UK Pink Floyd Experience at Dubai Opera not just another tribute act

The group will make their debut with two shows at the Downtown venue this week

The prog-rock band are revered for their mammoth albums; now a top UK tribute act is coming to Dubai. Photo: Dubai Opera

Sometimes familiarity breeds too much comfort.

It was a gnawing feeling David Power experienced after yet another gig performing with a successful Bryan Adams tribute act, which he'd played in across the UK and Europe.

A seasoned name within the UK's tribute music community, he has been part of a variety of shows ranging from Madonna and Iron Maiden to the aforementioned Summer of 69 singer.

In the end, even musicians playing such a vibrant circuit have their own artistic itches to scratch.

“I did want to play music that was more musically fulfilling for me,” Power tells The National. “I remember after a particular show I sat down with [my former bandmate] Neil Smallman and started talking about doing our own thing.

"We were both big fans of Pink Floyd and we thought it would be great if we could do a show dedicated to their music.”

The end result is UK Pink Floyd Experience — A Tribute Show, a high-tech performance that has been packing in fans across the UK and Europe.

The group are set to make their Middle Eastern debut with two shows at Dubai Opera this Wednesday and Thursday.

Powers says the show’s success is not only down to the faithful interpretation and musicianship required to play epic Pink Floyd compositions, such as Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two), but in also recreating the cutting-edge audio visual show the band is famed for.

"Our production team is part of our band as far as we are concerned. Our lighting guys approach what they do as musicians, so everything is totally in sync with what we do on stage," Powers says.

“I create and edit all the video content for the show and with Pink Floyd songs, particularly songs from The Division Bell and A Momentary Lapse of Reason — albums talking about the world at the time — I use video content that is also timely."

Today, with the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and the global refugee crisis, the songs' subject matter remain as impactful to listeners as they did when they were first written decades ago.

However, despite Pink Floyd’s radio-friendly hits such as Money and Comfortably Numb, the group are more revered for their progressive rock compositions, which blend various genres ranging from blues and rock to orchestral music.

Powers says it is those adventurous tracks that crowds want to hear most.

"It comes from that appreciation because of how groundbreaking their music was and remains," he says. "I remember when The Dark Side of the Moon came out in 1973 it felt so weird, from the quadraphonic sound production to how the music just moved you.

"Fans were really digging into the lyrics which really spoke about the human condition."

However, any slip ups by the band, Power says, will be immediately spotted by certain members of the crowd.

“There are always those musicians in the audience who come after the show with their take,” Power says. "You will occasionally get someone saying: 'You know, that third chord in bar 43 in that song really should have been an augmented minor'.

"But I love the feedback, because all of us are really sharing our passion for music we love."

UK Pink Floyd Experience — A Tribute Show is at Dubai Opera on June 15 and 16. Showtime is 8pm. Tickets starting at Dh175 are available at dubaiopera.com

Elvis impersonator crackdown leaves Las Vegas weddings all shook up - in pictures