REVIEW: The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Portsmouth Guildhall

This sell-out show was blindingly, jaw-droppingly, sensationally awesome.

TAPFS takes the hum-drum monicker tribute band, snorts in derision, trashes it under-foot, then remodels it in high-definitiion with knobs on and with new bells, whistles, added lasers and a giant pink kangaroo, for good measure.

Their audience is ready-made and eager. Pink Floyd records still sell by the shedload. They are known and loved the world over.

Sadly, though key members of the band have hugely successful solo careers, and still tour the world playing live, Pink Floyd as an entity, post a brief reunion at Live 8, has ceased to be.

This, then, is Pink Floyd preserved in aspic, but still throbbing and sparkling for a new generation of fans. TAPFS, hugely talented musicians all, faithfully recreate Floyd’s widely varied back catalogue supplemented by visual splendour.

Dark Side of the Moon was played in its entirety. Sections from The Wall, A Momentary Lapse of reason and other gems followed.

Even Floyd themselves did not think of visually representing the ‘duelling guitars’ intro to Wish You Were here, with laser projections imitating plucked and strummed guitar strings.

Rainbows of lights raked the auditorium during a blazing One Of These Days, and the finale, Comfortably Numb, was sublime.

A fitting tribute to one of the world’s best-loved rock bands.