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

This Pink Floyd tribute band was started by a group of professional musicians that go by the name of Genshi Shinbo. Their live concert PINK FLOYD TRIPS 2021 was divided into 3 sets and was held on April 3rd.
The second set is an incredible reproduction of all songs from Pink Floyd’s masterpiece album, Atom Heart Mother, with instrumentals by cello, chorus, and brass. It was a fantastic performance where excitement and ecstasy coexisted.

The third set thrilled UK rock fans and diehard Pink Floyd fans who were lucky enough to witness this legendary music making. In the final part of this live concert report, I’m going to talk about the third set and the unexpected encore.

Now that the schedule for their upcoming tour this fall has been booked, I hope that those who are thinking of going to see Genshi Shinbo for the first time can also enjoy this live concert report to learn what the Genshi Shinbo shows are like.

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

1、Shine On You Crazy Diamond

“Shine on You Crazy Diamond” is the opening track from Pink Floyd’s album Wish You Were Here.
Their live album Delicate Sound of Thunder, p·u·l·s·e, and Gilmour’s acoustic live DVD also begins with this song, so it immerses us in the exhilaration and anticipation for the show that is about to start. The intro sounds so thrilling no matter how many times I hear it. The moment the UK modern pop synth starts, we instantly go on a trip back to the 1970’s. And, the melancholic guitar melody expresses the coolness of UK rock and it does not just faithfully reproduce a Floyd performance. This guitar playing is what only Takehiko “shake” