May 11, 2007 10:13

Pink Floyd appear at Syd Barrett tribute gig

Classic line-up turns up to honour old bandmate

Pink Floyd have performed at a gig in honour of ex-bandmate Syd Barrett – but a full reunion didn’t happen on the night.

Warring pair Roger Waters and David Gilmour, who famously fell out in the 1980s, appeared separately at the tribute gig at London's Barbican Centre last night (May 10).

Gilmour was joined by the band’s drummer Nick Mason and keyboard player Rick Wright, while Waters performed solo.

Rumours of the ‘classic’ Floyd line-up reuniting have been rife since they put their differences behind them to perform at Live8 in 2005.

However Waters didn’t join in the final performance of ‘Bike’, which featured all the evening’s other performers, including Damon Albarn and Chrissie Hynde.

Gilmour, Mason and Wright performed ‘Arnold Layne’, Pink Floyd’s first hit, written by Barrett.

Waters played his own song, ‘Flickering Flame’.

According to BBC News, the bassist, said he found smaller shows "more frightening" because he had a "sense of shame" - which Barrett did not suffer from.

"Before the illness, he kind of lived his life like he walked," the said onstage. "I think it's because of his lack of a sense of shame that he was able to take all the creative risks he did."

The "illness" was a mental deterioration blamed on heavy LSD use, which led to Barrett leaving the band in 1968 and living most of the rest of his life as a recluse in Cambridge.

There he reverted to his real name, Roger, and spent most of his time cycling and painting.

Barrett died in July 2006 aged 60 from complications arising from diabetes.