Yearly Archives: 2024

Brainstorms: A Great Gig In The Sky – New Experience Themed Around 1973 Pink Floyd Classic ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’

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A very special experience blending art, music and neuroscience technology is coming. With the curation and art direction of Gala Wright, daughter of late Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright. The new Friday and Saturday evening residency at Frameless London this June will shine a light on how our minds respond to music, visualized through a new and powerful immersive experience themed around the 1973 Pink Floyd Classic ‘The Great Gig In The Sky.’

This June sees the launch of Brainstorms: A Great Gig In The Sky, presented by the UK’s largest immersive art experience Frameless. A complete takeover of the iconic venue, the never before seen show blends music and art with the latest neuroscience and technology, in an exploration of how our minds respond to music.

The powerful, immersive experience, running on Friday and Saturday evenings in June 2024 for 18+ only, comes from Brainstorms, a joint venture between San Francisco-based creative studio Pollen Music Group and Richard Wright Music Limited. It brings to life the results of the Brainstorms research project that took place last autumn. 

Driven by a mutual admiration for the beautiful and haunting simplicity of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright’s songwriting, the Brainstorms team has themed the experience around the concept behind the iconic Pink Floyd track ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’. A music experience like no other, visitors will travel through the four main Frameless galleries which each feature stunning sky-themed creative visualisations of the human brain’s response to music, from mesmerising cloud formations and mystical auroras to starling murmurations and an eclipse. The whole experience has been designed to communicate how people respond to music, while enhancing the listening experience by enveloping individuals inside the songs like never before.

To create the visuals for the centerpiece experience, 125 individuals had their brain activity recorded while listening in unparalleled clarity and depth through immersive sound Dolby Atmos to 1973 Pink Floyd classic, ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ from the highly celebrated album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’. The instrumental track, which was the creation of Richard Wright, features Clare Torry’s voice as an instrument in place of lyrics so was deemed a perfect piece for the largest data collection of its kind. The EEG readings of brain activity, which will be showcased within the experience, were captured at Dolby by the neuroscience experts within the Pollen Music Group team and reflect the participant’s excitement, interest, relaxation and stress felt whilst listening to the track.

Pioneering musician Imogen Heap and her nine-year-old daughter, who took part in the initial brain data capture, will have their pre-recorded brainwaves visualized in the ‘Murmurations’ Gallery, set to her ambient track Cumulus in surround sound. Developed in Unreal, the projected images of swooping and swirling birds will show how the pair’s data sets align as the flocks mirror how the same music can affect different people.

The award-winning Frameless team has provided the perfect real-world stage for the Brainstorms vision, resulting in a world-first, unique immersive experience for the public. Visitors will witness first-hand music’s extraordinary impact on the brain and its power to affect the way we feel by harnessing the technological capabilities of its galleries.

Gala Wright, curator and Artistic director at Brainstorms and daughter of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright, says, “The visual representation of brain data provides an accessible and intuitive way to see how a piece of music can be a deeply personal yet also powerfully shared experience. Questioning how this is true for my father’s compositions is a key motivation for me bringing this concept to life with Pollen. The added benefit of bringing awareness to his musicality through the Brainstorms project serves to augment his legacy.”

Richard Warp, Pollen composer and Artistic & Technical director at Brainstorms, adds, “Music has a uniquely powerful impact on our mental state, affecting us all in a myriad of ways. Brainstorms: A Great Gig in the Sky seeks to celebrate this while shining a light on the hugely complex physiological processes in our brains as we listen to music.”

A limited number of VIP places will be available to book a unique 15-minute EEG brain capture experience, powered by technology provided by AMD and Emotiv, where they will feel more from the music than ever before as they go on an intense and emotional journey as they listen to five minutes of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ in immersive sound Dolby Atmos via headphones. Participants will then be able to see their brain activity visualised into stunning large-scale cloud formations, projected into Frameless’ re-imagined ‘Cloud’ Gallery. Each participant will also receive a personalized memento based on their individual brain’s reaction to the piece.

