REVIEW: The Australian Pink Floyd Show, BIC, Bournemouth

The show includes all you would expect from a Pink Floyd experience including spectacular light and laser show to accompany the iconic circular video screen, gargantuan inflatables and of course, the meticulous reproduction of music spanning decades and some 15 albums. This really is the 'gold standard' of tribute acts.

The tribute to Syd Barrett - Shine on you Crazy Diamond opened the show.

The 13-minute (Parts 1-V) track ended with poignant images of Barrett on screen. Learning to Fly quickly followed and then it was time to sample a few songs from DSOTM.

The stunning Great Gig in the Sky gave the female singers their chance to show off their vocal agility, reproducing to a tee and to great audience appreciation, the original vocals from the album.

Money saw the sax player sporting a pink hat to match his pink saxophone, which was the only diversion of dress from the all-black outfits which adorned the band throughout the night.

A couple more songs and then we were taken for our first foray of the night into The Wall with the first half of the set finishing with The Happiest Days Of Our Lives and Another Brick In The Wall which was accompanied by a 30 ft inflatable teacher jigging about and waving his cane at us. He ominously stood guard over the 20 minute interval – “stand still laddie”.

More from The Wall started the second half and then one of the early psychedelic non album singles; See Emily Play. Wish You Were Here was clearly a crowd singalong favourite and was introduced by a series of videoclips reminding us of the Australian heritage of the band – Kylie, Crocodile Dundee, AC/DC etc. 

One Of These Days had a 30 ft pink kangaroo bouncing at centre stage and then the audience, who remained seated for most of the show were only too keen to get to their feet singing and dancing to the set closing Run Like Hell – oh, and another 30 ft inflatable, this time a boar hovered above the audience.

Clearly the show (and it has more of a show than concert feel about it) was never going to finish without an encore of the sublime Comfortably Numb, which was an overload for the senses with every light and laser being given one last outing and searing guitar solos for air guitarists among the audience to take part in.

The friend I went with thought it Strange that a 'tribute band' could sell out an arena tour but as the auditorium lights came on, he was already planning his seat for the 2023 50th anniversary celebration tour of DSOTM.

TAPFS is so much more than a tribute act and had undoubtedly provided the best night of the year and a show which anyone, Floyd fan or not, should make a point of see.

Outstanding.