Phenomenal Pink Floyd tribute may have made a boy band lover out of me

Rock Tenors, Best of Pink Floyd, St Paul’s Cathedral, Thursday, June 13.

I’m not normally one for boy bands, but the Rock Tenors may have just changed my mind — at least for a prog-rock "boy band". The Rock Tenors performed a show that centred on the music of one band — Pink Floyd — and it was phenomenal.

The stage is set upon the altar of St Paul’s Cathedral, ominous and imposing, the drum kit front and centre with the band surrounding, and the promise of a spectacular night. The opening notes of Shine on you Crazy Diamond ring out across the nave allowing the audience to hear just how good the acoustics are, and in fact, perfect for this type of performance.

The brainchild of DKCM’s master producer Doug Kamo, the Rock Tenors is an ensemble made up of five lads Luke Butson, Justin Wilson, Greg MacLeod, James Adams and Ben Hayward, who seem to really love performing together. Adams was a clear crowd favourite by hitting all the high notes, which sounded all the better in that space, but all of them performed a rocking great show, with standout songs including Wish You Were Here, Money and Hey You.

The backing band was exceptional, in particular, Alex Ramsay on drums and the lead guitarist Che Long — especially in his solo in Comfortably Numb. Having members from St Paul’s Cathedral Choir added to the overall atmosphere and magic of the evening.

A brief appearance from the newly formed Rock Divas added a bit of spice and apparently their full-length debut will be in October — a couple of generous plugs coming from the boys. Anna Langford was outstanding, and I can’t wait to see what she delivers in a full-length show.

St Paul’s Cathedral was an inspired choice of venue for this piece of musical drama. Its pointed arches soared overhead and provided an incredible backdrop for the AV production by Gravity Events. The stage lights bouncing and refracting off the contours and architecture of the Cathedral was mesmerising.

Rock Tenors "The Best of Pink Floyd" is definitely a show that is the sum of its parts, and not one that singles out a particular performer, but allows all to equally shine to create something amazing and that extends to the backing band and choir. A wee bit theatrical, a wee bit orchestral, a wee bit choral and a big bit dramatic; already looking forward to the next Rock Tenors season.

What would have capped the night off would have been a big pink pig inflatable being tossed about the crowd — very Pink Floyd indeed, but perhaps not very St Paul’s.