Located in a 30,000 square-feet venue in the heart of Marble Arch, Frameless is the UK’s largest immersive art experience. Alongside the four immersive galleries, Frameless includes an art-inspired Café Bar and a Gift Shop where official merchandise from the experience will be available to buy.  

Cathy Wells, Head of Brand at Frameless Creative, says, “At Frameless, we are committed to supporting world-class innovation within the immersive arena that truly pushes the boundaries. Helping people to connect more with their emotions and feel more through the global language of music, art and culture is at the heart of what we do. We can’t wait to welcome the Brainstorms residency to our galleries, where the public will get to witness first-hand music’s extraordinary impact on the brain and its power to affect the way we feel.”

Tickets to Brainstorms: A Great Gig in the Sky are priced from £30 and tickets go on sale on Friday 26th April at 9am. A strictly limited number of VIP tickets are available that include the brain data capture experience. To buy tickets or to find out more visit https://frameless.com/brainstorms/.

Bookings: Book online at https://frameless.com/brainstorms
Location: Frameless, 6 Marble Arch, London W1H 7AP 

All dates – 18+ only

Ticket Prices:
World Premiere – Friday 7th June – From £40
8th June and other Friday and Saturday nights in June – From £30
VIP Experience including personal brain data capture and visualization – From £45

David Gilmour Announces New Album ‘Luck and Strange’

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At last! The official announcement we have all been waiting for! The brand-new album by David Gilmour, ‘Luck and Strange’ was recorded over five months in Brighton and London and is Gilmour’s first album of new material in nine years. The record was produced by David and Charlie Andrew, best known for his work with ALT-J and Marika Hackman, with lyrics mostly written by Polly Samson, Gilmour’s co-writer for the past thirty years.

The album features eight new tracks along with a beautiful reworking of The Montgolfier Brothers’ ‘Between Two Points’, which sees Romany Gilmour, who performs backing vocals across the album, on vocals and harp.

Musicians contributing to the record include Guy Pratt & Tom Herbert on bass, Adam Betts, Steve Gadd and Steve DiStanislao on drums, Rob Gentry & Roger Eno on keyboards and the string and choral arrangements are by Will Gardner. The title track also features the late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, recorded in 2007 during a ‘Barn Jam’ at David’s house.

The album’s cover image, photographed and designed by renowned artist Anton Corbijn, is inspired by lyrics written by Charlie Gilmour for the album’s final song ‘Scattered’.

1 x CD – album +2 bonus tracks; Softpak and booklet with photography and design by Anton Corbijn.

Some contributions emerged from the live streams that Gilmour and family performed to a global audience during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021; Romany Gilmour sings, plays the harp and appears on lead vocals on ‘Between Two Points’. Gabriel Gilmour also sings backing vocals.

The album’s cover image, photographed and designed by Anton Corbijn, is inspired by a lyric written by Charlie Gilmour for the album’s final song ‘Scattered’. Of working with his family on ‘Luck and Strange’, David says, “Polly and I have been writing together for over thirty years and the Von Trapped live streams showed the great blend of Romany’s voice and harp-playing and that led us into a feeling of discarding some of the past that I’d felt bound to and that I could throw those rules out and do whatever I felt like doing, and that has been such a joy.”

‘Luck and Strange’ will be released on 6th September on Sony Music.

