On Thin Ice
COVEN CLUB Music Review
Local Pink Floyd tribute Band, On Thin Ice, who pay an extraordinary nod to quintessential band Pink Floyd, drew in an extra special energy recently to the Black Box in Hastings Old Town.
The famous Pink Floyd sonic provocation of blood-rushing angst and feelings of disconnection amongst their listeners was undoubtedly manifested with genuine musicianship. Nigel Polley issued authentic Dave Gilmour vocals besides playing on rhythm/lead and lap steel guitars. He delivered the rhythmic flow and groovy intricacies that underpin Floyd’s work.
The ebb and flow of Floyd’s tempos were authentically reproduced by drummer Nigel Dawson, dissolving into a mixture of stunning bass grooves by Alan Holbrook, superb saxophone solos from Glyn Roberts, broad sonic gorgeousness from keyboardist Dave Balentine, and euphoric lead guitar by Chris Barnett.
Floyd, renowned for strong musical encounters imploding into themes of deep, personal interpretations of life as an earthling, were summoned into being by this local Hastings tribute, who produced an equally unsettling experience.
QUADROPHONIC SOUNDSCAPE
Despite the ambush to get a position in the ‘sweet-spot’ (the centre – achieving the best Floyd full quadrophonic soundscapes and consummate psychedelics), sound pioneer Wee Jock allowed sound to diffuse and surround, travelling and sweeping through all four speakers that were positioned high, pointing downwards from all four corners, to best maximise the music’s emotional impact. This was not just quadraphonic sound in an ethereal lit room, it soon became a sonic adventure, in a degree of sound design rarely executed in local live music venues.
CLOUD NINE
Just like the real Floyd deal, the audience zoned in to the laser and video show, compiled by Sean. The display not only walked hand-in-hand with the quadraphonic soundscapes, but also magnified the significance of Floyd’s discerning themes and their essence, reinforcing narratives and becoming a multi-sensory experience.
Backing vocalists Mish B and Sarah Feleppa brought powerful harmonic intricacy to a vast set of Floyd tracks. Enhancing Floyd’s thematic exploration, Mish B’s powerful version of Great Gig in the Sky was very much the icing on the cake, highly reminiscent of vocalist, Clare H. Torry on Floyd’s original version. Mish B’s vocal gymnastics were well respected, generating a roaring, wall-to-wall applause from Floyd purists.
The Pink Floyd tribute took place at The Black Box, 6 March, 2026. Dave Gilmour’s Birthday.
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