBER/ATION
1972 OBFUSC/ATION


14 December 2016

PINK FLOYD RECORDS REINTRODUCE 'THE FINAL CUT' AND 'A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON' ON VINYL

On Friday 20th January 2017, Pink Floyd Records will complete the reintroduction of the Pink Floyd studio albums on vinyl with The Final Cut and A Momentary Lapse of Reason remastered and reissued. These albums have not been available on vinyl for well over two decades.

Over the past year, Pink Floyd Records has released the entire studio collection as stereo remastered versions on heavyweight 180g vinyl. All are mastered from the original analogue studio tapes with album artwork faithfully reproduced.

Released originally in 1983, The Final Cut was another global chart-topper for Pink Floyd. During the Falklands War and the era of Thatcherism, this anti-war concept album explored the themes of fallen servicemen, the loss of loved ones and political betrayal.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Pink Floyd's thirteenth studio album, was released in 1987 and demonstrated a significant change in style for the band with more experimental use of drum machines and samples. The album also saw the return of graphic artist Storm Thorgerson who designed this now iconic cover.


18 November 2016

REPLACEMENT OF FAULTY EARLY YEARS DISCS

Following reported problems from fans, a small batch of faulty Blu-ray discs from The Early Years 1965-1972 box set have been identified: the 1972 'Obfusc/ation' Blu-ray and bonus package 'Continu/ation' Blu-ray 1.

A disc replacement service has now been set up via fulfilment house Docdata. Purchasers with a non-playing copy of PFREY6BD or PREFY7BD1 should contact them at [email protected] and they will arrange a replacement disc.

We apologise for the inconvenience and stress that this may have caused to box purchasers, although we have ascertained that this unavoidable damage could not have been predicted.


11 November 2016

PINK FLOYD HAVE RELEASED THE EARLY YEARS 1965-1972

The Early Years 1965-1972 is a comprehensive 27-disc box set that sees Pink Floyd delve into their vast music archive – a deluxe package that includes seven individual book-style volumes, featuring much previously unreleased material.

The Early Years box set contains unreleased tracks, BBC Radio Sessions, remixes, outtakes and alternative versions over 11 hours, 45 mins of audio (made up of 130+ tracks) and live and TV performance in over 14 hours of audio-visual material. The content includes over 20 unreleased songs, more than seven hours of previously unreleased live audio and over five hours of rare concert footage are included, along with five meticulously produced 7" singles in replica sleeves, collectable memorabilia, feature films and new sound mixes. Previously unreleased tracks include 1967's Vegetable Man and In The Beechwoods, which have been mixed for the first time, specially for this release.

Each individual book-style package will be released separately early in 2017, except 'BONUS CONTINU/ATION' which is exclusive to this box set. For more information or to order, please click here.

Cre/ation The Early Years 1967-1972
Set across two CDs, the Cre/ation The Early Years 1967-1972 highlights set is also available now.


9 November 2016

FINAL EARLY YEARS PROMO VIDEO: NOTHING PART 14

Pink Floyd Creative Director Aubrey 'Po' Powell of Hipgnosis has worked with animator Ian Emes to create the fourth promotional video for the Early Years 1965-1972 box set, Nothing Part 14.

As part of the writing process of Pink Floyd's seminal work Echoes, 'Nothing Part 14' was created by the band in a conscious desire to use a freeform jamming approach to composing new material. All of the 20 subsequent pieces of music were originally called 'Nothing', hence Nothing, Part 14. After all the elements were compiled and Roger Waters' lyrics added, the completed work was dubbed Echoes. The famous 'ping' at the start of this piece (retained for the final version of Echoes), was created by running notes from an acoustic piano through a Leslie rotating speaker cabinet, more commonly used in conjunction with a Hammond organ.

Aubrey 'Po' Powell has noted re: the promo video: "After a chance meeting with Ian Emes he showed me some experimental animated film that he had been working on many years ago in the 1970s. It had not been seen before and so I decided to try, with a bit of editing by Benny Trickett and some re-telecine restoration, whether it might work with 'Nothing Part 14'. It somehow fits beautifully into the rhythm of the piece and reflects the brilliant nature of Emes' imaginative and painstaking animation. He was responsible for the famous Clocks film for 'Time' and a piece called 'French Windows' for Pink Floyd's 'One Of These Days', shown on their famous circular screen".


28 October 2016

YOUTUBE SPACE LONDON TICKETS

As revealed yesterday, Nick Mason will host a global screening of exclusive audio and visual footage from the The Early Years box set (released on 11th November). The event will take place at YouTube Space London and will be presented by the Pink Floyd drummer. The live stream will start on Pink Floyd's YouTube channel on Wednesday 9th November at 6.30pm (GMT).

A limited number of tickets are available for the event. For the chance to win, click here. Fans from around the world are encouraged to submit questions online via the official Pink Floyd Facebook page. A selection of these will be put to Nick on the night. Please note these questions should only be related to the period covered by The Early Years set.


27 October 2016

NICK MASON TO HOST LIVE STREAMED EVENT FROM YOUTUBE SPACE LONDON

Nick Mason will host a global screening of exclusive audio and visual footage from the The Early Years box set (released on 11th November). The event will take place at YouTube Space London and will be presented by the Pink Floyd drummer. The live stream will start on Pink Floyd's YouTube channel on Wednesday 9th November at 6.30pm (GMT).

Always at the forefront of technology, Pink Floyd are proud to be showcasing exclusive material from The Early Years 1965-1972 with the event being live streamed around the world. Fans of the band are able to win tickets to attend the evening and ask questions to founding member, Nick Mason. In addition, fans from around the world will be able to submit questions prior to the event and a selection will be answered on the night. To be able to participate in the event and submit questions, a further announcement via PinkFloyd.com and Pink Floyd social networks will follow from Friday 28th October. The live event will include an exclusive unboxing of the package, screening of exclusive remastered footage and a chat with Nick.

Vivien Lewit, Director of Music Content at YouTube, says: "Pink Floyd have always been at the cutting edge of creativity and will be using the latest live technology on YouTube to bring something special to their fans. We're so proud to host to this iconic band and experience at our YouTube Space in London, so that people can tune in and be taken on a tour through the magic of 'The Early Years' from wherever they are in the world".


27 October 2016

NEW VIDEO FOR GREEN IS THE COLOUR

Featured above is another new official music video for music from Pink Floyd's early years, following those for Childhood's End and Grantchester Meadows. As with those clips, new footage has been shot by Pink Floyd Creative Director Aubrey Powell and Nick Edwards, and in this case is combined with live performance from the band, shot for French TV as 'Pop Deux Festival de St. Tropez'. The song is available now as an Instant Grat on iTunes, while the full video of the band performance is included in the Early Years 1965-1972 box set, released November 11th.


10 October 2016

PINK FLOYD VINYL RELEASES CONTINUE WITH 'ANIMALS'

The LP reissue programme on Pink Floyd Records continues with the release on November 18th of Animals, the first time it has been issued in over 20 years. After over eight months of continuous recording at their own Britannia Row studios in 1976, Animals was originally released in 1977 and became one of the band's most popular albums. The album cover, featuring 'Algie' the pig floating above London's Battersea Power Station, is amongst Pink Floyd's most recognisable covers, while Algie was most recently sighting above London's V&A Museum to launch The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains.

Animals joins the first seven Pink Floyd albums (The Piper at The Gates Of Dawn, A Saucerful Of Secrets, More, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, and Obscured By Clouds) in having been remastered in 2016 from the original master tapes and pressed in heavyweight 180 gram vinyl, with packaging based closely on the original LP sleeves.

In addition, The Wall and The Division Bell LP remasters are both available now, Wish You Were Here will be available on October 14th, and The Dark Side of the Moon on November 4th.


26 September 2016

RATTLE THAT LOCK TOUR TICKETS

Further seats have been released for David Gilmour's shows at the Royal Albert Hall on September 28th, 29th and 30th.

Click here to purchase.


31 August 2016

PINK FLOYD, LONDON'S V&A AND MICHAEL COHL'S ICONIC ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS ANNOUNCE THE PINK FLOYD EXHIBITION: THEIR MORTAL REMAINS

London's Victoria and Albert Museum today announced the first major international retrospective of Pink Floyd, one of the world's most pioneering and influential bands. To mark 50 years since the band released their first single Arnold Layne, and over 200 million record sales later, The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains will be an immersive, multi-sensory and theatrical journey through Pink Floyd's extraordinary world. A story of sound, design and performance, the exhibition will chronicle the music, iconic visuals and staging of the band, from the underground psychedelic scene in 1960s London to the present day, illustrating their groundbreaking use of special effects, sonic experimentation, powerful imagery and social commentary. The exhibition marks the first collaboration in decades of Pink Floyd's remaining members and is promoted by Michael Cohl and Iconic Entertainment Studios; it runs from 13th May to 1st October 2017. Tickets go on sale at 10.00am (BST) today; click here to purchase.

Martin Roth, Director of the V&A, said: "The V&A is perfectly placed to exhibit the work of a band that is as recognisable for its unique visual imagery as for its music. Pink Floyd is an impressive and enduring British design story of creative success. Alongside creating extraordinary music, they have for over five decades been pioneers in uniting sound and vision, from their earliest 1960s performances with experimental light shows, through their spectacular stadium rock shows, to their consistently iconic album covers. The exhibition will locate them within the history of performance, design and musical production by presenting and complementing the material from Pink Floyd's own archive with the V&A's unrivalled collections in architecture, design, graphics and literature".

Michael Cohl of Iconic Entertainment Studios said: "We are proud to have been chosen as the promoter of what will be an incredible exhibition at the V&A. I have always loved being involved with Pink Floyd and the work that goes into making a visual spectacular. This is the culmination of a long history together and I'm happy to work once again with one of the greatest bands of all time".

The exhibition is curated by the V&A by a team led by Victoria Broackes alongside Aubrey 'Po' Powell of Hipgnosis, the Creative Director of Pink Floyd, and Paula Stainton. The curatorial team have worked closely with members of the group on the content of the exhibition, which is being designed by Stufish, the world leading entertainment architects and longtime stage designers for Pink Floyd.

Visit the Pink Floyd Exhibition Website here.


28 July 2016

27-DISC BOX SET FOR NOVEMBER – 'THE EARLY YEARS, 1965-1972'

Pink Floyd will release The Early Years 1965-1972 on Friday 11th November 2016. A comprehensive 27-disc boxed set, it pulls together material from the Pink Floyd archive, as well as licensed Radio and TV recordings, to comprise a deluxe package that includes seven individual book-style volumes, (six of which are dedicated to particular years), featuring much previously unreleased material, as well as bonus content, reproduction memorabilia, and the band's first recording from 1965, released on CD for the first time. The packages contain more than 100 photographs of Pink Floyd, the majority of which are previously unseen, as well as more than 40 items of memorabilia in special wallets. In addition, Pink Floyd's first five UK singles have been included in the box, on 7" vinyl with replica sleeves.

The Early Years 1965-1972 box set contains unreleased tracks, BBC Radio Sessions, remixes, outtakes and alternative versions. Ten CDs, nine DVDs and eight Blu-ray discs contain more than 130 audio tracks, as well as more than 14 hours of audio-visual material. There are more than 20 unreleased songs, plus previously unreleased live audio, rare concert footage, feature films and new sound mixes. Previously unreleased tracks include 1967's Vegetable Man and In The Beechwoods, both mixed especially for this release.

The six individual year-specific book-style packages will be released separately early in 2017, although the bonus volume, CONTINU/ATION, will be exclusive to the box set, as will the larger memorabilia items, which are reproduced in actual size for the box. Also released on Friday 11th November 2016 will be a companion edition, Cre/ation – The Early Years 1967-1972, a 2-CD collection of some of the highlights of the box set, focussing on the band's material from 1967 to 1972. 2-CD track listing is here.

For further information, please see the Press Release and Full Track Listing.


22 June 2016

RATTLE THAT LOCK TOUR ADDS FIFTH AND FINAL ROYAL ALBERT HALL SHOW

David Gilmour has today announced a fifth show at London's Royal Albert Hall. The concert, being held on Friday 23rd September 2016, will be his 11th performance at the venue in support of his critically acclaimed UK No. 1 album Rattle That Lock.

In addition, a very limited number of production seats have been made available for the four other nights at the Royal Albert Hall: September 25, 28, 29 and 30. These will be the final shows of the Rattle That Lock tour.

As before, tickets for the Royal Albert Hall shows are strictly limited to four tickets per person across all nights, and photo ID for the lead ticket buyer will be required. Tickets for September 23rd will be on sale at 10.00am (UK time) on Thursday 30th June from the Box Office: 0845 401 5045 or +44 20 7589 8212, or from www.royalalberthall.com. Please note tickets will not be available in person from the Royal Albert Hall. Tickets will also be available from Stargreen: 020 7734 8932 or www.stargreen.com.


26 May 2016

ROYAL MAIL TRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD

 

Royal Mail in the UK has announced it will issue a set of 10 postage stamps to celebrate Pink Floyd and their worldwide influence.

Six stamps will feature the sleeves from: The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn; Atom Heart Mother; The Dark Side Of The Moon; Wish You Were Here; Animals; and The Endless River.

In addition, four stamps within a special miniature sheet are designed to convey the experience of Pink Floyd live, from appearances at UFO, London, in 1966, to the ambitious staging for the Wall and the Division Bell tours.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail's stamp strategy manager said:
"Pink Floyd is arguably the most visually literate band of all time, with legendary live performances increasing in ambition over the decades. It's fitting that this iconic British band is recognised with these new stamps".

The stamps, as well as limited edition souvenirs including framed stamps and a special Dark Side of the Moon stamp sheet, are available to pre-order now here.

The stamps will be issued on 7 July 2016 and available from UK Post Offices and online here.

About Royal Mail Special Stamps:
For 50 years Royal Mail's Special Stamp programme has commemorated and celebrated events and anniversaries pertinent to UK heritage and life. Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors and gift givers in the UK and millions worldwide. Her Majesty the Queen approves all UK stamp designs before they are printed.


20 May 2016

RATTLE THAT LOCK TOUR CONTINUES

The summer leg of David Gilmour's Rattle That Lock world tour starts on Saturday 25th June with a very special show in Wrocław, Poland, where David and his band will perform with a 30-piece orchestra conducted by Zbigniew Preisner in the city's Freedom Square, and will then visit Vienna, Rome, Pompeii, Verona, Stuttgart, Paris, Wiesbaden, Nîmes, Besançon, and Tienen in Belgium before ending with a four-night stand at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The band will be: Guy Pratt, bass guitar; Steve DiStanislao, drums; Chester Kamen, guitar; Greg Phillinganes, keyboards; Chuck Leavell, keyboards; João Mello, saxophone; and Louise Marshall, Lucita Jules and Bryan Chambers on vocals.


6 May 2016

THE COMPLETE PINK FLOYD CATALOGUE TO BE AVAILABLE ON VINYL

On Friday 3rd June 2016, Pink Floyd Records will begin the reintroduction of the Pink Floyd catalogue on vinyl for the first time in over two decades. The first four records will be The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucerful of Secrets, the soundtrack from the film More, and the 2-LP set Ummagumma. Pink Floyd Records will reproduce the vinyl catalogue throughout the year with release dates being announced at regular intervals. In the meantime, all Pink Floyd records are now available on CD, digital and most streaming platforms.

Special care has been taken to replicate the original packaging. The first batch of releases, mastered by James Guthrie, Joel Plante and Bernie Grundman will be pressed on 180gram vinyl for optimum sound quality.

Pink Floyd Records releases will be manufactured and distributed by Warner Music for the UK and Europe and by Sony Music for North America and the rest of the world.


18 March 2016

DAVID GILMOUR PLAYS POMPEII

David Gilmour will return to Pompeii's Roman Amphitheatre to play two concerts there, on the 7th and 8th of July 2016, the first artist to perform a rock concert in the venue with an audience. Pink Floyd were the first to play the historic venue in October 1971, filming 'Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii' over four days in the empty arena, and until now, no other rock concert has been staged there.

Part of David's Rattle That Lock world tour 2015-16, tickets for David's concerts will go on sale on Tuesday 22nd March via DavidGilmour.com at 1.00pm Central European Time. David said: "I want to thank the Ministry of Culture for giving me the opportunity to once again play this beautiful and historic venue. Performing there in 1971 was very special and I'm looking forward to returning and hopefully creating some more memorable moments made even more special by playing to an audience".

Dario Franceschini, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, said: "45 years after the legendary 'Live at Pompeii' David Gilmour will be back performing in a unique, fascinating, beautiful scenario. The legend of Pink Floyd will come back to life with him in Pompeii. It will be a show that can't be missed".


6 March 2016

DAVID GILMOUR IN ANY TONGUE VIDEO

In advance of David Gilmour's North American tour dates, a video has been completed for the full track of In Any Tongue, one of the stand-out tracks from the No. 1 Rattle That Lock album and David's 2015/16 tour dates. David's Creative Director, Aubrey 'Po' Powell, was looking for a talented animator to work on a video for another album track, The Girl In The Yellow Dress, and discovered in America a young film maker named Danny Madden. Danny's short film Confusion Through Sand had won recognition at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, and Po was so taken with the work that he showed it to David and lyricist Polly Samson, who immediately employed Danny to make the Yellow Dress film. However, David and Polly had also written In Any Tongue about the futility of war, and by chance some of the illustrations in Danny's film fitted the mood exactly. Danny gave his permission to use an edited part of Confusion Through Sand to fit In Any Tongue, which was used on tour.

Danny's animation has now been laid on to the album track as a full music video (see above), while an edit has also been done for the audio track for radio play around the world.


16 February 2016

58TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

Last night, James Guthrie and his assistant engineer, Joel Plante, won the GRAMMY for Best Surround Sound Album for their work on last year's remastered version of Roger Waters' 1992 album Amused to Death.


26 January 2016

DAVID GILMOUR RETURNS TO POLAND WITH 30-PIECE ORCHESTRA

David Gilmour's Rattle That Lock global tour continues in Europe during 2016, including a very special concert in Freedom Square, Wrocław, Poland. Taking place on Saturday 25th June 2016, the concert will form part of the city's celebrations as European Capital of Culture 2016 and tickets are on sale now. Click here for ticket information.

The concert will be the first on the Rattle That Lock Tour 2015/16 to include a 30-piece orchestra, conducted by long-term collaborator, Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner, and will also include a special guest appearance by Polish pianist Leszek Możdżer. The special one-off event, located on Freedom Square in front of the National Forum of Music, will be filmed by Aubrey 'Po' Powell and broadcast live on Polish TV. Richard Wright played alongside David when, in 2006, he last performed in Poland; the final tour date, in the shipyards of Gdańsk, was released as the live album and DVD Live In Gdańsk.


6 January 2016

NEW SYD BARRETT WEBSITE LAUNCHED TODAY

Today marks what would have been the 70th birthday of Syd Barrett, founder member of Pink Floyd and one of the most influential musicians in British pop history. To mark the occasion, Syd Barrett's new official Website was launched today – celebrating his unique life and career, both of which continue to inspire and enthral. Click here to visit the new SydBarrett.com.


30 November 2015

1965 RECORDINGS ON LIMITED VINYL

To mark 50 years since the tracks were recorded, Pink Floyd have released a limited edition set of two 7" singles, containing the band's first recordings. Entitled Pink Floyd 1965 – Their First Recordings, the songs include Syd Barrett compositions Lucy Leave, Double O Bo, Remember Me, and Butterfly, coupled with Roger Waters' Walk With Me Sydney, and I'm A King Bee by Slim Harpo. The band lineup was the original quartet of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, augmented by Rado Klose on guitar, and, on Walk With Me Sydney, Juliette Gale on backing vocals.

The package includes two 45rpm 7" singles contained in a gatefold sleeve designed by Peter Curzon of StormStudios, based on Hipgnosis Creative Director Aubrey Powell's photograph of a light projection by Peter Wynne-Wilson.

The audio was mastered from the original mono analogue tapes by Andy Jackson of Tube Mastering and Ray Staff of AIR Studios.


9 November 2015

DAVID GILMOUR: WIDER HORIZONS BBC TV DOCUMENTARY AIRS ON SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER

BBC producer/presenter Alan Yentob has been working on a David Gilmour documentary for some now, and it is due to air on BBC Two in the UK on Saturday 14th November at 9.45pm.

Entitled David Gilmour: Wider Horizons, it is billed as 'an intimate portrait of one of the greatest guitarists and singers of all time'. The 72-minute film covers much of David's personal and profession life, and features some of his collaborators, in particular Polly Samson and Phil Manzanera, who help to shed light on the creative process, including how some of the songs on Rattle That Lock were crafted.

It is essential viewing for anyone interested in David's career and music, but, should you miss it, it will be available on the BBC iPlayer after transmission. Click here for more information.

A trailer, focussing on David's early musical learning process, can be seen here.


20 September 2015

DAVID GILMOUR AND POLLY SAMSON IN THE NEWS

Anthony Mason from US TV's CBS morning news made a special trip to the UK to interview David Gilmour and Polly Samson, and the resulting piece was broadcast yesterday morning as Another Side of David Gilmour. Click here to see David and Polly talk in depth about their creative partnership, Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Pink Floyd, the Rattle That Lock album and more, punctuated by clips from the studio recordings and the new live tour.


10 September 2015

DAVID GILMOUR ON BBC RADIO 4

David Gilmour appeared on Radio 4's Front Row programme this evening, talking about his new album, Rattle That Lock, and collaborating with his wife, the novelist and lyricist Polly Samson.

To listen to the programme, click here (UK only).


5 September 2015

DAVID GILMOUR'S PREVIEW SHOW – LOST FOR WORDS

David Gilmour's preview show for the Rattle That Lock tour at the Brighton Centre contained some surprises, some familiar old friends and all superlative quality from start to finish.

For the sake of those who are yet to experience it, it probably is enough just to list the songs played...

First Set: 5am; Rattle That Lock; Faces Of Stone; Wish You Were Here; A Boat Lies Waiting; The Blue; Money; Us And Them; In Any Tongue; High Hopes.

Second set: Astronomy Domine; Shine On You Crazy Diamond; Fat Old Sun; On An Island; The Girl In The Yellow Dress; Today; Sorrow; Run Like Hell.

Encores were: Time/Breathe (reprise); and Comfortably Numb.

Playing alongside David, who excelled on Black Strat, acoustic guitar, lap steel and vocals, were, as previously announced, Phil Manzanera, Guy Pratt, Jon Carin, and Steve DiStanislao, joined on this tour for the first time by Kevin McAlea (keyboards), Louise Marshall, and Bryan Chambers (backing vocals), and Theo Travis (sax).

The sensational band were equalled only by the creations of Production/Lighting Director Marc Brickman. Suffice to say that the screens, films and imaginative use of colour and staging made this a concert by which others should be judged.

For up-to-date photos from Polly Samson, click here.


3 September 2015

DAVID GILMOUR ON DRIVETIME TODAY

This afternoon between 5.05pm and 7.00pm (UK time), BBC Radio 2's Drivetime show hosted by Simon Mayo has an exclusive first play of David Gilmour's new single, Today. For more information, and for details of how to listen to the show, click here.


20 August 2015

EXTRA DAVID GILMOUR TICKETS AVAILABLE TOMORROW

Tomorrow morning, at 10am UK time, a limited number of extra seats will be released for David Gilmour's Brighton Centre preview show on Saturday 5th September, as well as for each concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, on September 23rd, 24th and 25th, and October 2nd and 3rd.

For Brighton tickets, call the box office on 0844 8471515, or click here. For the London tickets, click here.

There are also a few tickets remaining for David Gilmour's show at The Forum in Los Angeles; click here for tickets.

A reminder: tickets for David Gilmour's third and final show in Chicago, at the Auditorium Theatre on Wednesday 6th April 2016, go on sale tomorrow at 10am CDT. They will be available online here, at all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone. Tickets purchased online each include a code redeemable for a CD of Rattle That Lock.


4 August 2015

DAVID GILMOUR ADDS 3RD LA DATE – 27TH MARCH AT THE FORUM

David Gilmour has added a third live date in Los Angeles – on Sunday 27th March 2016 at The Forum, 3900 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, CA 90305.

Tickets will be available from 10am PST on Friday 7th August 2015 from this link.

Tickets can also be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, The Forum box office, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000 (toll-free only inside the US). Every ticket purchased online in North America will include a copy of the new Rattle That Lock album, via an online redemption link. Terms & Conditions apply. Please see the Live Dates page on davidgilmour.com for all confirmed live dates, 2015/2016.


31 July 2015

RATTLE THAT LOCK – BY ALASDAIR AND JOCK

Now available to view above is the animated video for David Gilmour's single Rattle That Lock, created by Alasdair and Jock from Trunk Animation, the London-based production house, under the creative directorship of Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. The hand-drawn animation depicts various facets from John Milton's Paradise Lost, from which Rattle That Lock lyricist Polly Samson drew her inspiration. The poem itself encompasses twelve books, concerning the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

Trunk directors Alasdair Brotherston and Jock Mooney, alongside producer Richard Barnett, assembled a team of 12 animators, artists and compositors, who worked continuously over three months to bring the narrative and many technical elements together. The team developed the narrative and took its main inspiration from the first three books of Paradise Lost, but also drew on details from across all twelve volumes. The film follows the fall of Satan from the kingdom of Heaven and his subsequent journey through Pandemonium, Purgatory and Chaos on his way to corrupt the virgin Earth.


21 July 2015

HUGE DEMAND PROMPTS EXTRA DAVID GILMOUR SHOWS

After the huge demand for Friday's release of tickets to David Gilmour's North American shows, four extra shows have been added.

Tickets go on sale next Monday, 27th July, for Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl on 25th March 2016, Toronto, Air Canada Centre, on 1st April 2016, Chicago, United Center, 4th April 2016, and New York, Madison Square Garden, on 12th April 2016.

The links below are not yet active, but please use them to order tickets on 27th July – at 10am local time in all markets.

NB Some persons seeking tickets have received the response 'We were unable to process your request. Try again later'. We are told it may mean that high demand is causing a delay in ticket processing, so we're told that fans should keep trying.

The four extra dates are:

25 March 2016 – Los Angeles – Hollywood Bowl (On sale: 10am PST)
Click here when onsale begins.

1 April 2016 – Toronto – Air Canada Centre (On sale: 10am EST)
Click here when onsale begins.

4 April 2016 – Chicago – United Center (On sale: 10am CST)
Click here when onsale begins.

12 April 2016 – New York – Madison Square Garden (On sale: 10am EST)
Click here when onsale begins.

Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone.

As with the concerts announced so far, every ticket purchased online in North America will include a Rattle That Lock CD.


21 July 2015

POLLY SAMSON'S THE KINDNESS PUBLISHED IN THE US

Polly Samson, lyricist for The Division Bell, The Endless River and, for David Gilmour, On An Island plus the forthcoming Rattle That Lock, sees her most recent novel The Kindness published in hardcover and as an e-book in the US today.

Already described as a "sumptuous, vivid and painterly work" by The New York Times, reviews in the UK included this from the Financial Times: "This is elegant, witty writing, informed throughout by generosity and wise perceptiveness. Dealing with many kinds of love, and with misunderstanding, betrayal, grief and forgiveness, the novel dares to posit, ultimately, the possibility of redemption. It is a book to cherish, to recommend, to return to – and not to lend anyone".

To see more and order The Kindness in the US click here, in the UK here, and in Australia here.


16 July 2015

DAVID GILMOUR'S NEW ALBUM RATTLE THAT LOCK RELEASED ON SEPT 18
NORTH AMERICAN DATES ANNOUNCED FOR 2016

David Gilmour's new album Rattle That Lock will be released worldwide on Friday, September 18, 2015 on Columbia Records. The first single, also titled 'Rattle That Lock', will be released digitally tomorrow, Friday 17th July 2015.

Additionally, North American live dates have been confirmed for March and April 2016, with stops in Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago and New York. Ticket buyers will be among the first to receive the new album, as every ticket purchased online will include a Rattle That Lock CD*.

Tickets for the North American concert dates, David's first since the On An Island tour in 2006, go on sale tomorrow, Friday 17th July, with individual venue times listed below. These follow his 2015 European shows in September/October, which are all sold out.



March 24, 2016 – Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles – on sale 12pm (PST).
Click here when onsale begins.

March 31, 2016 – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – on sale 10am (EST).
Click here when onsale begins.

April 8, 2016 – United Center, Chicago – on sale 12pm (CST).
Click here when onsale begins.

April 11, 2016 – Madison Square Garden, New York – on sale 10am (EST).
Click here when onsale begins.

Tickets will also be available at Ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone. See the Live Dates page at davidgilmour.com for details.

Rattle That Lock follows the 2006 #1 platinum album On An Island, and once again features novelist Polly Samson as primary lyricist, as well as Phil Manzanera, who co-produced the album with David. The striking cover was art directed by Dave Stansbie from The Creative Corporation under the creative directorship of Aubrey Powell from Hipgnosis.

The tracklisting is:
1. 5 A.M. (Gilmour)
2. Rattle That Lock (Gilmour/Samson/Boumendil)
3. Faces Of Stone (Gilmour)
4. A Boat Lies Waiting (Gilmour/Samson)
5. Dancing Right In Front Of Me (Gilmour)
6. In Any Tongue (Gilmour/Samson)
7. Beauty (Gilmour)
8. The Girl In The Yellow Dress (Gilmour/Samson)
9. Today (Gilmour/Samson)
10. And Then... (Gilmour)

The title track, 'Rattle That Lock', will be heard for the first time in the UK on BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans Show, hosted by Sara Cox, on Friday, July 17th and will be available immediately to download and stream worldwide. The song begins with the four notes, created by Michaël Boumendil, which precede announcements at French SNCF railway stations which David recorded on his phone at Aix-en-Provence station. Polly's lyrics were inspired by Book II of John Milton's Paradise Lost, which is also featured in her recent acclaimed novel, The Kindness. The single also features The Liberty Choir, as well as singers Mica Paris and Louise Marshall.

The Rattle That Lock album will be available in a CD edition with clothbound, foil-blocked cover, including a 22-page booklet, but also on heavyweight vinyl, digital download and a deluxe box edition, which includes 4 Barn Jam films, 4 non-album audio tracks, 4 documentaries, and 2 promo clips. Available in CD+DVD or CD+Blu-ray versions, the deluxe edition also includes 2 hardback books, a double-sided poster, a postcard in a dedicated envelope and a David Gilmour plectrum.

Pre-ordering for all editions will be available around the world at various times tomorrow, July 17th.

*Terms and Conditions apply.


7 June 2015

POLLY SAMSON AND DAVID GILMOUR FETED AT LITERARY FESTIVAL

Polly Samson and David Gilmour were special guests at the Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas in County Carlow, Ireland, on June 6th. In a session entitled 'Louder Than Words', they touched on lyric writing and the nature of creativity, amongst other topics.

As well as discussion on the process of writing lyrics for both On An Island and The Division Bell, Polly expanded on the collaborative nature of her writing for David and Pink Floyd, and how rewarding it has proved to be. Questions from the floor inevitably centred on David Gilmour's forthcoming album, and alongside praise for contributors and album co-producer Phil Manzanera, David and Polly revealed that the title will be Rattle That Lock.


28 May 2015

ROGER AND NICK UNVEIL SECOND REGENT STREET HERITAGE PLAQUE

Today on Regent Street, London, Roger Waters and Nick Mason unveiled the second Regent Street Heritage Plaque to mark the site of the former Regent Street Polytechnic at 309 Regent Street where they met. As any Floyd fan knows, while studying architecture between 1962 and 1965, Roger, Nick and Richard Wright met and formed a band, originally called Sigma 6, which first performed in the college Common Room and at fellow students' parties.

In a recent interview, Roger said he felt "enormously privileged" to have a plaque erected on Regent Street in the band's honour. Nick said: "Studying at the Regent Street Polytechnic introduced me to some of the key people and biggest collaborators in my career, many of whom I have been lucky enough to work with over the last 50 years. Three of the founding members of Pink Floyd met there, so in essence we were formed under the roof of the Polytechnic. We rehearsed in the Common Room in the basement and played some of our first performances there. Not only did studying architecture give us an invaluable introduction to art and technology, but it also gave us an opportunity to develop, through what would now be called a 'government funded initiative' but was then called a 'student grant'. We are of course honoured to be recognised in this way and I have to add astonished; it was unclear in 1965 that a life time in music beckoned".

Click here for a link to BBC Radio 4's piece from this morning, 28th May.

There is also a feature on BBC Radio 4's Front Row at 7.15pm. tonight. Listen live or via the BBC iPlayer in the UK. On Twitter: @bbcfrontrow

Photo: Dave Parry, PA.


12 March 2015

POLLY SAMSON'S THE KINDNESS PUBLISHED TODAY

Novelist Polly Samson (lyricist for On An Island, The Division Bell, and The Endless River) has seen her novel The Kindness published in hardback in the UK today. It will be available on 5th May in Australia, and in the USA on 21st July.

Early reviews have described it as a 'beautifully-written and intricately-constructed piece of writing' and a 'gorgeously chilling novel about grief and betrayal'. You can order The Kindness in the UK here, and pre-order in Australia here and in the USA here. Click here for some recent features, including BBC Radio 4's Front Row and spreads in You magazine, the UK Sunday Times, and The Guardian, or here for news of some of Polly's literary events.


4 March 2015

DAVID GILMOUR ANNOUNCES 2015 TOUR DATES AND NEW SOLO ALBUM


It was announced today that tickets will go on sale at 10.00am GMT on Friday 6th March for David Gilmour's first tour dates in nine years. The UK and European shows, planned for September 2015, will coincide with the release of his, as yet untitled, fourth solo studio album, which follows the platinum and UK Number 1 album On An Island.

The shows kick off at the historic Roman amphitheatre in Pula, Croatia, on 12th September, and continue through some of the world's most beautiful cities and venues. Other places to be visited include: Verona, Italy (Verona Arena, Sept. 14); Florence, Italy (Teatro Le Mulina, Sept. 15); Orange, France (Theatre Antique, Sept. 17); and Oberhausen in Germany (Konig-Pilsner-Arena, Sept. 19). David then undertakes three consecutive nights at the sumptuous Royal Albert Hall in London on 23, 24 and 25 September.

For full details, go to davidgilmour.com.

David's new solo album follows the worldwide success of Pink Floyd's final album The Endless River, which hit the Number 1 chart position in 21 countries around the world, and was one of the UK's Top 10 best-selling albums of 2014. Pink Floyd have also just been named by IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) as the seventh top-selling artist globally in 2014.




3 March 2015

'THE KINDNESS' PUBLISHED NEXT WEEK

Novelist Polly Samson (lyricist for On An Island, The Division Bell and The Endless River) will see her novel The Kindness published in hardback on 12th March in the UK and on 5th May in Australia. Publication date in the USA is 21st July.

Early reviews have already described it as a 'beautifully-written and intricately-constructed piece of writing' and a 'gorgeously chilling novel about grief and betrayal'. You can pre-order The Kindness in the UK here, in Australia here, and in the USA here.

To pre-order a copy of The Kindness, signed and personally dedicated by the author (and available worldwide), click here.

POLLY'S LITERARY EVENTS

MARCH

Weds 11th: BBC Radio 4, 'Front Row'. 7.15pm.

Thurs 19th: London; The Athenaeum. 6.30-8.30pm. Harper's Bazaar event. Tickets

Sat 21st: Ireland; Dún Laoghaire. 12.30pm. Mountains to Sea Literary Festival. Tickets

Fri 27th: London; Hampstead Theatre. 2.45pm. Hampstead Literary Festival. Tickets

Sat 28th: London; Waterstones, Piccadilly. 6.30-8.30pm. Short story event. Tickets


MAY

Thurs 14th: London; Bloomsbury Publishing, 50 Bedford Square, WC1B 3DP. 6.30-7.30pm. Bloomsbury Book Club. Tickets: [email protected]

Fri 15th: Brighton; Charleston Literary Festival. 3.30-4.30.pm. Tickets

Mon 18th: London; John Maynard Keynes Library. 6.00-7.20pm. Birkbeck College event.

Sat 30th: Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival. 11.30am.

More information is available on her Website.

Polly's most recent linked story collection, Perfect Lives, was a UK Sunday Times Fiction Choice Of The Year and was read on BBC Radio 4.


5 December 2014

GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR 'THE DIVISION BELL'

The Division Bell has been nominated in the upcoming Grammy Awards for 'Best Surround Sound Album'. The award winners will be announced in a ceremony to be held on Sunday 8th February 2015. The surround mix is available in the 20th anniversary box set of the album, released earlier this year.


27 November 2014

THE ENDLESS RIVER HELPS DRIVE VINYL REVIVAL

First week UK sales on vinyl of The Endless River were the highest of any LP released since 1997, making it the fastest-selling vinyl album this century, according to official UK Charts data.

The BPI, the trade body which represents the UK's record labels, has just announced that annual sales of vinyl albums have exceeded the 1m mark for the first time since the Britpop era of the 1990s, according to Official Charts data released today.

The milestone was achieved at the weekend, which saw 2014 sales already comfortably ahead of the 780,674 sales posted in 2013. With the Christmas period still to come, the BPI says it's likely the final total for 2014 will rise towards around 1.2m unit sales, a level not seen since 1996, when 1,083,206 LPs were purchased.

A new generation of music fans and a mix of iconic and acclaimed new rock bands is helping to drive the revival, which sees The Endless River at Number 2 in the current Official Vinyl Chart behind the David Bowie 'Best Of', Nothing Has Changed.


19 November 2014

CHARTING THE ENDLESS RIVER

The Endless River is Number One in the album charts in: UK, Germany, France, Canada, The Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, New Zealand, Croatia, and Slovenia.

STOP PRESS: the album has debuted at No. 1 in a further three countries: Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, while in Italy, Pink Floyd jump from No. 2 to knock local artist Vasco Rossi off the top slot. This takes the total of chart toppers to 20 countries*.

Other charts include: USA – 3; Australia – 3; Finland – 4; and Spain – 6.

*The Endless River is also the best-selling album in Romania, although there are no official charts there.


16 November 2014

'THE ENDLESS RIVER' TOPS THE CHARTS

Pink Floyd's new album The Endless River reached a milestone today, entering the Official UK Album Chart at Number One ... with a similar story in a number of other countries.


4 November 2014

LATER... WITH WORDS

David guests tonight on the BBC TV progamme show Later... with Jools Holland, in an interview with Jools about the imminent release of The Endless River. We can expect there to be an exclusive extract from the promo video for Louder Than Words too, so it should be a memorable show.

The final live edition of the 45th series of the show is broadcast in the UK on BBC Two from 10.00 to 10.30pm, can be seen live via the Internet in the UK and again via the BBC UK-only iPlayer site. A longer version of the programme will be transmitted in the evening of Friday 7th November at 11.50pm UK time.


13 October 2014

PRESS RELEASE: THE PINK FLOYD EXHIBITION – THEIR MORTAL REMAINS – CANCELLED

Evolve Devolve, the Italian promoters of The Pink Floyd Exhibition – Their Mortal Remains, have announced today that the exhibition, due to take place on September 19th in Milan, has now been cancelled because the necessary conditions have not occurred in order to make it happen within the time frame available at the Fabbrica del Vapore. (These conditions have nothing to do with Milan's Municipality.)

Ticket holders for the exhibition should seek refunds from their point of purchase according to the procedures already communicated.


10 October 2014

'LOUDER THAN WORDS' GETS FIRST RADIO PLAY

Louder Than Words, the new song by Pink Floyd, had its first radio play yesterday on BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans show.

Louder Than Words is performed by Pink Floyd. Taken from David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick Mason's 1993 Division Bell sessions it has new lyrics by writer and Division Bell lyricist Polly Samson.

David Gilmour said: "The music for Louder Than Words is from those final sessions, the three of us playing together on the houseboat Astoria with Rick's idiosyncratic keyboards reminding me now that you don't know what you've got until it's gone. At the start of the album I asked Polly [Samson] to write the lyrics. She felt that what I played her didn't need words, that hearing us play was more interesting. In the end she wrote just this one, which expresses, beautifully I think, the way the three of us, me, Nick and Rick have something when we play together, that has a magic that is louder than words".


9 October 2014

DAVID AND NICK TALK ABOUT 'THE ENDLESS RIVER'



In addition to the release of the interview, above, David and Nick chatted to BBC Radio 6 Music's Matt Everitt about the release of The Endless River.

This is available on the BBC iPlayer here.


22 September 2014

PINK FLOYD ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM DETAILS

Details about The Endless River, the new Pink Floyd album from David Gilmour, Rick Wright and Nick Mason, were revealed today as the album artwork appeared on buildings in ten international cities, including an eight-metre lit installation on London's Southbank.

The album will be released on Parlophone/Warner Music on 10 November and is produced by David Gilmour, Phil Manzanera, Youth and Andy Jackson.

David Gilmour said:
"The Endless River has as its starting point the music that came from the 1993 Division Bell sessions. We listened to over 20 hours of the three of us playing together and selected the music we wanted to work on for the new album. Over the last year we've added new parts, re-recorded others and generally harnessed studio technology to make a 21st century Pink Floyd album. With Rick gone and with him the chance of ever doing it again, it feels right that these revisited and reworked tracks should be made available as part of our repertoire."

Nick Mason said:
"The Endless River is a tribute to Rick. I think this record is a good way of recognizing a lot of what he does and how his playing was at the heart of the Pink Floyd sound. Listening back to the sessions, it really brought home to me what a special player he was."

The Endless River is mainly an instrumental album across 'four sides' with one song, 'Louder Than Words', with new lyrics by novelist Polly Samson.


11 August 2014

PRESS RELEASE: THE PINK FLOYD EXHIBITION – THEIR MORTAL REMAINS – POSTPONED

Evolve Devolve, the Italian promoters of The Pink Floyd Exhibition, have announced today that the Exhibition, due to start on 19 September 2014 in Milan, has had to be postponed due to production delays. Building the complex Exhibition to the required specification has made it impossible to make the opening date. Tickets sales for the Exhibition are currently suspended.

Existing ticket purchases will remain valid once the new exhibition dates are announced or can be refunded at point of purchase.


7 July 2014

'THE ENDLESS RIVER'

Pink Floyd can confirm that they are releasing a new album, The Endless River, in October 2014. It is an album of mainly ambient and instrumental music based on the 1993/4 Division Bell sessions which feature David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. The album is produced by David Gilmour with Phil Manzanera, Youth and recording engineer Andy Jackson. Work is still in progress, but more details to come at the end of the summer.


20 May 2014

PINK FLOYD TO RELEASE 20TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET OF 'THE DIVISION BELL'

•   RELEASED: 30 JUNE 2014
•   PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX
•   BLU-RAY DISC INCLUDING NEW 2014 FILM OF MAROONED
•   2-LP VINYL FEATURING FULL-LENGTH TRACKS FOR THE FIRST TIME
•   REPLICA 7" AND 12" COLOURED VINYL AND MUCH MORE

Pink Floyd is releasing a 20th anniversary box set of The Division Bell, the band's 1994 multi-million selling album that included the Grammy Award winning track Marooned. Set for release on 30 June 2014, 'The Division Bell' was the last studio album to be released by the band: David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. This 20th anniversary box set features six discs, including three replica coloured or clear vinyl discs, 5 collectors' prints, a Blu-ray disc and for the first time Andy Jackson's 5.1 audio mix of 'The Division Bell'.

'The Division Bell' debuted at No 1 in the UK and in the USA, staying at the top of the US charts for 4 weeks; it also went to No 1 in eight other countries and, to date, has reached total album sales of over 12 million. The album was recorded by the band at Astoria and Britannia Row Studios with the majority of the lyrics being written by Polly Samson and David Gilmour.

David Gilmour said at the time: "The three of us went into Britannia Row studios, and improvised for 2 weeks. Playing together and starting from scratch was interesting and exciting, it kick started the album and the process was very good, it was collaborative and felt more cohesive".

The Division Bell 20th Anniversary collector's box set will feature a new 2-LP vinyl edition of the album, remastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab from the original analogue tapes, including all the full length tracks (originally edited to fit on a single LP) in a gatefold sleeve designed by Hipgnosis/StormStudios. Five other discs are included: a red 7" vinyl replica of single Take It Back, clear 7" vinyl replica of High Hopes, 12" blue vinyl replica of High Hopes with reverse laser etched design, the 2011 Discovery remaster of 'The Division Bell' and a Blu-ray disc including 'The Division Bell' album in HD Audio, plus the previously unreleased 5.1 surround sound audio mix of the album by Andy Jackson.

Another addition included on the Blu-ray disc is a new video for Marooned, the track that won a Grammy for 'Best Rock Instrumental' in 1994. Filmed in Ukraine during the first week of April 2014, the video was directed by Aubrey Powell at Hipgnosis. It will appear on the disc with audio tracks in both PCM Stereo and a 5.1 mix by Andy Jackson.

Bob Ezrin and David Gilmour produced the original album, with orchestral arrangements by the late Michael Kamen. The anniversary box set discs have been remastered by long term Pink Floyd audio associates James Guthrie and Joel Plante.


25 February 2014

PRESS RELEASE: The Pink Floyd Exhibition – Their Mortal Remains

MAJOR MULTI-SENSORY PINK FLOYD EXHIBITION TO BE STAGED IN MILAN IN SEPTEMBER 2014

•   OPENING 19 SEPTEMBER 2014
•   TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY

Fran Tomasi, Pink Floyd's Italian promoter, has announced plans for The Pink Floyd Exhibition – Their Mortal Remains which will open in Milan's La Fabbrica Del Vapore on 19 September 2014. This vast and innovative exhibition will take the visitor on a surreal, multi-sensory journey through Pink Floyd's extraordinary worlds, chronicling the music and art of Pink Floyd, from their debut album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn to the present. The Pink Floyd Exhibition is the first international retrospective of one of the world's most pioneering and influential bands and the active involvement and collaboration of the three band members in all planning aspects has been crucial to the execution of it. Tickets for the four-week residency in Milan will be priced at 15 euros, and are on sale Thursday 27 February via www.pinkfloydexhibition.com.

Enveloping visitors in Pink Floyd's art and music, the trip will start with the psychedelia of the early years, moving through landscapes populated by the iconic images and sounds associated with the towering concept albums of the 1970's and beyond. The Pink Floyd Exhibition, housed in an old Milanese factory and covering 2,500 square metres, will show Pink Floyd's pioneering use of special effects, sonic experimentation and powerful imagery. It will explore the narrative arc of a band that began in London's 'swinging sixties' and whose influence continues today. The visitor can expect an 'interstellar' experience, befitting a band that always defied artistic boundaries. More details about the exhibition contents will be announced over the coming weeks.

Aubrey Powell, of Hipgnosis Ltd., who with his late partner Storm Thorgerson, designed many of the Floyd's revolutionary album art, is the exhibition's curator and creative director, Paula Stainton is the co-creative director. Powell has worked in close consultation with Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason on the content of the exhibition, which will feature over 300 artefacts from the band's four decades. The Pink Floyd Exhibition – Their Mortal Remains is being designed by Stufish, the world's most successful entertainment architects, and longtime stage designers for Pink Floyd. Stufish is the company founded by Mark Fisher who died in 2013.

Aubrey Powell, curator of the exhibition, said:
"If ever a band lent itself to a major retrospective exhibition it's Pink Floyd. For a curator, selecting what to include from such a treasure trove, is both a dream and a nightmare: however there were elements that just had to be included, for example a 20-metre-wide sculpture of The Wall, 5-metre-high inflatables, and of course a flying pig. We shall be aiming for state-of-the-art, visuals and sonic delivery, similar to the experience of attending a Pink Floyd concert, you never know what to expect next."

Fran Tomasi said:
"It has been an exciting and thrilling experience to work with the design team on creating this exhibition. For me, it is the culmination of six years of hard work and planning. I know that it will be an extraordinary exhibition, both for Pink Floyd fans and those who are curious to know more about their art, music and history."


9 January 2014

Careful With That Paint, Nick...

The charity War Child, based in Canada, the Netherlands and the UK, is working with British artist Tim Wakefield on a project called Soundwaves, inspired by the work of iconic musicians.

Tim has made available online ten prints of the Careful With That Axe, Eugene soundwave image shown left, signed by Nick Mason, with proceeds in aid of War Child's Children of Syria Appeal. This aims to raise funds for a new project with Syrian children outside of the refugee camps, where thousands of children remain inaccessible to services or too hidden to receive help.

All donations to War Child's appeal will be matched pound-for-pound by the UK Government.

Also included in this online sale are 19 other pieces of Soundwaves art inspired by the music of Queen, Brian Wilson, Eric Clapton, and many more.

The sale will run until January 31st, 2014; please click here for details.




17 December 2013

Darkside Du Jour

Classics Du Jour is a music Website dedicated to all things related to Classic Rock that, each month, offers an opportunity to win exclusive prizes, ranging from signed guitars to deluxe CD packages. From now until January 12, 2014, they are offering Pink Floyd fans a chance to win a deluxe CD copy of Sir Tom Stoppard's Darkside, with one winner receiving a copy personally signed by Sir Tom.

As previously reported, the Darkside radio play incorporates all the lyrics and themes from The Dark Side Of The Moon, plus most of the music. The 54-minute English language radio play on CD is packaged like a hardback book and includes an insert of the complete script, including Roger Waters' original lyrics, and translations of the script into several languages on a separate disc. For a chance to win a signed Darkside package, click here to visit the Classics Du Jour contest page.


7 November 2013

Stand Up For Heroes Featuring Roger Available On YouTube

Roger participated in last night's Stand Up For Heroes concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, co-headlining with Bruce Springsteen. Among the songs performed by Roger with numerous veterans were John Lennon's Imagine, Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come, and of course Comfortably Numb. The live stream of the entire show has just been made available to view, worldwide, on demand through YouTube. You can watch the video, above.


10 October 2013

Darkside on Disc November 25

The 'Darkside' play, written by Sir Tom Stoppard for BBC Radio 2, to celebrate the 40th anniversary release of The Dark Side of the Moon is be released worldwide as a deluxe CD package on Monday 25 November. Distributed worldwide by ADA for Parlophone/Warner Music group, the play was an original commission by BBC Radio 2, and broadcast in the UK on 26 August 2013. It will now be available to fans outside the UK with its release on CD and digital download.

Produced in collaboration with Sir Tom Stoppard's publishers Faber and Faber, the package resembles a hard-backed book, including a CD carrying the 54-minute play, which includes the majority of the Dark Side of the Moon album, plus a 56-page bound insert of the play's script in English.

Sir Tom Stoppard said: "When 'The Dark Side of the Moon' was a new album in 1973, a friend of mine walked into my room where I was working with a copy in his hand and said 'You really have to do a play about this album'. So, when, roughly 39-and-a-half years later, Jeff Smith from Radio 2 asked me if I'd like to do some kind of play around the 40th birthday of the Pink Floyd album, it really wasn't a very difficult decision".

The cover features design and photography by StormStudios, in collaboration with Hipgnosis designer Aubrey 'Po' Powell, based on the specially-created Aardman Animations piece used to publicise the broadcast. The full play script includes all the dialogue and stage directions, plus Roger Waters' original lyrics from the album. The release also features a bonus disc with text translations in German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin, and Russian.

'Darkside' is an abstract and compelling drama which follows Emily, a philosophy student, through a series of thought experiments, which are vividly brought to life. The play also ranges over a series of grand themes, which are both thought provoking and laced with Stoppard's characteristic wit and humour. The impressive cast includes Bill Nighy as Dr Antrobus/the Witch Finder, Rufus Sewell as Mr Baggott/Ethics Man, Adrian Scarborough as Fat Man, and Amaka Okafor as Emily.


David Gilmour: "I found the script of Tom's play fascinating; I can't think of a better way to celebrate The Dark Side of The Moon's 40-year anniversary".

Nick Mason: "I love it. If anyone is going to mess with the crown jewel of albums, Tom is a very good choice".

Bill Nighy: "To get a combination of Tom Stoppard and Pink Floyd ... is a massive deal, a marriage made in radio heaven".

The radio play was produced and directed by James Robinson.

Left to right: Rufus Sewell, Iwan Rheon, Sir Tom Stoppard, Amaka Okafor, Bill Nighy.

Photo © Mark Allan/BBC.



23 August 2013

Turn Over to The Darkside

As previously reported, Monday 26 August is a national holiday in the UK, and on that evening at 10pm GMT BBC Radio 2 will broadcast a brand-new sonic event written by Sir Tom Stoppard, influenced by, and including, The Dark Side Of The Moon. Radio 2 commissioned the work to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the album, and has also engaged with award-winning Aardman Studios, who have produced a three-minute visual trailer for the radio play.

Described as a "philosophical comedy", the play stars actors Bill Nighy, Amaka Okafor, Iwan Rheon, Adrian Scarborough, Peter Marinker, and Rufus Sewell as superhero Ethics Man. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Front Row, Sir Tom said: "I used a lot of the album, well all of it other than the lyrics, as a kind of underscore. I was picking up emotional cues from the music".

James Robinson, producer of BBC radio drama, said: "The album represents the ultimate immersive listening experience – you put on a pair of headphones, open your ears and travel somewhere else. We thought it would be interesting to see what sort of a journey the album takes Tom Stoppard on. Tom is a huge fan of Pink Floyd and the idea really fired his imagination".

Aardman's three-minute long trailer is a montage of disturbing images of a world seemingly on the verge of collapse, huge ploughs ripping up landscapes and skies filled with warplanes. You can see it on the BBC Website here.


2 July 2013

Bad Day Clip Goes Live

Animator Cliff Port has now made available online his 12-minute animated film Bad Day At The Office, which debuted at the UK's Glastonbury Festival last weekend.

The film is based on the tribulations of the band's lighting director at a 1973 show and features new, tongue in cheek, animation based on an actual recording of Floyd lighting designer Arthur Max grappling with the technical challenge of working with a brand-new follow-spot crew.

Pink Floyd were performing at Detroit's Olympia Stadium in June 1973, and the venue policy was to use only in-house staff, who were more used to covering ice hockey events. The film shows an animated version of Arthur Max having to lick his ad hoc team into shape on the hoof, and is accompanied by a live rendition of Obscured by Clouds.

Directed by Cliff Port and produced by Simone Kay, the film is available to view now on YouTube here.


26 June 2013

Mark Fisher 1947 – 2013

We are sad to announce that stage designer and architect Mark Fisher, OBE, MVO, RDI, died yesterday in London aged 66.

Mark Fisher was born in Warwickshire, England in 1947, and graduated from London's Architectural Association School of Architecture in 1971. Long associated with Pink Floyd, he first met the band in 1966 at a college Christmas party, going on to attend band performances at the UFO club and Notting Hill's All Saints Hall.

He was a Unit Master at the Architectural Association School from 1973 to 1977, then in 1984 he set up the Fisher Park Partnership with Jonathan Park. Dissolving the partnership in 1994, Fisher then set up his own studio, Stufish.

