Pink Floyd - 'P•U•L•S•E'

Pink Floyd are one of my favourite bands of all time. Some may say they are boring, or that their music may be pretentious and self-indulgent, but I vehemently argue that the Roger Waters-led line-up produced some of the best music to ever be recorded, packaged and released. 'Animals', 'Wish You Were Here' and 'The Dark Side of the Moon' are frequently mentioned on critics' 'best-of' lists, as is their conceptual rock opera 'The Wall'.

So imagine my disappointment after watching their performance video, 'P•U•L•S•E'.

The concert was taped at Earls Court in London on October 20th 1994, almost a decade after Waters' departure from the band, now led by David Gilmour. The band play the expected numbers such as 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond', 'Wish You Were Here', 'Another Brick in the Wall' during the two-and-a-half hour set, but it is not the music that is the problem here.


The band look as though they are going through the motions. They look akin to workers on a production line, simply turning knobs and pushing buttons until quittin' time. Of course, the musicianship is impressive and Gilmour's virtuosity is certainly showcased during the performance, though it's just not that interesting to watch. It's also painful to see the band play material from newer albums 'The Division Bell' and 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' as the audience seem just as disinterested as the performers. The audience fail to get over this forty-five minute act even as the band jump into a full play-through of 'Dark Side', before closing the set with 'Comfortably Numb' and 'Run Like Hell'. There is clearly no connection established between the band and its fans.


Though the performance is lacklustre, the concert's visuals are unbelievable. Blinding lights and lasers shoot out from every inch of the stage, with spell-binding images and animations bursting from the backdrop. The stage itself completely steals the show here as I found myself baying for more wide distant shots, rather than close-ups on the band-members playing. The effects are compelling and extravagant, with the show climaxing with a huge mirror-covered disco ball descending above the audience and opening up like some kind of spaceship.


Though the visuals are amazing and, at times, awe-inspiring the band do little to compete for the audience's attention. It seems as though they could be replaced with a stereo system and half the crowd wouldn't even bat an eyelid, which does bring the performance down greatly. You could almost get the same effect playing the accompanying CD through Winamp with a maximised visualiser.


At least it might keep your interest for longer.