The Pink Floyd 1967

 The Pink Floyd 1967.

by Pete Clemons

There has always been a question mark as to whether or not Syd Barrett actually appeared on stage during The Pink Floyd's performance at the Coventry Theatre during 1967 on the Jimi Hendrix tour.

But where, locally, The Pink Floyd did perform with Syd Barrett at the helm was at the Locarno during May 1967 and the Benn Hall Rugby during April of the same year. These gigs were either side of one of the earliest significant events The Pink Floyd played at. And that was the 14 Hour Technicolour Dream event at the Alexandra Palace on April 29th. Apparently the Floyd made it to the stage at around 5am, having driven back from an earlier gig in Holland. The event itself was an all night ritual where the Queen and Prime Minister had been offered free tickets. Every one else being charged a pound note.

It is almost impossible to know the actual set lists played at both the Locarno and the Benn Hall but The Pink Floyd would more than likely have included tunes such as Pow R. Toc H., Astronomy Domine, Scream Thy Last Scream, Interstellar Overdrive, Candy and a Currant Bun (AKA Let's Roll Another One) and Arnold Layne which had not long been released as the bands first single. And, only based on reading different books, the gigs may possibly have begun with Reaction in G but I am far from certain about that.

Hard to imagine now but when bands like The Pink Floyd and Soft Machine began to take off, the fans of that kind of music were, initially, given a hard time. Both bands attracted the more 'way out' youth. The 14 hour event was described by organisers as 'a calculated attempt to try to avoid the kind of discipline and squareness that their parents own lives represented'.

Others, who turned up for the event, saw it differently. Some attendees described the more 'turned on' as 'bloody mad, chucking flowers about, what's that all about? They are all mad. We turned up to enjoy ourselves and have laugh and a drink. A lot in there need a bloody good bath'. And there was an element of truth in that. A lot of youngsters, at that time, did grow their hair long and had little to no interest in fashion.

A few days after the Coventry gig The Pink Floyd performed their first conceptional concert, named 'Games For May - Space Age Relaxation For The Climax Of Spring' at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on 12th May 1967.

During July 1967 when the Pink Floyd's debut album, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' was being released to the music press, the band were accused of being dishonest.

The following question arose: Are The Pink Floyd being quite honest when they make coy and attractive records like 'See Emily Play' then proceed to make the night hideous with a thunderous, incomprehensible, screaming sonic torture?

The bands response was: The Floyd do not wish to appear dishonest, but they are worried. They appreciate the contrast between their records and their live performances and agree the latter might not be all that they should be, and are taking steps to rectify the situation.

This is the point, says Roger Waters, 'we don't think so'. 'We still do Arnold Layne and struggle through Emily occasionally. We don't think its dishonest because we cant play live what we play on record. Can you imagine somebody trying to play 'A Day in the Life'?. Yet that's one of the greatest tracks ever made. A lot of stuff on our LP is completely impossible to do live'.

The early Pink Floyd were not for everybody but there is no doubting that their unique approach to music and live performance certainly had a lasting effect on shaping popular music to come.