His association with Pink Floyd started in 1977, when he was commissioned to help design inflatables for the US leg of the Animals tour. He went on to design the stage sets for the 1980 live performances of The Wall (with Roger Waters and Gerald Scarfe) and The Division Bell tour in 1994. Mark's particular contributions to the 1980 Wall shows included designs for the Teacher puppet (based on himself) and the dedicated wall builders' hydraulic platforms. For Roger Waters, the Fisher Park partnership designed the stage sets for the tours of The Pros And Cons of Hitchhiking and Radio K.A.O.S., as well as the huge wall across Berlin's Potsdamer Platz for the 1990 staging of The Wall there, while Mark reunited with Roger to help create the successful Wall tours from 2010 to the present.

Mark designed several sets for The Rolling Stones, including those for Steel Wheels (1989), Voodoo Lounge (1994), Bridges to Babylon (1997) and A Bigger Bang (2005). Other live sets included U2's ZooTV (1992), PopMart (1997) and 360° (2009), Madonna's 2012 MDNA Tour, Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball tour stage, and the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In 2000 he created the Millennium Dome Show with Peter Gabriel, and designed opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics (Torino in 2006 as well as Beijing 2008) and the Asian Games of 2010. Designs for theatrical stage sets included Queen's We Will Rock You, and KÀ and Viva Elvis by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.


17 June 2013

Pink Floyd and David Gilmour back catalogues on Spotify

The entire Pink Floyd and David Gilmour back catalogues are now available on Spotify after fans streamed Wish You Were Here more than one million times in just four days.


14 June 2013

Now They're Here

Pink Floyd have come to Spotify in the form of Wish You Were Here, which is available now to stream for Spotify users worldwide. As soon as one million streams of the song have been achieved, the whole Pink Floyd catalogue will be made available.

This will be audio-only, but will include all the band's studio albums and official live albums.


4 June 2013

1960s Cambridge Music Scene Booklet Now In Print Form To Buy

The folk who edit the informative I-Spy Syd In Cambridge Website have now made their 1960s Cambridge booklet available to buy as a bound hard copy. Warren Dosanjh, Stephen Pyle, Dave Parker and Tony Middleton organise walking tours of Cambridge, highlighting the places and events of Syd Barrett's early life, but their Website i-spysydincambridge.com also features a fascinating indepth study of the 1960s music scene in Cambridge, featuring many photos and running to some 72 pages.

It has now been made available to buy as a hi-res printed version with a ring binding. The booklet was recently updated, and includes added pages on the Dawnbreakers, the Hi-Fi's, the Prowlers, Clive Welham and Johnny Cullum, as well as photos and stories of Cambridge musical artists, including Those Without, Jokers Wild, and many more.

The price is £15.00, which includes posting & packing in the UK only. Cheques should be made out to: 'RCR2' and sent to 14 Greville Road, Cambridge CB1 3QL, accompanied by the name and address of the recipient. Warren Dosanjh advises that it would be helpful for orders to be collected by hand from the above address, if possible.

For countries outside the UK, please contact the site for a price inclusive of posting and packing here.



18 April 2013

Storm Thorgerson 1944 – 2013

Designer and film-maker Storm Thorgerson grew up in Cambridge and was an early friend of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, all from Pink Floyd, for whom he designed many album covers, including the iconic sleeve for The Dark Side Of The Moon. The graphic art group Hipgnosis (co-founded by Storm with Aubrey 'Po' Powell) became one of the most famed design and photographic teams in music, with covers for many other internationally successful artists, including Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Wishbone Ash, 10cc, Black Sabbath, Wings, Peter Gabriel, and Yes. After the team went their separate ways, Storm spent some time creating films and documentaries, but always maintained his design work, most recently as founder of StormStudios, which has created memorable images for Muse, Biffy Clyro, and The Steve Miller Band, as well as the graphics for the recent Why Pink Floyd? campaign.

Storm Elvin Thorgerson was born in Potters Bar, Middlesex (now in Hertfordshire) on February 28th 1944. Of Norwegian heritage, he was schooled at Summerhill free school and then Brunswick Primary School in Cambridge. His secondary education was at local grammar school, the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, alongside Syd Barrett and Roger Waters, who went on to form Pink Floyd.

He studied for a degree at Leicester University from 1963 to 1966, initially in Psychology, but he switched courses, gaining more satisfaction from attaining a BA Honours degree in English and Philosophy. However, his primary interest had always been film, so he progressed to a Masters' Degree course in Film and TV at London's Royal College of Art (1966-69). He had a variety of jobs, including being a temporary porter for British Rail, before founding Hipgnosis with fellow college student 'Po' Powell.

Po, originally from Sussex, had attended school in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and had met Storm in Cambridge, striking up a friendship that led to them sharing a flat in London. The Thorgerson/Powell design company was named Hipgnosis (by juxtaposing 'hip' with the Greek 'gnosis' – to know) and their first commission was for a series of book jackets. In 1968, wanting to break into the world of album covers, which had become much more flamboyant and art-oriented since the psychedelic explosion of 1967, Storm asked his friend David Gilmour, who had recently replaced Syd Barrett as guitarist/singer in Pink Floyd, to help persuade the other members of Pink Floyd that they should use him to do the artwork for their latest album.

The resulting cover for A Saucerful Of Secrets still stands as one of the best examples of British psychedelic cover art. As Q magazine stated, the designers attempted to mirror three "altered states of consciousness" – religion, drugs, and Pink Floyd music. A studio was acquired at 6 Denmark Street in Soho and until 1982 Hipgnosis thrived as one of the best known photography and design companies.

The Pink Floyd connection continued with the covers for the band's subsequent albums, including More, the double album Ummagumma (shot at the house of Storm's then-girlfriend Libby January) and Atom Heart Mother, but Hipgnosis worked with many other artists, including The Pretty Things, Syd Barrett, The Nice, T. Rex, Marvin, Welch & Farrar, The Electric Light Orchestra, Wishbone Ash, the Climax Blues Band, and Renaissance, before the huge success of 1973's The Dark Side Of The Moon and its stark graphic sleeve brought their work to a global audience.

Larger budgets allowed Storm and Po more free rein, and suitably cinematic sleeves were created for clients such as Led Zeppelin (Houses Of The Holy), Genesis (The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway) and 10cc (Deceptive Bends), among many others.

By Storm's own admission, he was never a draughtsman, preferring to work with ideas and concepts, and many of his designs are notable for their surreal elements, placing objects out of their traditional contexts, especially with vast spaces around them, to give them an awkward appearance while highlighting their beauty. Storm has said: "I like photography because it is a reality medium, unlike drawing which is unreal. I like to mess with reality...to bend reality. Some of my works beg the question of is it real or not?"

Acknowledging the influence of Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte, Storm said: "I probably first came across Magritte via my mother, and I think my mother rather indirectly encouraged my interest in art, particularly in painting. Magritte was probably an early interest, I think because he dealt not with technique so much as with ideas, and some of them are quite funny. I like to look, because it makes me smile.

"I think I took away from Magritte a sort of love of oddity, or oddness, or rather, juxtaposition or contrariness. He used to play with the reality, you know, so in a sense I have to set it up as a real thing which has been slightly twisted – that's the contrariness, the oddness. We often stage these things for real and don't do them in a computer because the reality has its own attributes. What you see is what you get."

Another element that set Hipgnosis apart from their contemporaries was their use of English puns to create a pictorial counterpart to an album's title: Wishbone Ash's Live Dates recreated the imagery of an ornately illustrated box of dates; There's The Rub by Wishbone Ash depicted a cricketer, showing evidence of him having shined the cricket ball against his trousers to add spin when bowling; 10cc's Sheet Music showed the four band members holding a giant bedsheet that engulfed the lens; UFO's Force It utilised bathroom imagery, as a pun on the US use of 'faucet' rather than the English 'tap' – and so on.

Hipgnosis weren't afraid to use multiple visual techniques to effect their designs; over the years their sleeves used hyperreal photography, pencil illustration, airbrushing, photo montage, Polaroid manipulation and colour photocopying, while their design for The Dark Side Of The Moon was entirely graphic (with Hipgnosis associate George Hardie). In spite of that, their most celebrated images are still probably the ones using Storm's favoured method of grotesquely oversizing everyday objects like balls of wool, lightbulbs and sculpted heads and then placing them in an otherworldly landscape.

By the early 1980s the studio had diversified into advertising, designing and shooting campaigns for Peugeot, Kronenbourg 1664, Levi Jeans, Volvo, Gillette, Stella Artois, Rank Xerox, and The Beatles. Moving from photo design into moving pictures, Powell, Thorgerson and Peter Christopherson started Green Back Films in 1982, shooting many music videos including Big Log for Robert Plant, Wherever I Lay My Hat for Paul Young, Owner of A Lonely Heart for Yes, and Blue Light for David Gilmour. The trio wrote, produced and directed three feature films: Incident at Channel Q starring Al Corley (Sony), Train of Thought with Yumi Matsutoya (Toshiba EMI), and Now Voyager starring Sir Michael Hordern and Barry Gibb (Universal). Green Back Films closed in 1984, with Storm and Po each striking out on their own, Storm forming successively STd (Storm Thorgerson Design), then StormStudios.

StormStudios' loose group of freelancers currently includes Peter Curzon, Rupert Truman, Daniel Abbott, Lee Baker, Jerry Sweet, Laura Truman, Silvia Ruga, and Charlotte Barnes, some combinations of whom have been working with several newer artists, including Muse. In the foreword to 'Taken By Storm' (2007), a book dedicated to Storm's album art, Muse's Matt Bellamy said: "When we first met it occurred to me that he is one of the most bloody minded and stubborn grumpy sods I have ever met! He speaks his mind and has a stoic disposition, which is bold and a rarity in this fickle industry, but one which garners respect. The pursuit of his own vision, which on occasion bypasses all external input can be difficult for some to handle. However his reasoning, delivered with a mordant, even waspish, wit and a dogged attitude, ensures you come round to his point of view."

Storm explained his approach: "I'm very interested in intentional ambiguity. You know what it is, but not why it is. You might know what it is, but not how it is. There was one particular cover that was very consciously about Magritte. It was a sort of homage. It was Wish You Were Here for Pink Floyd, and we did four pictures, including a man on fire, a man diving into a lake, a veil floating in the air in Norfolk, and the man in a desert who had no features. The one that was on the back cover, which was the man in the desert, is very obviously, and was supposed to be, a Magritte thing. So I think there is a certain Magritte feeling to the cover. It does confound you a bit, because you look at it and think, well, is this real?

"I mean, I am predominantly an image-maker, so I try and come up with images that will suit the music. In the contemporary world, rather than in a gallery, I'm trying to persuade the viewer to look again, to give the album cover a second look, as they will give them in a gallery, so partly you look at it and say, 'Well, that's pretty silly, or strange, or weird – what does it mean?'"

In 2010, the UK's Royal Mail paid tribute to several classic album covers by issuing them on First Class postage stamps. Included in the release was Storm's striking image for Pink Floyd's 1994 album The Division Bell, which featured two massive 9-feet high heads (drawn by Keith Breedon and sculpted by John Robertson) sited in a corn field in front of a distant Ely Cathedral.

Several books have been devoted to surveying Storm Thorgerson's work, spanning the more than four decades that he had been creatively active. He famously never stopped working, and at the time of his death was pursuing various projects, including a documentary on the life and work of Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett.

