The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains is coming to Rome!
The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains is an immersive, multi-sensory and theatrical journey through Pink Floyd’s extraordinary world. A story of sound, design and performance, the exhibition chronicles 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 Concert Productions International B.V.
Their Mortal Remains Opens at MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Romaon 19th January 2018.
MACRO is located less than 1km from The Piper Club, which played host to Pink Floyd’s first shows in Italy in April 1968. The exhibition celebrates Pink Floyd’s place in history as the world’s cultural landscape changed from the 1960s. The band occupied a distinctive experimental space and were the foremost exponents of a psychedelic movement that changed the understanding of music forever, becoming one of the most important groups in contemporary music.
On January 22nd, 2018, the British Film Institute (BFI) are releasing When The Wind Blows on Blu-ray/DVD in a Dual Format Edition, packed with special features including interviews, a making-of documentary and the public information film Protect and Survive (1975).
The Film is about Jim and Hilda Bloggs (Sir John Mills and Dame Peggy Ashcroft) who are a middle-aged couple, who believe that the British government is in control as they prepare for Nuclear War. When the countdown begins they roll up their shirtsleeves and follow government guidelines that were actually distributed to households around Britain in the 1970s. They paint their windows white, build a fortress of doors and pillows, take the washing in and put away two packets of ginger nuts, one tin of pineapple chunks and a good supply of tea.
This cautionary tale is both humorous and macabre in its consideration of one of the most horrific possibilities of modern life. When the Wind Blows is a story about love, tenderness, humanity and hope. Adapted by Raymond Briggs (The Snowman) from his best-selling book, When the Wind Blows features an original soundtrack by Roger Waters, and title song by David Bowie.
15 tracks are written by Waters and for this first time included in the Blu-ray/DVD features an ‘isolated music and effects track’ which means we should be able to hear the songs in stunning clear quality.
Blu-ray Special features
Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition
Audio commentary with first assistant editor Joe Fordham and film historian Nick Redman
Jimmy Murakami: Non Alien (2010, 77 mins): feature-length documentary about the film’s director
Interview with Raymond Briggs (2005, 14 mins): writer Raymond Briggs discusses When the Wind Blows and other works
The Wind and the Bomb(1986, 25 mins): the making-of When the Wind Blows featuring interviews with producer John Coates, director Jimmy T Murakami and writer Raymond Briggs
Protect and Survive (1975, 50 mins): public information film about how to survive in the event of a nuclear attack
Isolated music and effects track
Illustrated booklet with new introduction by Raymond Briggs, an essay by executive producer Iain Harvey, writing by Jez Stewart, Claire Kitson and Bella Todd, and full film credits
After 63 sold out shows in the U.S. and Canada in 2017, we are excited to announce further shows for 2018
New Dates Added 24/10/17 !!
January 24th – Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
January 26th – Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
January 30th – Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand
February 2nd – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, Nsw, Australia February 3rd – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, Nsw, Australia
February 6th – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall, Qld, Australia February 7th – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall, Qld, Australia February 10th – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
February 11th – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Vic, Australia
February 16th – Adelaine Entertainment Centre, Hindmarsh, Sa, Australia
February 20th – Perth Arena, Perth, Wa, Australia
April 13th – Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain April 14th – Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain April 17th – Mediolandum Forum Di Assago, Milan, Italy April 18th – Mediolanum Forum Di Assago, Milan, Italy April 21st – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy April 22nd – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy April 24th – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy April 25th – Unipol Arena, Bologna, Italy April 27th – O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
May 2nd – Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena, Budapest, Hungary May 4th – Arena Armeec, Sofia, Bulgaria May 6th – Arena Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia May 11th – Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium May 14th – Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg, Germany May 16th – Stadhalle, Vienna, Austria May 20th – Meo Arena, Lisbon, Portugal May 24th – Wizink Center, Madrid, Spain May 25th – Wizink Center, Madrid, Spain May 28th – Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
June 2nd – Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin, Germany June 4th – Sap Arena, Mannheim, Germany June 11th – Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany June 13th – Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany June 18th – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, The Netherlands June 19th – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, The Netherlands June 22nd – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, The Netherlands June 26th – 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
June 29th – SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland June 30th – SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
July 2nd – Echo Arena, Liverpool, England July 3rd – Manchester Arena, Manchester, England July 6th – Hyde Park, London, England (Special 1 Date Barclays Festival Show) July 7th – Birmingham Arena, Birmingham, England June 8th – U Arena De Nanterre, La Defense, Paris June 9th – U Arena De Nanterre, La Defense, Paris
August 3rd – Tauron Arena Krakow, Krakow, Poland August 5th – Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland August 7th – Jyske Bank Boxen, Herning, Denmark August 10th – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark August 11th – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark August 14th – Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway August 15th – Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway August 18th – Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden August 21st – Hartwell Arena, Helsinki, Finland August 24th – Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia August 26th – Zalgaria Arena, Kanuas, Lithuania August 29th – Skk Arena, St Petersburg, Russia August 31st – Olympiski, Moscow, Russia
Our 2018 Tour Zone will be open for business very shortly !!
