Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets at the Roundhouse

Nick Mason returned to London’s famous Roundhouse venue – after 52 years – accompanied by his new band Saucerful of Secrets. The site where the legendary progressive rock band Pink Floyd played one of their first shows relived the 60s psychedelia with tributes to the early years with Syd Barrett. The concert opened with Interstellar Overdrive from Pink Floyd’s 1967 debut record The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Announcing to hails of support that he had “finally given up waiting for that phone call”, Mason – the band’s only constant member featuring on all the albums – was joined by Floyd and Gilmour bassist Guy Pratt, The Blockheads guitarist Lee Harris and Spandau Ballet guitarist and singer Gary Kemp with Dom Beken on the keyboard. Despite much scepticism on social media about Kemp doing Barrett’s vocals, the sold-out venue was overcome by thunderous applause to the entrancing sounds of Lucifer Sam and Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.

The early singles, See Emily Play and Arnold Layne, were revived with dazzling intensity while songs such as Obscured by Clouds and Bike celebrated the improvisational, playful style of the Barrett era.

Stepping away from the drums, Mason appeared as Kemp recalled him after seeing Pink Floyd live in his teens as the “nicer, funnier, less egotistical man than you could ever hope to meet”. Dressed casually, he was the very embodiment of that as he joked: “We are not the Australian Roger Waters, nor are we the Danish David Gilmours”.

The band’s encores featured A Saucerful of Secrets, culminating in the electric sound of Point Me at the Sky, which was in reminisce of the good times and the transcendental quality of music not made for the charts but to awaken every sense of the listener mesmerised by the unique psychedelic quality of Pink Floyd.

Marissa Khaos
Photo: Jill Furmanovsky

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets will tour the UK in Spring 2019. For further information visit the Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets website here.