Hi

It’s Carly B. Just thought I’d fill you in on some of the stuff we’ve been up to during the past couple of months and some exciting new happenings on the horizon.

First up, I need to tell you a little about our recent gig in Lebanon, which took place on December 22nd, 2011 at the massive Forum De Beiruthe venue in Beirut. Beirut is an amazing city to visit and the people were so welcoming and friendly. We got to play to an appreciative audience consisting of 5,000 screaming Floyd fans and I think I can speak for everyone when I say this was certainly one of the most enjoyable shows from last year. A significant highlight of the night was when 5,000 Lebanese Floyd fans launched into singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Bobby.

You may have noticed that our US and Canada tour is shaping up nicely. We kick off at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh (PA) with a sold out show on 23rd February. The tour then takes in venues across the East Coast before heading up into Canada. We’re all very excited about returning over the pond with our new show celebrating Pink Floyd’s recent release ‘A Foot in the Door’.

We’re also booked to play the prestigious Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on 28th September. There’s a real buzz about this gig as we will be playing a 10,000 seat venue located in the Rocky Mountains as well as following in the footsteps of some amazing bands.

One of Brit Floyd’s related live ventures, ‘The Classic Rock Show’, is currently touring theatres around the UK and picking up rave reviews. Guitarist Howie G alongside singers Carl Sentance and Andy Gibson join Brit Floyd stalwarts Damian, Bobby, Rob, Rick, Arran, Amy, and myself. Check out the official website (www.theclassicrockshow.com) or the Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/tcrshow for more information.

The show incorporates music from the 10 top selling Classic Rock albums of all time including Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell’, AC/DC’s ‘Back In Black’, The Eagles’ ‘Greatest Hits’, Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, Dire Straits’ ‘Brothers In Arms’, Led Zeppelin IV, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’ and, of course, Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and ‘The Wall’.

It has to be said, we’re all really enjoying performing this material and replicating it with the same level of detail that we employ when approaching Pink Floyd’s music. Personally, I vibe off getting to play some of the great sax solos by the likes of the E Street Band’s Clarence Clemons, Floyd’s Dick Parry and Supertramp’s John Helliwell.

On a personal note, if you get the opportunity, please check out my funky new updated website at: www.regroovemusic.co.uk. You’ll find all the latest Brit Floyd and Classic Rock news, tour dates, an extensive gallery plus selected audio and video clips.

In other news I have some astounding new retro Gazelles. Adidas have surpassed themselves by taking it right back to the beginning, where the legend began, by honouring the original cut. The silhouette is lower and simpler, the sole is thinner and the tongue is flatter. I shall be wearing these during upcoming Classic Rock and Brit Floyd tours. Dig.

Hello!

We are all very excited as we’re about to embark on the final stage of our trip around Europe, and also slightly sad because it means the end is getting closer …. but there is still plenty to come and it’s not over until the fat lady sings :-)

Germany has been fantastic, and the crowds have been awesome! Thank you to everyone for making every night so enjoyable for us, and the quick trip over to Belgium was also a pleasure.

Hi Everyone,

We hope you all had a fantastic summer, wherever you are. It looks like they’ve decided to start summer in late September, here in the UK, just as the Brit Floyd guys and girls are set to embark on our first European tour.

We’re extremely excited about this tour, which kicks off at the Konserthus in Oslo on October 7th.

32 dates have been confirmed so far, covering nine countries including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Holland and my old stomping ground, Switzerland.

Damian, Ian, Carl, Emily, Rob, Ola, Jacquie, Arran, Rick, myself and of course, our fantastic crew are all really looking forward to giving our European friends a Floyd fix!

Thanks so much, once again, to everybody who made it to one of our UK dates this year. Your support, as ever, is greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing you again soon. My personal highlights from the 2011 UK tour include London’s Royal Albert Hall and O2 Arena, the three shows at Liverpool Echo Arena, plus the festival dates at Glastonbury and The Isle Of Wight, but I enjoyed every gig. The crowds were fantastic and each venue in each city offered something new and exciting.

