All Photos Credit David AC Stuart

You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger Pink Floyd fan than I am. Okay, so I wasn’t alive when they were playing London’s UFO Club as “The Pink Floyd” or rubbing elbows with The Who at the 14-Hour Technicolor Dream show, but I’ve committed a substantial portion of my time (and iTunes space, for that matter) to making up for lost time. I own every box set and remastered album, have collected vintage vinyl and 180-gram pressings from more than six countries, and have seen David Gilmour and Roger Waters in concert so many times that I could build a wall of my own.

So, naturally, I was interested to hear about The Australian Pink Floyd Experience—a group of musicians from Down Under who recreate the look, feel and sound of a live Pink Floyd show. Needless to say, I was somewhat skeptical when several other diehard fans told me the show was essentially like seeing Pink Floyd live. But after seeing the show for myself, I’m thrilled to say I’m no longer a skeptic. These guys are the real deal.

As you would imagine, each member is a great musician who faithfully reproduces every nuance of Pink Floyd’s music down to the most exacting detail. And before you ask, we’re not talking about just the hits—they absolutely nail deep cuts from Ummagumma, The Final Cut and more.

The remarkable music chops aside, what really impressed me were the visuals. As any Pink Floyd fan knows, the music is only part of the experience. From their surreal album covers to elaborate stage props and storied light shows, Pink Floyd shows are as much an exploration of sight as they are of sound.

For their latest world tour, The Australian Pink Floyd Experience worked with Production Manager Chris Gadd and Lighting Designer Tom Mumby to create a rig that could emulate the original Pink Floyd tours—without requiring the massive trusses and eco-unfriendly power requirements of the original shows. I recently caught up with Chris and Tom to discuss how they used Martin lighting to achieve their goals and deliver memorable visual experiences worthy of the Pink Floyd name.

What was your aesthetic goal for the tour, and how did you achieve it?

“Our goal was to replicate the iconic visuals of Pink Floyd and add new creative elements to establish the mood,” said Mumby. “We started with the iconic circle screen and light array, and worked from there. We equipped six ladders with 50 MAC Aura XB washes and suspended them at varying heights to create a solid, clean look that would add to the existing stage aesthetic.”

What motivated you to choose MAC Axiom Hybrid fixtures for the tour?

Australian Pink Floyd_013“MAC Axiom Hybrid is the first light I’ve been excited about in years,” said Mumby. “The fixture allows us to develop great aesthetics with lots of different looks and effects, plus the GOBO selection is fantastic. On top of that, MAC Axiom Hybrid is really light, really bright and everything we wanted it to be. I’ll always recommend and use these fixtures if I have the option.”

Did the Martin fixtures provide any other advantages?

Australian Pink Floyd_009MAC Axiom Hybrid was able to cut through all of the other lights onstage, which is incredibly important to the visuals,” continued Mumby. “We’re also doing a lot of outdoor shows, where brightness can be an issue. We toured with a support band in the summer that took the stage before sunset, and you could still see the light from Axiom—they cut through exactly the way we wanted them to. Honestly, there’s nothing I’d change about them at all.”

It’s one thing to look great for a single show, Australian Pink Floyd_010but we’re talking about a world tour here. How did the Martin lights hold up?

“We haven’t had a single problem with Martin. It’s clear that Martin is rigorous in their research and development, because the fixtures are absolutely solid.”

With such an extensive tour, reliability and ease of setup must be key. How did Martin help meet those challenges?   

Australian Pink Floyd_018“We covered more than 15,000 miles across the U.S. in just six weeks,” said Gadd. “After being loaded in and out of trucks, terrible road conditions and all-around hard traveling, we only had two fixtures that needed a little work. Martin lights are ready to go right out of the box. The reliability is a credit to the design team and the entire company.”

Are Martin fixtures part of the European performances too?

Australian Pink Floyd_011“We liked the Martin MAC Axiom Hybrid fixtures so much that we decided to use them for both the U.S. and European legs of the tour,” said Gadd. “When we reached Europe, Entec Sound & Light hooked us up with the first-ever MAC Axiom Hybrid fixtures in the U.K.—we’re happy to be using them.”

For tour dates, videos and more, visit http://www.aussiefloyd.com/