TRACKLIST:

1. “Black Cat”
2. “Luck and Strange”
3. “The Piper’s Call”
4. “A Single Spark”
5. “Vita Brevis”
6. “Between Two Points”
7. “Dark and Velvet Nights”
8. “Sings”
9. “Scattered”

Bonus tracks:

10. “Yes, I Have Ghosts”
11. “Luck and Strange (Original Barn Jam)”

ORDER NOW

USA
CD / Vinyl / Blu-Ray / LP Deluxe  / CD Deluxe 
UK
CD / Vinyl / Blu-Ray / LP Deluxe  / CD Deluxe 

 

David Gilmour - The Piper's Call (Official Music Video)

Nick Mason: The Ultimate Car Collection! | Fuelling Around | Series 8, Episode 8

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Nick Mason: The Ultimate Car Collection! | Fuelling Around | Series 8, Episode 8

Nick Mason has made an appearance on Fuelling Around podcast talking about the Saucers and his love of motoring with hosts Jason Plato and Dave Vitty. It’s one surely not to miss! Our apologies for the late coverage on this one. You can check out more here: https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/blog/series/fuelling-around/

Have You Got It Yet? The Story Of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd Releases in Japan Next Month!

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Great news for fans in Japan, the acclaimed film Have You Got It Yet? The Story Of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd will make its theatrical run in Japan this upcoming May/June! So far we have some confirmed dates, with others to be determined. Keep an eye out here or at https://www.sydbarrettfilm.com/theatres/ for all further updates and purchase links. The DVD/Bluray & streaming are said to be released in June, we will post more on that when we get the official announcement.

  • TOKYO – CINE QUINTO – MAY 17TH
  • TOKYO – HUMAN TRUST CINEMA YURAKUCHO – MAY 17TH
  • TOKYO – UPLINK KICHIJOJI – JUNE 14TH
  • OSAKA – CINE LIBRE UMEDA – MAY 17TH 
  • HYOGO – CINE LIBRE KOBE – MAY 17TH 
  • KYOTO  – UPLINK KYOTO – MAY 17TH 
  • FUKUOKA – KINO CINEMA TENJIN – MAY 17TH 
  • ISHIKAWA – CINEMOND – MAY 25TH
  • NAGANO – NAGANO GRAND CINEMAS – TBD 
  • HIROSHIMA – HACHOZA – TBD
  • MIYAZAKI – MIYAZAKI KINEMA KAN – TBD
  • TOKUSHIMA – UFOTABLE CINEMA – TBD 
Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd (US Trailer)

Veteran Punk Bands Release Tribute Album to Pink Floyd

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Fans of the punk genre and Pink Floyd might find this interesting..although one could argue that Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd was indeed a proto-punk band. Releasing May 3rd, widely recognized and heralded veterans of the punk rock movement like Fear, The Vibrators, UK Subs, Dead Boys, Skids, Anti-Nowhere League & more have come together to release a compilation album featuring punk covers of classic Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett songs. Full details and ordering information below.

This electrifying album infuses the complex and sophisticated compositions of Pink Floyd with the raw energy and rebellious spirit of punk, setting these punk rock veterans loose on every era of Pink Floyd including the band’s early psychedelic experiments with bandleader Syd Barrett. West coast punk pioneers Fear, for instance, selected the Barrett written “Astronomy Domine” from the 1967 album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and set about reinventing the track as a fist pumping, guitar-powered anthem. Fear founder and lead vocalist Lee Ving argues that Pink Floyd should be distinguished from the bloviating bands associated with prog rock, saying “Pink Floyd were always sort of the exception to the rule. They always had an interesting sound unlike many of their contemporaries.” Fear’s version of “Astronomy Domine” has been released today on all digital music platforms! Pre-save/pre-order: https://orcd.co/punkfloyd

 

Track List:
1. Eclipse – Eater
2. Time – Jah Wobble & Jon Klein
3. Comfortably Numb – UK Subs
4. Astronomy Domine – Fear
5. Breathe – Skids
6. Pigs On The Wing – Dead Boys
7. Bike – Peter & The Test Tube Babies
8. See Emily Play – The Queers
9. Brain Damage – D.I.
10. Hey You – Anti-Nowhere League
11. Lucifer Sam – MDC
12. The Nile Song – The Members
13. Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2 – Angry Samoans

14. Arnold Layne – The Vibrators

BONUS TRACKS [CD ONLY]
15. Money – JFA
16. Interstellar Overdrive – Chrome

17. Gigolo Aunt – Knox

Fingal’s Cave Podcast – Ep.15 – Rob Chapman on the early Pink Floyd and his Syd Barrett and Nick Drake dreamland