“Khan. Best Boy. Beloved. R.I.P. Forever grateful to @batterseadogsandcatshome,Hemangiosarcoma is something that even Mighty Khan couldn’t beat but he died at home without suffering and surrounded by those he loved.”
Almost a year since his last release, Acclaimed British guitarist Snowy White presents his new studio album !!
For his previous album, Released , Snowy spent two years working mainly on his own in his home studio; this time around however, he recorded the bulk of the tracks with his tried and trusted pals Kuma Harada (bass), Max Middleton (keys), Juan van Emmerloot, Richard Bailey (both drums) and Walter Latupeirissa (bass).
In Snowy’s own words: “When I play music with friends that I respect and admire, both as players and as people, either doing live shows or in a recording environment, I feel that I’m exactly where I want to be. I feel at home. It’s been a year or two since I last got together with the musicians who appear on this new album, called, for obvious reasons,’Reunited’. We had a great time working together again and I’m very happy with the way they interpreted my ideas, helping me evolve the songs from the simple outlines that I took into the studio into complete pieces of music. So I would like to thank my friends Kuma, Max, Walter, Juan and Richard for adding their good vibes to the sessions. I feel very honoured that my music was transformed and improved by these fine musicians, and I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them once again. Because of them, recording ‘Reunited’ was a lot of fun and has created yet another store of good memories, and, for me, that’s what it’s all about.”
Music and musicians evolve and change over time, so this album is just snapshot of how it was at that moment in Snowy’s career. Tracks like ‘Have I Got Blues For You‘, ‘Headful Of Blues‘ and ‘Emptyhanded‘ cover the bluesier side of things, whereas ‘Where Will You Belong‘ and ‘In California‘ are more reflective. ‘Nuff Said‘ and ‘I Know Our Time Ain’t Long‘ are examples of the more up-tempo and rockier Snowy White. There’s something for everybody, from the weird ‘Long Time No C‘ to the tight latin groove of ‘Heard It All Before‘. Whatever the tempo and the groove, Snowy’s distinctive soulful guitar runs like a golden thread throughout the album, connecting all together and making for a satisfying and very listenable offering.
” The Evening consists of a screening of the film Pink Floyd in Pompeii followed by a interview and discussion in the presence of the director Adrian Maben and his script editor Zoé Zurstrassen.
In 1971 a two thousand year old open stone amphitheater hosted a young English rock band called Pink Floyd for a musical feature film.
A distinctive sound and performance worthy of Abbey Road, images of beauty, and especially a moment of rare creativity, this is what the film of Adrian Maben offers us in its exceptional timelessness. The event has been Organized by Improvisades and the Cultural Service of Paris-Sorbonne, in partnership with Structures Sonores Baschet.
In the last week of April 1973, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon reached No. 1 on the American charts. In the last week of April 1970, though, they had yet to crack the U.S. Top 50 after three years of recording and performing. In the midst of their third stateside tour, they weren’t selling out stadiums. It was during this tour, on April 30, that Pink Floyd played an hour-long set in an empty Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, filmed for broadcast by small local television station called KQED.
“At that point, they were really anxious to have whatever publicity they could,” remembers the program’s co-producer at KQED, Jim Farber. “We did not have much of a budget. Pink Floyd did the performance and offered the rights for a certain number of airings for practically nothing. My memory is we paid them $200.”
Widely bootlegged in the decades since, the performance is now officially available on DVD from the band. Recently, KQED unearthed raw footage of Pink Floyd’s performance, which included a half hour of music not included in the original program. After months of negotiations, KQED has been granted the right to exclusively premiere film of one of those songs, “Astronomy Domine.”
You might be wondering: in 1970, KQED was more known for Sesame Street than psychedelic rock. So how in the world did the Pink Floyd program happen in the first place?
Connecting with Pink Floyd
Simulcast on KQED radio, the special was set up as a direct result of Farber’s enthusiasm for the group. He first saw Pink Floyd in a basement club in London in 1967, when Syd Barrett (soon to be replaced by David Gilmour) was still the band’s lead guitarist and principal singer-songwriter.
“When I went to work at KQED June of 1969, I proposed the idea that we do a program with them,” he explains. “John Coney, the other producer [who also directed the special], really liked their music. So we decided we might as well make a proposal to them.”
The KQED production team brought “a huge mobile truck the size of a boxcar that held the video recording equipment” outside the original Fillmore Auditorium so the performance could be “recorded as well as you could outside the studio at that time. There’s a certain amount of vibration that was caused just from the sound of the amps. Because the technology just wasn’t that advanced yet. Portable video, the way we think of it, didn’t even exist.”
The original Fillmore wasn’t hosting rock concerts in 1970 — Bill Graham had transferred his operations to the Fillmore West on Market and Van Ness — but it was made available to the band and KQED for this special TV performance. Pink Floyd played a concert in front of paying customers at the Fillmore West the following night, reprising all of the half dozen songs they’d performed for KQED’s cameras, as well as other early favorites like “Astronomy Domine” and “A Saucerful of Secrets.”
Unexpectedly, the program opens with aerial shots of desolate fields and marshes in the San Joaquin Valley — indeed, seven minutes of “Atom Heart Mother” pass before any of the musicians are seen on screen. During “Grantchester Meadows,” the performance is interspersed with what Farber calls “nature footage.
” The cinematography is marked by close-ups of the casually dressed musicians and slow pans around the band’s perimeter. Periodic smoke effects and solarization add to the late-psychedelic-period mood. John Coney was doing some very experimental video work at KQED, and KQED at that time was really wide open in terms of they would let you do,” enthuses Farber.
“So John mapped out a visual scheme for the production. There’s no narration, there’s not the usual PBS thing of explaining everything you’re going to see. It was very abstract. We had one go at getting the Pink Floyd performance, and one day to essentially do all of the effects and lay in everything in the studio. There was no such thing as stereo TV. People could put on the FM channel and then watch it on the TV, and that was how we approximated getting the best audio we could out of it.”
Reception
It wasn’t unusual for KQED to broadcast rock concerts in psychedelia’s heyday, especially by local icons. Big Brother & the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, and Quicksilver Messenger Service all got airtime.
In the more experimental realm, a long raga by minimalist pioneer Terry Riley sparked, reveals an amused Farber, “more nasty phone calls than anything we ever did at the station.” But Pink Floyd, for as strong an underground following as they building in the United States, were so eager for an American audience that they played a free concert at UCLA a week later. (Farber traveled to Los Angeles with the band in the hopes of getting some additional footage, but none was used. The free concert, he explains, “was really a disaster.”)
Not broadcast until Jan. 26, 1971, the special “got an incredibly positive response when we aired it in San Francisco,” says Farber. “After that, it had two national broadcasts on PBS.”
Pink Floyd’s concert for KQED hasn’t been broadcast on television for many years, and wasn’t made commercially available until its appearance on a massive 27-disc Pink Floyd CD/DVD box set in 2016, The Early Years 1965-1972. But Farber recently oversaw a meticulous transfer from the two-inch masters to DVD — “we cleaned them up as much as we could and the audio is superb”—that is now in the permanent collection of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, in whose library it can be viewed.
“I’m amazed we got it done,” reflects Farber, now a Los Angeles-based writer. “We did it on such a shoestring, and it all came together at the right moment. They really wanted to do it, we wanted to do it, and we got a good performance. You could take out certain little glitches, but I kind of like it for its roughness. ‘Cause it was a reflection of who we were at that time. The ‘60s were still very alive in San Francisco in 1970, and the thing that I loved about KQED is that you had a public television station, but the people on the staff were exceedingly hip. The amount of energy that was being generated at KQED at that time was remarkable.”
On January 22nd, 2018
According to the exhibitions social media page they are taking 