Month: May 2020

Back in October 2016, 'Syd Barrett: A Celebration', a concert organised by Cambridge Live in conjunction with the Barrett family and estate, took place at the site of Syd's last ever public performance (archive/syd-barrett-a-celebration-cambridge-memorial-unveiling-and-co.html). The Corn Exchange in Cambridge was also the location chosen for a commemorative artwork, unveiled at a VIP reception before the sold-out concert in front of Syd's family, friends, and the remaining members of Stars, the band who Syd played with at his final performance at the venue.The very enjoyable – and for some, quite emotional – concert featured Swedish band Men on the Border backed by the 50-piece Sandviken Symphony Orchestra who hail from the same town in Sweden as the band. MotB covered a wide range of Barrett songs, with some dramatic and unexpected symphonic interpretations on offer.The concert also featured narration from acclaimed playwright, and former school friend of Syd, David Gale, and suitably psychedelic lighting – not just on the stage, but covering the walls, ceilings and even some of us in the audience that night – by lighting designer Peter Wynne-Willson, who was responsible for the Floyd's early light shows between 1966 and December 1967.MotB and the Sandviken Symphony Orchestra plan to repeat this successful evening, with a show at Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 14th 2020. As a special guest, there will also be guitarist Janne Schaffer, best known for his collaborations with ABBA, and his comprehensive solo career. I loaned Barrett my amp when Pink Floyd played in Stockholm in 1967, so I'm really looking forward to honouring him at Berwaldhallen, where Pink Floyd were presented with the Polar Prize. Syd Barrett: The Summer of Love is based on Barrett's life before, during and after his time in Pink Floyd, and is narrated by playwright David Gale, a childhood friend of Syd's and flat-mate when they both moved from Cambridge to London in the mid-1960s. Peter Wynne Willson will transport his liquid light show from London to Stockholm to illuminate Berwaldhallen, adding to the atmosphere.Tickets are scheduled to go on sale on August 21st, at 10am CET, through Berwaldhallen.se (http://www.berwaldhallen.se/), with the hopes that the COVID-19 restrictions will have been lifted by then. The final decision will be taken ahead of the ticket release in August, and sensibly the organisers have an alternative concert date in spring, 2021, also reserved just in case.