All Songs from the Album Atom Heart Mother Played by Genshi Shinbo! - Pink Floyd Trips 2021 Event Report Part 1 - April 3, 2021

Photo by Koichi Morishima

Among the generation of fans who later became fans of 1960-70’s rock, I think many are eager to have a taste of the real rock concerts at that time. I am one of them. The best way then would be to experience the live concert of a talented tribute band who can play the songs as close to the original albums as possible. The band I went to see this time was a Pink Floyd tribute band, Genshi Shinbo. I first read about Pink Floyd in a music magazine in the 1980’s. I’m the generation who became fans listening to the vinyls of The Dark Side of the Moon. When I was a student, Pink Floyd came to Japan in 1988, but I couldn’t go because I went to a training camp for my club. I still regret that I didn’t go and I should have gone anyway. I think I was lucky to see the band member Roger Waters perform in Japan in 2002.

My boss at work knew my passion for Floyd and he asked me to go with him to see a live concert where the tribute band, Genshi Shinbo (same pronunciation as the Japanese title of Atom Heart Mother), was playing all songs from Atom Heart Mother.

The band was formed by Takehiko “shake” Kogure (RED WARRIORS) and other musicians who love Pink Floyd. This was the first time for me to go to see Genshi Shinbo, but the band’s website had said that they would show us a high level of reproducibility and give us a fun live performance. I had no reason not to go see this band playing all songs from Atom Heart Mother!

So, the day came and I went to Club Citta' in Kawasaki with my boss. I’m going to write about the live concert in a 3-part report just like the concert itself was divided into 3 sets due to how long it was.

We entered the venue early after undergoing a thorough health check-up. We started to feel the excitement as the album Meddle played. As the show time approached, the seats were filled with a wide range of fans, from those who seemed to be older fans to the younger generation who seemed to have become fans because of Radiohead. The venue was almost full even during the COVID pandemic, and I learned how much hype was behind this event. The show was also live streamed.

The same old conversation between fans began, wondering what the first song of the first set would be. This was what I was looking forward to before the show started. This type of thing only happens at live concerts.

The lights went out, the show started, and the clock started to ring...

1. Time/Breathe (reprise)

The show starts with “TIME” from the album The Dark Side of the Moon. The intro, which is exactly like Pink Floyd from the beginning, is just indescribable. Lead vocalist Kenneth Andrew shows up with a fantastic intro in a gentlemanly ensemble.

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

The wonderful guitar solo by Takehiko “shake” Kogure and the undulating groove of the rhythm section continues. I realize that the gorgeous organ and chorus are the heart of this song. It is an overwhelming opening that makes me feel as if I tripped into Abbey Road Studios where the album was recorded. In addition, the PA seems to reproduce the same feeling from the album The Dark Side of the Moon. It is an emotional opening where the band and everyone who was involved in this event were playing Pink Floyd.

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

2. The Great Gig in the Sky

The next one is also from the album The Dark Side of the Moon. It is easy to imagine that many people in the venue expected “The Great Gig in the Sky” to be the second song since the first song, “Time/Breathe (Reprise)” came to an end. They did after all!

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

The voice of Lovely Reina on the chorus is as strong as the original Clare Torry’s. And the voice of Reika Tomita supports and interacts with Reina’s, and the guitar and the Hammond sound floating feel. The drumming of Katsumi Kashiwabara is surprisingly similar to the Nick Mason style. With the audio effects, their performance lets the audience enjoy The Dark Side of the Moon to the fullest. The end of the song where the reverberation gets flattened is just like the original album version. It’s invincible.

3. High Hopes

The next song “High Hopes” from The Division Bell is one of the few albums that people like me who became fans later could experience Pink Floyd in real life. It can be said that one of the best things about going to see a professional tribute band is that the songs are selected for the various ages of the audience. The vocalist Kenneth Andrew, who is so expressive, is a little reminiscent of David Bowie.

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

Here, I remembered David Gilmour’s solo live DVD and his guest performances on Roger Waters’ soundtrack album. “High Hopes” is a great selection for the alternative rock generation.

4. Have a Cigar

“Have a Cigar” is a song that was released as a single in Japan from the album Wish You Were Here. The original is sung by guest singer Roy Harper but hearing this song live makes me think how David Gilmour would sing it. The performing ability of the vocalist has become more and more brilliant.

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

5. Pigs on the Wing 1

“Pigs on the Wing (Part 1)” is the opening song from the album Animals. Bassist Yutaro Ogita sings this folk song written by Roger Waters with a really wonderful voice while playing acoustic guitar.

Photo by Naoko Shikai

I wish they would play “Mother” from The Wall someday.

6. Sheep

Another popular song off the album Animals, “Sheep”. This song is also included in their best compilation album A Collection of Great Dance Songs, and is known as a magnificent highlight song from Animals. I think many fans were so happy that this song was played as the last song of the first set.

Photo by Koichi Morishima

I especially felt a sense of unity with the groove unique to the band, Genshi Shinbo. I think it is not because of the choice of Pink Floyd songs that I felt the individuality of the band members as if they were saying, “We’re not just a cover band.” It was impressive that the electric piano and synth by Yoshitaka Mikuni and Harunobu Okubo strongly colored the 1970’s sound, but the wonderful lighting was also noteworthy. I felt the lighting reproduced the gorgeous aesthetics of a 1970’s rock concert, and I dreamed of going to Floyd’s live performance at that time.

These 6 songs were all featured in the first set. The band members are as follows, but I think another element required for a professional tribute band is that it should be the performance by overall good looking characters. For the first time, I experienced a band that recreates the real thrill of Pink Floyd, which fascinates us visually and aurally, and takes us to faraway places.

PINK FLOYD TRIPS Set 1 - April 3, 2021 Club Citta', Kawasaki

Genshi Shinbo　
Takehiko “shake” Kogure (Guitar)
Yoshitaka Mikuni (Keyboards)
Harunobu Okubo (Keyboards)
Yutaro Ogida (Bass, Guitar, Vocals)
Katsumi Kashiwabara (Drums)
Kenneth Andrew (Lead Vocals)
Lovely Reina (Chorus)
Reika Tomita (Chorus)

The second set is the big feature. It is the long-awaited live performance of all songs of the masterpiece, Atom Heart Mother. I’m going to talk about the second set in the next blog post!

Photo by Naoko Shikai

Genshi Shinbo Official Website
http://pinkfloydtrips.com/
Facebook：@pinkfloydtrips
Twitter：@genshi_shinbo
Instagram：@genshi_shinbo

Before ending this article, here is an item that will pull at all the Pink Floyd fans’ heartstrings, which is available now at Sound House.

BUFFALO FX / Patriot

The original model of the BUFFALO FX Patriot is a masterpiece that was on David Gilmour’s pedal board for the Division Bell Tour. It is a loud and heavy fuzz/distortion pedal based on the Big Muff made in Russia in the early 1990’s. I recommend this pedal to any guitar player who likes the live album Pulse!!