Speaking of his work in 2012, Storm said: "I think it's always a very difficult thing for commercial artists and designers to pursue, against either circumstance or financial restrictions, that which you believe. So I've been very lucky, really. I was working for the [Pink] Floyd, who couldn't think of anything better to do than to hire me, and fortunately what we did worked, quite early on.

"I always thought, and I still think, that Ummagumma is a great design. I probably shouldn't, as an artist, like my own work (heavens, us artists are supposed to suffer dreadfully), but I quite like it.

"Film school definitely had an effect on my love of landscape. The humour, which I hope is there occasionally, like the cow [on the sleeve of Atom Heart Mother] I think just comes from the background I emerged from."

He died on 18th April, 2013. His family said: "Yes, Storm has died. He passed away, on Thursday 18th April in the afternoon. His ending was peaceful and he was surrounded by family and friends. He had been ill for some time with cancer though he had made a remarkable recovery from his stroke in 2003. He was in his 70th year."

David Gilmour said: "We first met in our early teens. We would gather at Sheep's Green, a spot by the river in Cambridge and Storm would always be there holding forth, making the most noise, bursting with ideas and enthusiasm. Nothing has ever really changed.

"He has been a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on and a great friend.

"The artworks that he created for Pink Floyd from 1968 to the present day have been an inseparable part of our work.

"I will miss him."

Nick Mason said: "Scourge of management, record companies and album sleeve printers; champion of bands, music, great ideas and high, sometimes infuriatingly high, standards.

"Defender of art over commerce at all times, and tireless worker right up to the end. Two days before he passed away, and by then completely exhausted he was still demanding approval for art work and haranguing his loyal assistants.

"Dear friend to all of us, our children, our wives (and the exes), endlessly intellectual and questioning. Breathtakingly late for appointments and meetings, but once there, invaluable for his ideas, humour, and friendship.

"Irreplaceable and unforgettable, but leaving a wonderful legacy of ideas, film, writings and art work, Hipgnosis and Storm have contributed to so many musicians to engineer sums immeasurably greater than their parts."

He is survived by his mother Vanji, his son Bill, his wife Barbie Antonis and her two children Adam and Georgia.


15 April 2013

See Emily Play On Pink Vinyl

Saturday 20th April is this year's Record Store Day, which aims to support small independent record shops. To celebrate this, there will be a limited one-off release via EMI Records of a pink vinyl 7" version of See Emily Play, backed with The Scarecrow, as per its original 1967 release.

It will be available as a Record Store Day exclusive for those stores collaborating in the Record Store Day concept. Packaging will include an EMI house bag, a card insert with Syd's original artwork of a train, plus a facsimile of the original instore poster, with the whole shrinkwrapped round a backer card.

Quantities will be limited to the numbers pre-ordered by the countries involved, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK, and the USA. It was mastered for the 2013 release by Pink Floyd associate Andy Jackson of Tube Mastering.

For participating stores, click here.


4 April 2013

40 Years On – The US Returns To The Dark Side

The Dark Side Of The Moon is one of the best-selling albums of all time, but only spent one week at the top of the US Album Charts on its first appearance. Now, 40 years after its release in March 1973, Dark Side has returned to the top, hitting Number One on both the Billboard Catalog Album Chart and the Catalog Digital Album Chart.

The Dark Side Of The Moon made history in the US, racking up 741 weeks in the Billboard Top 200, the longest for any album. When Billboard instituted the Catalog Album Chart in 1991, Dark Side went straight in at Number One, and has remained on the chart ever since.

Recent activity to commemorate the album's 40th anniversary, which included a Twitter campaign to 'turn the moon dark', and a 5.1 playback to media in Studio 3, Abbey Road Studios, where the album was recorded, helped introduce a new public to the album's enduring appeal, which is reflected in its new position.

Other activity surrounding the anniversary has been announced, including the broadcast in the UK of a brand-new Tom Stoppard play on BBC Radio 2. The celebrated playwright's hour-long drama, entitled Dark Side, airs on August 26th, and will incorporate music from the album as part of its "fantastical and psychedelic" story. The cast will include highly-regarded UK actors Bill Nighy and Rufus Sewell.


27 March 2013

Unlock a free mp3 of Money (Roger Waters Demo) with your copy of The Dark Side Of The Moon
#DarkSide40

If you have purchased any version of The Dark Side Of The Moon on CD or if you purchased the 2011 remaster at iTunes or on vinyl, you can now unlock a free download of Money (Roger Waters Demo) – previously only available in the Immersion Box Set!

To access the bonus area, visit www.pinkfloyd.com/bonus and follow the on-screen instructions.

- If you have a CD copy of the album, insert the disc into your computer for validation, following the on-screen instructions.
- If you have the 2011 remastered iTunes edition of the album, ensure it is in your iTunes library on the computer you use to access the bonus area.
- If you have the 2011 remastered vinyl edition of the album, enter the code on the paper insert included in your vinyl sleeve when prompted.

This same code also allows you to receive a free 320kpbs mp3 digital copy of the album.
This is also accessible at www.pinkfloyd.com/bonus.
IMPORTANT: If you have already redeemed your digital copy of the album with your code, those codes have been reactivated to now access the Dark Side 40 bonus area.

The offer is not accessible on mobile devices and requires an up-to-date java plug-in. Follow the on-screen prompts to update yours. Please contact the customer services team via the 'Help & Info' tab if you have any difficulties accessing the bonus area.


22 March 2013

The Dark Side Of The Moon to be preserved by the US Library Of Congress

Every year since 2000, the US Library of Congress makes a decision to add a further 25 new recordings to its National Recording Registry, a federally funded archive that seeks to preserve songs and sounds that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States". This year, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon received the highest number of public nominations, so the album is to seal its place in history.

The library said the ground breaking album from 1973 was an example of "brilliant, innovative production in service of the music".

The Los Angeles Times said: "Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon is no longer just the rock album that has logged more weeks than any other on Billboard's national album chart, nor merely the one acid heads favored for syncing up as a twisted soundtrack for The Wizard of Oz".

The Library's selections, which span from 1918 to 1980, also feature recordings that capture the political climate of the period, including Jimmie Davis' You Are My Sunshine (1940) which became Davis' campaign song while running for governor of Louisiana. Other material added this year includes Chubby Checker's 1960s dance hit The Twist and Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel.

The classical pianist Van Cliburn's Cold War performance when he won the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition at the age of 23 was also selected.


5 March 2013

See Emily Day 20th April

Saturday 20th April 2013 is this year's Record Store Day, which aims to support small independent record shops. To celebrate this, there will be a limited one-off release via EMI Records of a pink vinyl 7" version of 'See Emily Play', backed with 'The Scarecrow', as per its original 1967 release.

It will be available as a Record Store Day exclusive for those stores collaborating in the record Store Day concept. Packaging will include an EMI house bag, a card insert with the original Syd Barrett artwork of a train, plus a facsimile of the original instore poster, after which the whole thing is shrinkwrapped.

Quantities will be limited to the numbers pre-ordered by the countries involved, which include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, UK, and the USA. It was mastered for the 2013 release by Pink Floyd associate Andy Jackson of Tube Mastering.

Please try and support Record Store Day; if you need any further information, click here.


3 December 2012

Nick Mason Receives Honorary Degree From University

Last Monday, 26th November, Nick Mason was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree for his contributions to music by the University of Westminster in London. Nick became a student at the school in 1962, known at the time as Regent Street Polytechnic, and it was there that he started the bands with Roger Waters and Richard Wright that eventually turned into Pink Floyd, when the lineup had stabilised as Mason, Waters, Wright, and Syd Barrett. Nick had studied architecture alongside Roger and Richard, but left a year before completing his studies when the band's career began to take off.

Reflecting on his experience at the school Nick said, "Studying at the Regent Street Polytechnic introduced me to some of the key people and biggest collaborators in my career, many of whom I have been lucky enough to work with over the last 40 years".

He added, "In essence [Pink Floyd was] formed under the roof of the Polytechnic," while pointing out that the group practised in the basement of a common room at the institution and played some of their first gigs at the college. "Not only did studying architecture teach us some useful stuff," said Mason, "but it also gave us an opportunity to develop and put us in touch with some fantastic mentors and industry contacts that have helped us along the way".

Alan Fisher, the University of Westminster's Head of Music, noted, "Nick Mason has been at the forefront of the music industry for nearly 50 years. He helped found Pink Floyd, a band which is internationally renowned for innovation, both musically and in terms of stage design and production, aspects of which were undoubtedly influenced by the band members' architectural education at the university".


18 November 2012

David Gilmour In Concert Android App Out Tomorrow

As previously announced, release date of the App version of 'David Gilmour In Concert' will be tomorrow, on Android devices around the world. Please look on your local Android store to find the App, which is entitled, simply 'David Gilmour In Concert'.

Release on Apple devices has been postponed until Monday 3rd December, due to technical issues, but it is planned for release on Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, and should be available from the Apple iTunes Store from that date.

As well as the interactive features already announced, the App also includes links to David's Facebook and his official Website.


15 November 2012

Roger Waters: Press Conference Today

Roger spoke at a press conference for the 2013 European 'The Wall Live' tour today.

You can view the live stream above.


14 November 2012

Floyd Classic Rock Double Header

Last night's Classic Rock Awards, held by Classic Rock magazine at The Roundhouse in London, saw Pink Floyd winning two awards. First was the readers' vote for 'Reissue Of The Year', awarded for the entire 'Why Pink Floyd?' reissue series, which included 14 remastered albums, three 'Experience' edition CD sets and three multi-disc box sets. The second winner was the recent Eagle Rock production of 'The Story Of Wish You Were Here', a fascinating look at the making of the album, with new contributions from David, Roger and Nick, plus archive interview footage of Richard Wright. Also a readers' favourite, the DVD beat off competition from equally deserving programmes, including those from George Harrison, Mott The Hoople, and The Rolling Stones.

Nick Mason was on hand to accept the awards with a speech, delivered in his customary humorous style.


12 November 2012

Stand Up For Heroes Concert

On Thursday night at The Beacon Theater in NYC I took part in an evening called, Stand Up For Heroes. This event is six years old, is put on by The Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival which raises money to help wounded veterans. I was privileged to perform with some of the wounded. A great bunch of young men (Will, Eric, Brandon, Josh, Nathan, Erik (soon to be Major Erik Johnson), Eddie, Daniel, Rex, Lander and Tim, to all of whom I extend my love and heartfelt thanks. So here's some of it.............. Victims of war, no matter who they are, or where they're from, are all to often forgotten, I support all who reach out to help them.

Thanks also to GE Smith, Jeff Kazee, Abe Fogle, Sergeant Jon Joyce, Arthur Bloom and Greg Loman.

Love
Roger


8 November 2012

Stand Up For Heroes Tonight

Be sure to watch a very special live performance of Roger Waters performing with a band of combat wounded veterans to benefit the Bob Woodruff Foundation tonight at 8pm ET. More information is available here.

The vision of the Bob Woodruff Foundation is to provide resources and support to injured service members, veterans and their families ... building a movement to empower communities nationwide to take action to successfully reintegrate our nation's injured heroes – especially those who have sustained the Hidden Injuries of War – back into their communities so they may thrive physically, psychologically, socially and economically.


