A big Uppermill gig that isn’t a brass band

Reporter: Dawn Marsden
Date published: 17 August 2010


Fink Ployd, Uppermill Civic Hall, Saturday

BEATS: Pink Floyd tribute band Fink Ployd strive to stage a faithful recreation of their idols and revellers can expect a spectacular light show.

The seven-piece will stage a complete performance of Floyd’s classic album “Darkside of the Moon”.

Lead singer Paddy O’Hare said: “It’s long been an ambition of mine to put on a truly great rock show at Uppermill Civic Hall as I love the room. Plus, with the exception of the pubs, nowhere in Saddleworth puts on proper big gigs with any regularity.”

The band spent a year rehearsing Pink Floyd’s extensive back catalogue before they embarked on a year of playing pubs up and down the country. The lads are hoping to start playing grander venues so they can showcase their full light show. Paddy added: “I wanted to up our game and book us into some big beautiful rooms. So we could really show off our stage production and light show that is unfortunately not as impressive in the smaller venues due to their size, despite the audiences being great. I immediately thought of the civic hall. It had also been many years since a gig that wasn’t a brass band had been put on there so that made me even more determined to do it.

“I realise that Pink Floyd is not everyone’s cup of tea but I have been amazed by the amount of people we have converted at our gigs. We are putting on the biggest production the civic hall has ever seen including a massive lighting rig with lasers and haze machines. We are also hoping to project screen films behind the band just like Floyd did.”

The gig almost didn’t go ahead after a safety check revealed the hall’s electrical system could not take the hard-hitting light show.

After some brainstorming, band member Dave Hobson (who is also an electrician) decided that he would offer to replace the system for free so that future acts could benefit from using the fantastic space.