Okay, Guitar-Geek Alert (for the next few paragraphs, at least):

For this upcoming tour, I am hoping to have my new guitar: A Suhr Custom Classic. Its arrival is looking tight because of the scheduled delivery date, but hopefully it should turn up just before we leave for Olso.

John Suhr of Suhr guitars is a former a master builder for Fender and has built instruments for artists such as Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton and Peter Frampton. Being left handed, I have spent years in pursuit of the ultimate Stratocaster. Lefties are rare in most high street guitar stores and a well-made lefty is especially difficult to find.

I own a few left-handed Strats and although they all sound great, each one has presented a different problem in a touring environment. I won’t bore you with all the details, but my old black Strat from the 2008 and 2009 North American tours, for example, just won’t stay in tune, no matter how many modifications it has undergone.

For the past year or so, my main Floyd guitar has not been a Fender at all, but a Musicman Silhouette Special. The Musicman Company was originally co-founded by Leo Fender, so the guitar itself is essentially a Strat in terms of its tone, but the pickguard and headstock differ from Fender’s traditional design. However, my Musicman guitars out-Strat my other Strats, play great and stay in tune, so they’re real workhorses.

That said, I’m looking forward to the arrival of the Suhr guitar and to playing something more Classic looking for future Brit Floyd shows. Plus this guitar has a few hidden extras under the hood, making it the perfect instrument for The Classic Rock Show gigs too.

Okay, here’s a bit of shameless self-promotion for anybody looking to take up guitar lessons:

My guitar buddy, Nick Radcliffe and myself are weeks away from launching an online guitar tuition course – Frethub.com

Frethub is a fresh and comprehensive online guitar course offering hundreds of video lessons taught by two highly qualified and respected teachers with over 40 years of combined professional experience.
Our videos are taught in a down-to-earth manner and presented in a logical and progressive order, providing the consistency and familiarity you get from taking private lessons.
Our aim is to give you a solid foundation and equip you with the necessary tools to learn and recognise the techniques used in the making of the music you love.

From beginners through to advanced players, there’s plenty here to help you become the musician you want to be.
You will have unlimited access to a huge catalogue of video lessons and downloadable backing tracks, all in one centralised and convenient location.

I’ve attached a link to our Youtube trailer below and the site itself should a up and running my mid October 2011. Membership is very cheap too! It’s a fraction of the price of private tuition, so it’s an ideal Christmas present for anybody looking to start learning, regardless of previous experience.

I met Nick whilst playing guitar for Queen’s We Will Rock You show. He’s currently back in the West End. Playing in Rock Of Ages alongside Justin Lee Collins and Shane Ward. Nick and I have been filming content for Frethub for the past 18 months, in between touring and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved. It’s effectively an online syllabus for guitar, so we’re both very excited about launching the site.

Okay, plug over!

I thought I’d finish by showing you some pictures below of a house formerly owned by a certain David Gilmour. My Dad took these pictures recently, but I believe Mr Gilmour lived there until the early 90s.

I grew up less than a quarter of a mile from the man himself and although I never met him, my Dad would occasionally see him at his local pub.

All the best, fellow Floyd fans!

See you soon,

Bobby

(Pictures and links below)

Frethub link on Youtube

Above – A still from a recently shot Frethub guitar tuition video. Note my left-handedness has been reversed in order to make the lessons easier to follow.

Below – Some photos of David Gilmour’s old house, less than a quarter of a mile from where I grew up.

From Liverpool’s launch show at the Echo Arena on January 22 to London’s magnificent O2 Arena this week and 36 more dates in between, Brit Floyd is truly up and running as the best Pink Floyd Show in the world (well, Rog’s tour might have a shot at that title, but nobody else comes close!).

As the britfloyd.com webmaster, it has been an privilege to play a small part in this extraordinary show, which for a brand new band has received unprecedented feedback from audiences everywhere. Some of the comments from facebook, emails and the website:

• “You have quite literally taken Pink Floyd off the ventilator and brought the entire concept back to full health.”
• “How things have changed and changed for the better.”
• “Just want to say a big thank you for a tremendous performance last night at the O2 Arena. It was worth every penny spent! Magnificent!”
• “110% perfection.”