As the drummer for one of the most influential bands in music history, Nick Mason is the only one to have been around since Pink Floyd’s inception in 1965. With his Saucerful of Secrets he wants to bring their earlier material, before Dark Side Of The Moon, to the general public once again. Not a bad idea, because with his 78 years Mason is approaching the apotheosis of his impressive career. The band also consists of bassist Guy Pratt (son-in-law of the late Richard Wright), vocalist Gary Kemp (ex-Spandau Ballet), guitarist Lee Harris and keyboardist Dom Beken.

The band made their London debut in May 2018 and released a live album and film in September 2020: Live at the Roundhouse. To more than make up for their postponed tour of 2020, they toured Ireland and the UK in April 2022 to immerse no fewer than 39 European cities this summer in the psychedelic sound of Pink Floyd’s early years. In September, October and November it is North America’s turn. If we do the math, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets will provide no less than 88 performances this year. Not bad for a grandfather of almost eighty years old, who drums every gig for two hours as if he were still a teenage girl.

The Royal Circus was filled to the brim for this royalty in rock history. Young and old, tailor-made suit or worn t-shirt, quietly enjoying or casually drumming along… something for everyone. During the opening guitars of “One Of These Days” it quickly became clear that Mason’s band is well attuned to each other and a first psychedelic wave quickly rose to the ceiling of this beautiful room. At Mason’s first drum riffs, even some people cooed with enthusiasm. It should be clear: Nick Mason is a childhood idol for many and it is unique to see this icon perform live. With “Arnold Layne” they then introduce Pink Floyd’s debut single, once written and sung by Syd Barrett. A tribute to this legend was not long in coming and singer Gary Kemp gave the best of himself. We already knew from his time at Spandau Ballet that he has a high vocal range. During “Fearless”, the concert hall floated on a sugary cloud, where we even heard a fragment of Liverpool fans roaring “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

After this overture, it was time for the instrumental tracks like “Obscured By Clouds” and “When You’re In”, which served as the soundtrack to the French film La Vallée from 1972. With “Candy and a Currant Bun” we got and this we readily admit, a number we did not know. It turns out to be the “Arnold Layne” B-side, which is simply about drugs and casual sex. That we could ever miss that. The strange “Vegetable Man” also turned out to be a relatively unknown song, but this is a bootleg that was only officially released in 2016 in the box set The Early Years 1965-1972. With “If” the first sensitive chord was immediately struck. This song from the album Atom Heart Mother flowed brilliantly into the title song. “Atom Heart Mother” is terrifying, mesmerizing and compelling. The Royal Circus was very quiet and enjoyed the highlight of the first set to the fullest. Or at least that’s what we thought, because “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” was the absolute apotheosis. There is hardly a more mythical and more typical Pink Floyd intro than this insanely good song. For twelve minutes, almost everyone remained silent in their seats, as if they were hypnotized by the slightly rousing drums in combination with mystical Indian qawwali influences on sitar, xylophone, organ and guitar. This is Nick Mason at his best. Just about his absolute pinnacle as a Pink Floyd drummer.