As hinted at on the official Pink Floyd social media channels last week, this week London’s Battersea Power Station, which has been undergoing major renovation and rebuilding, was lit up to mark the release of the Floyd’s superb Animals 2018 Remix on LP, CD, DVD, Blu-ray and Super Audio CD (SACD) (https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/latest/now-announced-pink-floyds-animals-2018-remix-on-multiple-for.html). With a test run on Tuesday night working well, it was full steam ahead for last night as you will be able to see from the short video below. On the first night, there were a variety of different colour projections and chimney colours. If you fancy taking a look yourself, it is running again tonight (Thursday) between 8:30pm – 11pm. With the Battersea Power Station site a lot more open these days, there will be various vantage points you might want to take, but clearly there’s also a good view from across the River Thames as well.
A month ago, a special set of three evenings featuring Polly Samson, David Gilmour and guests, to celebrate Polly's new novel A Theatre For Dreamers (latest/polly-samson-and-david-gilmour-a-theatre-for-dreamers-book-and-music-e.html) was announced. Tonight, inevitably, due to the current COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic, these evenings have been rescheduled to later in the year, when hopefully the situation will be more stable.These special events will feature Polly in conversation with journalist Rosie Boycott, readings, film and live music, including a new song Yes, I Have Ghosts written by David and Polly. On his social media channels, David noted that he'll be performing a few songs, including [the] new one. The rescheduled events (dates and locations are shown below) take place in September, and all tickets are valid for the new shows; ticket holders will be sent their signed first edition of the book and the exclusive portrait of Polly Samson and David Gilmour taken on Hydra and signed by them both, in the week commencing Monday, March 30th. For details of refunds, visit PollySamson.com (http://www.pollysamson.com/). The book itself is published on April 2nd by Bloomsbury.Wednesday, September 9th, 7:30pm: Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester – Eventbrite Tickets (https://www.rncm.ac.uk/production/a-theatre-for-dreamers/)Thursday, September 10th, 7:30pm: Town Hall, Birmingham – Eventbrite Tickets (https://www.thsh.co.uk/event/a-theatre-for-dreamers-an-evening-of-words-and-music-featuring-polly-samson-and-david-gilmour)Friday, September 11th, 7:30pm: Central Hall, Westminster, London – Eventbrite Tickets (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/5×15-presents-a-theatre-for-dreamers-tickets-93935177645)
Tottenham’s rising artist common goldfish is back again with ‘On The Sidelines’, the first single from his debut EP. The track is a lively mix of psychedelia, punk, and indie, combining old-meets-new sounds with playful guitar riffs and upbeat vibes. Despite its energetic nature, the song carries a deeper message. common goldfish believes that people …
This afternoon, the months of speculation and rumour come to a close, with the announcement of David Gilmour’s new album, Luck and Strange. It is his first new album in nine years, and those who have been on social media over the last couple of days will have seen movement on his official channels, changing the profile pictures and headers to subtle, rather mysterious images of a figure with their arms out, and rushing water. His official website, too, had undergone a similar change with the same imagery and a sign-up button. The album will be released on September 6th, on Sony Music, on LP, CD, Blu-ray and digital. Deluxe LP and CD boxsets will be announced in the coming weeks. The first track from the album – The Piper’s Call – will be released tomorrow (Thursday, April 25th), following a world exclusive first play on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show. A video for the song will be available to watch from Friday. Full track listings are shown below. 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. Of this new working relationship, David says, “We invited Charlie to the house, so he came and listened to some demos, and said things like, “Well, why does there have to be a guitar solo there?” and “Do they all fade out? Can’t some of them just end?”. He has a wonderful lack of knowledge or respect for this past of mine. He’s very direct and not in any way overawed, and I love that. That is just so good for me because the last thing you want is people just deferring to you.” The majority of the album’s lyrics have been composed by Polly Samson, Gilmour’s co-writer and collaborator for the past thirty years. Samson says of the lyrical themes covered on Luck and Strange, “It’s written from the point of view of being older; mortality is the constant.” Gilmour elaborates, “We spent a load of time during and after lockdown talking about and thinking about those kind of things.” Polly has also found the experience of working with Charlie Andrew liberating. “He wants to know what the songs are about, he wants everyone who’s playing on them to have the ideas that are in the lyric informing their playing. I have particularly loved it for that reason.” The album features eight new tracks along with a reworking of The Montgolfier Brothers’ Between Two Points and has artwork and photography by the renowned artist Anton Corbijn. Musicians contributing to the record include Guy Pratt and Tom Herbert on bass, Adam Betts, Steve Gadd and Steve DiStanislao on drums, Rob Gentry and Roger Eno on keyboards with string and choral arrangements by Will Gardner. The title track also features the late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, recorded in 2007 at a jam in a barn at David’s house.
