What makes Brit Floyd so special? All you need to do is watch one video of the band in concert to immediately understand this crew is the real deal, from musicianship to stage presentation.
To find out more, I recently made a transatlantic call to founder Damian Darlington, who was in Australian Pink Floyd for 17 years before forming Brit Floyd. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation in advance of the group’s return to the road after an extended and unplanned break.
Q: How has life been for you and the group this past year?
A: Well, obviously, the last 18 months has been a challenging time for everybody. We’ve not played a concert since March of last year. We were actually two weeks into a U.S. tour and it had to abruptly come to a halt. We’ve all been in our various homes since then, waiting for it to be possible to tour again. Fortunately, that time has come and we’ll be reconvening in the U.S. next week to start the tour.
Q: As a touring musician, what was it like not being able to perform?
A: I’ve been a professional musician one way or another for getting on 35 years now. For 27 of those years, I’ve specialized in playing Pink Floyd music and this is the longest break I’ve had from touring in those 27 years. It’s been a very strange experience. Hopefully, things are going to get back to normal now and we can get back to doing what we love doing, which is getting up there on stage and entertaining the public in the process.
Q: When do you get to rehearse?
A: We’ll be brushing off all the cobwebs in intensive rehearsals when we get together in Denver this weekend. That’s when we’ll all be in the same place as each other. The band is quite an international lineup these days. We’ve got three members based in the U.S. There are, obviously, some in the U.K. and there’s one guy in Italy. People are spread all over the place so it has been difficult for us to all get together for obvious reasons.
Q: Red Rocks is a regular stop for Brit Floyd. What does it mean to launch your tour at such an iconic venue?
A: It always feels good to play Red Rocks whatever the circumstance, but kicking things off after this interruption, it’s going to be particularly special. It’s a little daunting as well to jump back in with such a big show for us. It’s a real baptism by fire but it’ll all go wonderfully well, I’m sure.
Q: Is there anything about playing these songs for people that still surprises you or have you seen it all?
A: I suppose, in a sense, we have seen it all but but it’s wonderful to see new generations of fans discovering this music and younger people coming to the concerts. In some parts of the world, the majority of the audience can be teenagers, twentysomethings and thirtysomethings. When you step out on that stage, it’s always wonderful to see such a healthy mix of generations still appreciating this music.
Q: I think people continue to connect to this music because, unlike so many of the quote-unquote “prog-rock” acts, Pink Floyd was very soulful and had lyrics that could be personal and powerful.
A: It’s always been a bit of a debate whether Pink Floyd should be included in the list of prog-rock acts. If you do, they are certainly at the more accessible end of the spectrum for most people. As you pointed out, there’s such a deep and meaningful content going there if you analyze the lyrics. But, it comes in a package of music with such a variety of styles and influences so people with lots of different musical tastes can relate to it.
Q: We covered a lot, Damian. Is there anything we missed?
A: Just how much we’re looking forward to it. We’re really champing at the bit to get out there, get up on stage and have fun playing this wonderful music together as musicians and entertaining an audience once again in the process. It’s what we love doing and it’s part of who we are so it’s wonderful to be finally getting an opportunity to do what we want to do. I’m very eager to get on that stage and feel that pent-up desire to experience live music again from a crowd of people.
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
Who: Brit Floyd
Where: Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 31. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Cost: SOLD-OUT
More info: 513-232-6220 or www.rosemusiccenter.com
Artist info: britfloyd.com
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