At this point I’ve seen a good number of cover bands. I like going to see them because you tend to get either a very good or a very poor experience from them, and usually if it’s a poor one, there’s something there to make up for it. Tonight’s performance by Floyd UK, a Pink Floyd Cover Group playing at Camp n Furnace in Liverpool was for me.. the latter. I have respect for those who can put themselves out there on a stage in front of other people and perform, but I’ve seen many different flavours of ‘performing’ during my time spent watching these past two years. So I respect them for that. They bill themselves as “The UK’s leading Pink Floyd Tribute Show”, formally known as ‘Pink Floyd UK’ and now just Floyd UK.. for some reason. There were I think ten of them on stage at the same time. Drummer, Bass, two Electric Guitars, Piano/Keyboards, Lead Singer, Saxophonist and three backing singers. That’s a lot of people to fit on any stage, and while Camp n Furnace is’t a tiny venue, the stage is only your average stage size. So it looked a little cramped, backing singers were really pushed right to the back of the stage behind the two electric guitarists.
The performance was split into two halves and it seems like we arrived literally at the moment they started. I’d say the start was a little ropey. They know how to put on a good show, featuring well thought out lighting and a laser setup and the assembled band of musicians sure can play, but for me.. simply screaming the words doesn’t really.. make you sound.. good, or like Pink Floyd whatsoever. The lead singer had this habit of standing back from the microphone and pointing his chin up to the sky while the band played every last second of sound from every note reproduced. – I get that Floyd is known for their mega long instrumental introductions.. but there’s something you get away with when you are as well known as Pink Floyd were… When event that is ‘covered’ too.. at times it was frankly a little bit silly. The lead singer.. can sing, for sure, as can the backing singers. But there is a difference between singing like Pink Floyd and just shouting down the mic so it sounds about right.
They made good use of the facilities at Camp n Furnace, using the newly installed screens to show playback from Pink Floyd music videos and psychedelic visuals. They made use of projectors too, one for behind the stage and one for the left and right of the main audience body. Over towards the right hand side there was a raised platform for either disabled or VIP guests. There was a ramp up to it and some seats within that enclosed space. It was completed with a guy who thought his job was there to replicate all of the movements of the lead singer on the stage to the rest of the audience trying to peer around him from behind.
In the past I have been to see the Classic Double band playing a Pink Floyd section of their double-header and I think that they actually played a much better set than Floyd UK did tonight. I don’t know what it was exactly, but there was just something more warming about their sound compared to that of Floyd UK. I guess with the lasers, lighting and projection being a part of their performance there was more of a presence from the crew running the show, but just something to do with the sound. In places tonight, it was nothing more than noise. Sure.. the music was there somewhere but it was often drowned out by noise, feedback or.. well.. a poor mix. For the last song they played, they cleverly recreated the cover art for ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ with the lasers, that was a nice touch.
A note on the venue, Camp n Furnace… I love the venue. I’ve been before and I’ll go back again, but between the additional section for disabled / VIP’s and the extended crew area there was not a great deal of room to get past everyone on the right and get towards the stage. A lot of pushing, shoving and bumping into each other. I could almost lick the back of the guys head in front of me we were that close at times. But tonight I was disappointed in Camp n Furnace. In the UK there is such at thing as the Smoking Ban. I won’t go into it in too much detail, but basically from 2004, there is a law which states that all bars, clubs and indoor venues are to be smoke free. Most places have a strict no-smoking policy. Many places also consider vapes to be classified as smoking devices. Tonight I saw many a person openly smoking indoors within Camp n Furnace. What made it worse was that I saw security staff who work for Camp n Furnace, inside of the venue stop and look at someone smoking. Then look at me, then walked away into the night. – What’s the fucking point if it is not enforced? A momentary lapse or signs of a larger and systemic problem of ‘its not my problem’ syndrome… Whatever it was, it was disappointing to see. You should know better Camp n Furnace.
Were they “The UK’s leading Ping Floyd Tribute Show”? – Not for me, I’ve seen better. But well done to them for getting up on the stage and putting on a show. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see these guys perform again, but others, for sure, Pink Floyd is always an entertaining night. What made up for things tonight was simply spending some time out with some friends – not doing this shit alone, which is sometimes just a really refreshing change. As self-indulgent and exhilarating as it is doing this stuff alone, sometimes, having a little group of friends around simply makes a nice change.
