by photojournalist Jeffrey Moellering
Brit Floyd’s remarkable return to Ruth Eckerd Hall reaffirmed their status as the gold standard and premier Pink Floyd tribute act, as part of their ongoing “The Moon, the Wall & Beyond 2026 Tour”. So popular has their show become in Tampa Bay, that they performed on two nights to a packed house in Clearwater on May 1st and 2nd. Eschewing an easy and obvious nostalgia trip approach, the ensemble delivered a performance defined by artistic precision, visual spectacle, impassioned performances, and a deep reverence to convey the core message of the source material.
When the opening guitar and organ riffs of “In the Flesh?” rang out like a siren, it immediately seized everyone’s attention and informed the audience in no small way that we were embarking on an arresting sensory journey into Pink Floyd’s most heralded material. Band founder and musical director Damian Darlington, who hails from Liverpool, England, formed Brit Floyd in 2011 after many years as a member of the Australian Pink Floyd Show, believing that he could elevate the concept to even higher levels of artistic realization. If their recent show in Clearwater is any indication, Brit Floyd is elevating their act to such lofty aspirations, performing over two and a half hours during a stunning two set show.
For the opening set, the band weaved their way through much of the first part of The Wall, creating a cohesive narrative interpreted through carefully manicured videos, imagery and theater sets where band members acted out the material as a kind of play, assuming characters from the story of The Wall. The band’s commitment to technical accuracy is astonishing, bordering on uncannily eerie. It’s a true masterwork of meticulous musical theater. The production value was of highest caliber, utilizing the iconic circular screen and a sophisticated laser array not as mere visual spectacle, but as essential components of the music’s structure. The lighting was enhanced by reflectors on the floor which bounced them throughout the theater, creating a multiplier, even more immersive effect.
Guitar work between Darlington and Bobby Harrison was particularly striking, at times mimicking licks which emulated David Gilmour’s famous tone that echoed through the hall, and able to produce effects that would have required multiple personnel or tracks to create in the studio. Bassist Ian Cattell did a fine job and was quite theatrical, acting out many parts throughout the evening to great effect, also providing strong vocals. Rob Stringer was a chameleon on all things keyboard, producing immaculate reproductions of the varied sounds made so famous by Richard Wright in the Pink Floyd catalog. Multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Dewey was a veritable whirlwind, on percussion, baritone, tenor, and soprano sax, guitar, bass and probably something I forgot, occupying all areas of the stage like a hired musical assassin. Drummer Arran Ahmun was thunderous and solid – his playing really added depth to the sound, and the marvelous backing vocalists of Shannon Robinson, Lilian Ximenes, and Liza Melfi were indeed angelic and mellifluous, really creating a magical, choir-like effect. Ximinez interpretation of the legendary vocal on “Great Gig in the Sky” from Dark Side of the Moon was ethereal, and heart-rending. And hats off to their sound person! I don’t know how long the sound check took, but it was literally a wall of sound arriving at every second that gave the performance an almost virtual reality quality. Real standout performance as well by Darlington on the lap steel, whose precision licks could have chiseled diamonds with their sonic cutting edge, emulating the mastery of David Gilmour on that instrument. Segments from “Run Like Hell” and “Comfortably Numb” were thunderous but not simply loud for amplification’s sake – it was part of the dynamics presented throughout the evening that added to the dramatic effect.
Every aspect of the performance was executed with an exacting attention to detail. They intertwined songs from “The Wall”, “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Wish You Were Here”, and “Meddle” into a kind of single, progressive narrative that delivered a singular message about seeking one’s true identity, maintaining integrity and finding meaning in a world that can lead one into alienation, abusive behaviors, addictions, mental illness, despair, but ultimately, achieving redemption and salvation by overcoming personal traumas and connecting with both self and society.
While some might find the performance almost too faithful, leaving little room for personal reinterpretation, that is also a big reason for the draw. It’s clear, however, that the band is comfortable now to the point of executing this material so confidently that they did stride into aspects of their own arrangements, expanding the envelope from the specifically familiar album cuts into new territory. They managed to straddle both worlds with the deftness of a tightrope walker, and perhaps because it’s really the story they were telling, essentially creating a recipe for navigating the precariousness of life.
If you are looking for the scale, tone, and emotional weight of Pink Floyd’s catalog delivered with world-class care, Brit Floyd remains the closest experience available this side of a time machine. That might seem hyperbolic and outside the boundaries of a “cover band”, but Brit Floyd has dedicated themselves to presenting both the original band’s intent with their own interpretation of what that means to them, and indeed how the audience can find inspiration from that in their own lives. As Pink Floyd’s ode to their founder Syd Barrett urged him to “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond!”, we too each have our inner light worth illuminating to the outside world.