7 November 2012

David Gilmour In Concert As An App

In a new development, DVD authoring group The Pavement have created a new technique to convert DVDs into smartphone Apps, and the first one in the world will be David Gilmour In Concert. The programme has already been a big success on DVD, but this new App is a way to enjoy it on the move for anyone who may not already own it.

Released on November 19, 2012, the App will be available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, with a version for Android phones to follow shortly afterwards.

With all the content of the original DVD – including the extras – it will be available worldwide on the Apple App store at a price of £5.99, $8.99, €6.99 or equivalent.

Directed by the award-winning David Mallet, the original programme's features have been retained in full. The concert songs are: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5); Terrapin; Fat Old Sun; Coming Back To Life; High Hopes; Je Crois Entendre Encore; Smile; Wish You Were Here; Comfortably Numb (featuring Robert Wyatt); Dimming Of The Day; Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-8); A Great Day For Freedom; Hushabye Mountain; Breakthrough (featuring Richard Wright); and Comfortably Numb (featuring Bob Geldof). Extras include: Spare Digits (closeups of David's guitar parts); Home Movie (shot at rehearsals); High Hopes Choral; I Put A Spell On You (with Jools Holland and Mica Paris); Don't; and Sonnet 18.

The 2001 songs (concert tracks 1- 13) were shot in HD, while tracks 14-16 of the concert footage and the extras were shot in standard definition. The App works exactly like its source DVD – full of rich video and audio material with interactive motion, menu navigation options and bonus extras. The quality of the HD footage can be especially enjoyed on the latest range of tablets, many of which have enhanced screens for HD viewing.


7 September 2012

Prog Rock Awards Honour Floyd

The first Prog Rock Awards, organised by the UK's Prog Rock magazine, honoured Pink Floyd, who won the 'Grand Design' award for the series of Immersion box sets, released over the last year and including The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall.

Peter Curzon, longtime associate of Floyd designer Storm Thorgerson, accepted the award at the ceremony, which also honoured Genesis with a Lifetime Achievement award.


Mike Rutherford of Genesis of course teamed up with Nick Mason and The Feeling's bassist Richard Jones to back Ed Sheeran last month, performing Wish You Were Here at the Olympics closing ceremony.

More details of the Prog Rock Awards can be read here.



22 May 2012

Final Show Features Largest Wall

An historic performance of Roger Waters – The Wall will take place in Québec City on Saturday 21st July. This final date of the 2012 tour will feature the largest wall ever built.

Roger Waters says: "I've always loved playing in Québec. The Québécois are a very passionate and musical people and we'll be playing on the Fields of Abraham. This is going to be completely unlike any of The Wall shows we've done anywhere else in the world".

A limited number of priority tickets (wristbands) will be available in advance of the public sale for fans who register on RogerWaters.com between 9.00am on Wednesday 23rd May and 9.00pm on Thursday 31st May.

Fans who have purchased a pass for this year's Festival d'été de Québec can also get priority booking by registering online at www.infofestival.com during the same time period.

General public sales will commence on Tuesday 5th June at www.infofestival.com.


18 May 2012

Pink Floyd Channel For Sirius XM

Roger Waters announced the launch of a Pink Floyd Channel when he visited veteran rock deejay Jim Ladd's nightly show on Sirius XM yesterday in Los Angeles. The new channel is due to launch on Tuesday 29th May, and will carry Pink Floyd concerts, interviews, rarities, and will air the group's full recorded catalogue.

"I can't think of a better home for the Pink Floyd catalogue, and all the solo stuff, than Sirius XM," said Roger. "How cool for all our fans and what a great way to introduce the work to new generations of listeners."


11 May 2012

David Gilmour In Conversation

David has given an exclusive interview to high50 editor Tim Willis about recording The Dark Side Of The Moon.

Click here for more information.


2 March 2012

'Wish You Were Here' Premieres Tomorrow Night

In the USA only, VH1 Classic is presenting what amounts to a day of Pink Floyd tomorrow, having acquired the brand-new 'The Story of Wish You Were Here' (made by Eagle Rock), which will get its world premiere at 7.30PM (EST).

Floyd programming kicks off at 1PM (EST) with 'Classic Albums: The Dark Side Of The Moon', which is followed by the movie 'Pink Floyd: The Wall', 'Which One's Pink?', and 'David Gilmour Live In Gdańsk', ahead of 'The Story Of Wish You Were Here'. The evening concludes with a repeat of the 'Wall' movie.

'The Story Of Wish You Were Here' runs for 90 minutes and, as well as new and recent interviews with Roger, David and Nick, plus some archive interview material from Richard, it includes contributions from original album engineer Brian Humphries, backing singer Venetta Fields, photographer Jill Furmanovsky, stunt man Ronnie Rondell, and the design/photography team of Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey 'Po' Powell. Roy Harper talks about recording 'Have A Cigar', and both Roger and David shine some light on some of the material with musical illustration.

Click here to view the schedule.


20 February 2012

Planet Rock 'Building The Wall'

UK-based Radio station and Internet broadcaster Planet Rock have announced a one-hour special on the making of 'The Wall', entitled 'Building The Wall'. Broadcast at 7PM UK time this Saturday, February 25th, it is based on exclusive interviews with Planet Rock DJ's from the last six months. Covering the whole of 'The Wall' from conception, to recording the original album and staging the shows, right up to Roger Waters' current 'The Wall Live' tour, it includes interviews with Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Snowy White and Gerald Scarfe.

Planet Rock Radio is available on DAB in the UK or globally via www.planetrock.com.


9 December 2011

Alan Styles

Sad to report that Alan Styles passed away yesterday in a US hospital, aged 75, after suffering from pneumonia. Alan was one of Pink Floyd's main road managers for many years, and is the subject of Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast on the Floyd's album Atom Heart Mother, where he can be heard describing his breakfast experience.


He is shown on the back cover of Ummagumma, and in the picture above, standing on the left, next to Peter Watts and Roger Waters.

Our condolences to his family and friends.

30 June 2011

Pink Floyd Make 'Time' For Crisis

In aid of UK homeless persons' charity Crisis, Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason have signed a guitar, specially hand painted by Ian Emes, creator of the animated clocks on the 'Time' screen film. Ian's clocks from the 'Time' live segment, floating into the infinity of a blue sky, is one of the screen images that added to the experience of Pink Floyd's live shows. Ian kindly recreated the clocks on to a Fender American Standard Stratocaster guitar that has been signed by the band and Ian himself, and the guitar is for sale on the Charity Buzz auction Web site with all proceeds going directly to Crisis.

Click here to be taken directly to the guitar; the auction opened today and closes on Thursday 14th July at 2:45PM Eastern Time, (7:45PM GMT). If you wish to make a separate donation to Crisis, their Web site is here.

10 May 2011

Major Pink Floyd Release Campaign, 'Why Pink Floyd?'

Pink Floyd and EMI Music, whose association dates from 1967, announce a comprehensive release schedule, to be launched on September 26, 2011, encompassing CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, SACD, an array of digital formats, viral marketing, iPhone Apps, and a brand-new single-album "Best Of" collection.

The legendary band, who are still one of the most successful and iconic artists of all time, recently signed an agreement with EMI which has allowed the development of a multi-format programme of packages, many containing archive material that has been collated during an extensive process between EMI and Pink Floyd for a range of media formats.

The releases, under the banner Why Pink Floyd?, are designed to appeal to a wide cross section of their fans, with music to excite first time listeners, while super-deluxe box sets will cater to dedicated fans, allowing them to immerse themselves in multi-disc sets, containing alternate takes, unreleased tracks, restored live concert screen films and a live recording of the legendary The Dark Side Of The Moon performance at Wembley in 1974.

A series of different listening experiences have been specially created for this release: in addition to remastered CDs called 'Discovery' and the 'Immersion' CD/DVD/Blu-ray memorabilia box sets will be a series of 'Experience' Editions – coupling one classic album with a further disc of related content from that album to offer a deeper listening experience.

Roger Faxon, CEO of EMI Group, said: "This is a unique collaboration between EMI and one of the most creative and influential bands in history. We have worked together for more than a year on this programme which incorporates all the elements that have made Pink Floyd one of the most inspiring forces in modern music. Why Pink Floyd? Because their music is without equal and these exciting new releases will allow music fans to rediscover their incredible legacy and demonstrate that an appreciation for artistic quality never goes out of fashion".

Storm Thorgerson, the band's longtime Art Director, has overseen the visual design, including new booklets for all the CDs, new artwork for the box sets and men us for the DVD content. Respected photographer Jill Furmanovsky, has edited books of original unseen photographs. Pink Floyd collaborators James Guthrie (in the US) and Andy Jackson (in the UK) have been in charge of digital remastering to the highest audio and audiovisual standards.

Pink Floyd film archivist Lana Topham has supervised the painstaking restoration of many historic films from Pink Floyd's classic era, included in the 'Immersion' box sets for 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here'.

First to be available on 26 September 2011 will be:

Expanded deluxe and special edition versions of Pink Floyd masterwork The Dark Side Of The Moon, in a 6-disc 'Immersion' box set and 'Experience' 2-disc versions, as well as a collectors' Vinyl LP and various digital formats. Plus 14 studio albums, digitally remastered will be available separately or as a box set.

Other initiatives will include a digital marketing plan utilising user-generated content to allow fans to make their own creative contributions to the band's music, plus iPhone Apps which will give a unique insight into Pink Floyd's recorded legacy.

On 7 November 2011, Phase 2 of the releases will include:

Wish You Were Here 'Immersion' 5-disc and 'Experience' 2-disc editions, both of which will include bonus material from the band's 1974 Wembley dates, including a 20-minute tour de force live rendition of 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', as well as a unique recording of 'Wish You Were Here' featuring the legendary jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli. A collectors' Vinyl LP will also be available, as will various digital formats.

Released simultaneously will be A Foot In The Door – The Best Of Pink Floyd, a collection of their most well-known songs, contained on one album for the first time.

The long-awaited 5.1 version of 'Wish You Were Here', mixed by James Guthrie, will also be released in parallel via independent label Acoustic Sounds.

The Wall, which has sold 25-million double sets and has become a cultural and political touchstone over the last three decades, will be afforded the same exhaustive treatment on February 27, 2012, with deluxe packages including a 7-disc 'Immersion' set and a 3-disc 'Experience' edition. A collectors' Vinyl LP will also be available, as will various digital formats.

Pink Floyd's official Web site, www.pinkfloyd.com, will be given a substantial relaunch from today. Pink Floyd's Facebook page now has over 11 million followers.

September 26 2011:
All 14 remastered studio albums 'Discovery' editions
Box-set of all 14 albums with photo book
Audio downloads of 'Discovery' albums and box-set
The Dark Side of The Moon – 'Immersion' and 'Experience' editions, Vinyl LP, and digital editions

November 7 2011:
A Foot In The Door – The Best of Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here – 'Immersion' and 'Experience' editions, Vinyl LP, and digital editions

February 27 2012:
The Wall – 'Immersion' and 'Experience' editions, Vinyl LP, and digital editions

In 1967 the band comprised Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. Barrett left in 1968, to be replaced by David Gilmour. Syd Barrett died in 2006; Richard Wright died in 2008. Pink Floyd have sold over 200 million records worldwide to date.

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