Brit Floyd, Alhambra Theatre: 50th anniversary of Wish You Were Here celebration shines magnificently

It’s hard to explain the impact it had on us as we studied its gatefold sleeve, poured over the lyrics and admired Gerald Scarfe’s astonishing artwork at school - and that was all before the needle dropped on song one, side one of the album.

It took me more than 30 years to see Rogers Water perform The Wall live at Wembley Stadium - a concert on an epic scale in every sense of the world.

The Wall led to Dark Side Of The Moon and Atom Heart Mother, Ummagumma, and then on to Wish You Were Here. That latter album marks its 50th anniversary this year, and is the centrepiece of Brit Floyd’s new touring show - and it was bliss to hear it performed in its entirety at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline.

The nine-piece group is billed as the world premiere Pink Floyd experience - to call them a tribute feels inappropriate – and it’s not hard to see why. Musically they were spot on, but the show, complete with audio visuals, lasers and a stunning light show was genuinely breathtaking.

Framed around a circular screen and lighting rig, it even gave us the classic prisms to the delight of a near full house in which there were more than a few classic Floyd tour t-shirts on show, together with one denim jacket covered in rock band patches. I found myself mentality ticking off the names of the groups featured that I’ve seen over the decades.

The first half was a trip through Floyd’s remarkable songbook, drawing on several classic albums. Mother and Another Brick In The Wall were superb, but The Great Gig In The Sky simply soared to the rafters with Eva Avila’s breathtaking vocals

The second half was given over to Wish You Were Here after One Of These Days opened the set. It was 45 minutes of magnificent music from an accomplished band of musicians who know these songs inside out; from the stunning guitar soloes of Edo Scordo and musical director Damian Darlington, to Matt Riddle’s glorious keyboards, the performances were all flawless.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond was epic, and Wish You Were Here had everyone singing along, bu the whole set was simply bliss for any Floyd fan.

A searing Comfortably Numb brought the show to a close, with an encore of Brain Damage, Eclipse and a rollicking Run Like Hell to round off a night when the music was complemented perfectly by the the backdrop films and graphics and that mesmerising light show.