A sell-out crowd packed into The Forum Bath last night, made up largely of Floyd fans of a certain age – plenty of grey hair, rugby shirts and gilets – all ready to sink into an evening of pure nostalgia for one of the world’s most celebrated bands.
From the opening bars, it was clear that this wasn’t one of those tribute acts obsessed with looking like the original members. The Australian Pink Floyd Show are all about sound. Two superb lead guitarists shared the David Gilmour duties, while the rest of the band focused on recreating that unmistakable Pink Floyd atmosphere.
I’ve always had plenty of time for a good tribute act. No, they’re not the original thing – but in the case of Pink Floyd, the original thing simply no longer exists. With two members gone and the others unlikely ever to share a stage again, a night like this is as close as any of us will get. And if, like me, you didn’t stand a chance of getting tickets for Gilmour’s recent solo shows, a top-tier tribute suddenly feels invaluable.
And that’s exactly what Aussie Floyd are. They’ve been doing this for more than 30 years, winning over audiences around the world and apparently even having been invited to perform at David Gilmour’s 50th birthday party.
Reviews from other dates on this tour echo the same sentiment: audiences consistently praise their ‘spine-tingling accuracy’, ‘phenomenal musicianship’ and ‘ability to recreate the emotional weight of the originals without ever slipping into parody’. OK, these might a little bit over the top, but this was still a pretty impressive retelling of classic tracks from some of music’s most celebrated albums.
The setlist leaned heavily on the holy trinity of Wish You Were Here, The Wall and The Dark Side of the Moon, with a surprise outing for Arnold Layne thrown in early on. Of course they opened with Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pink Floyd’s tribute to Syd Barrett, and of course they closed with Comfortably Numb, sending the crowd home on a wave of soaring guitar and warm memories.
In between came the classics: Wish You Were Here, Money, Another Brick in the Wall, Run Like Hell and plenty more. The musicianship was note-perfect throughout, with twin guitars, keys, drums, bass and sax all faithfully recreating those iconic riffs and textures. It takes a brave player to mess with a Floyd riff, and wisely, no one did.
Aussie Floyd are known for their playful twists, and last night was no exception. The traditional inflatable pig was swapped for a giant pink inflatable kangaroo. Meanwhile, the backing vocalists delivered excellent harmonies all evening, and while the dance moves were occasionally a little stiff, their performance of The Great Gig in the Sky was stunning.
The whole night was wrapped in a slick light display and a large projection screen filled with Floyd-esque visuals and animations – but with an unmistakably antipodean flavour. Think psychedelic graphics blended with Neighbours, Crocodile Dundee and plenty of kangaroos.
By the time the final notes faded, Bath had experienced a professionally delivered, affectionate and fun celebration of Pink Floyd’s most beloved music. Not the original thing – but in 2025, honestly, just about the next best thing.
For more concerts at The Forum Bath, go to bathforum.co.uk