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Our friends over at Fingal’s Cave had the chance to sit down with acclaimed author Rob Chapman, who to Floyd fans is best known for his books about Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett. Rob reflects on his early memories of Pink Floyd and Syd in the 1960’s and talks about his new book Unsung: Unsaid: Syd and Nick in Absentia which explores what if Syd Barrett and Nick Drake had a series of encounters in the mid-70’s and tells the story through speculative fiction. You can listen to the episode and read the synopsis below with links to order Rob’s new book.

Ep.15 – Rob Chapman on the early Pink Floyd and his Syd Barrett and Nick Drake dreamland

Drawing on his exceptional knowledge of both artists, Rob Chapman serves up a palatable Syd Barrett and Nick Drake broth, replete with historical and cultural references.

For followers of the Fingal’s Cave Podcast, Rob is perhaps best known for his two groundbreaking books about Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett, An Irregular Head, published in 2010 and The Lyrics of Syd Barrett, published in 2021. Rob’s latest novel is Unsung: Unsaid, an exploration of the creativity of Syd Barrett and Nick Drake through the medium of speculative fiction.

Encouraged by hosts Ian Priston and Phil Salathé, Rob explains his inspirations, why he chose to trap Syd and Nick at the same Kensington Market café table, and his approach to characterisation and structure. Rob reflects on his early memories of Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett in the 1960s and his two solo albums. Guiding us on various tangents, Rob also explains why his love of Pink Floyd extends to 1971 and describes working with David Gilmour.

If you haven’t encountered Spike Hawkins’ Instant Poetry Broth, you will undoubtedly wish to search for details after hearing Rob’s explanation.

Order Unsung: Unsaid: Syd and Nick in Abesntia now: USA | UK

https://fingalscavepodcast.com

Gerald Scarfe – Pink Floyd’s The Wall Marching Hammers at Chiswick Auctions

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Great news for art collectors! Chiswick Auctions is currently offering a unique commissioned artwork up for auction from legendary artist Gerald Scarfe, featuring his striking imagery of the Marching Hammers from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. View the catalogue information below; the auction itself is now online, with the sale itself taking place on Tuesday, 26th March at 2pm.

GERALD SCARFE, C.B.E., R.D.I. (BRITISH, b.1936)
Pink Floyd and Marching Hammers
signed ‘Gerald Scarfe’ (lower right)
oil on canvas
91 x 120 cm. (35 3/4 x 47 1/2 in.)

Provenance
The artist, 31 October 2018, from whom commissioned by the present owner

Gerald Scarfe is a British artist and political cartoonist is best known for his work with the iconic rock band Pink Floyd. Born on June 1, 1936, in London, Scarfe gained prominence for his distinctive and often satirical artistic style. He became associated with Pink Floyd during the making of their 1977 album “Animals.”

Scarfe’s collaboration with Pink Floyd extended beyond album artwork to include the creation of animations for their live shows. One of his most notable contributions is the animation sequences in the film adaptation of Pink Floyd’s album “The Wall,” released in 1982. Scarfe’s animations, which blend his surreal and often dark imagery with the band’s music, played a significant role in the visual representation of Pink Floyd’s concept albums.

His work with Pink Floyd also includes the cover art for “The Wall” album, featuring his distinctive illustrations and the iconic “marching hammers” imagery. Scarfe’s art reflects the themes of alienation, war, and authoritarianism explored in Pink Floyd’s music.

In addition to his collaboration with Pink Floyd, Gerald Scarfe has had a successful career as a political cartoonist for various publications, including The Sunday Times. His work often critiques political figures and societal issues with a sharp and satirical edge.

Overall, Gerald Scarfe’s artistic contributions have left an indelible mark on the visual representation of Pink Floyd’s music, making him an integral part of the band’s history.

Estimate
£15,000 – £25,000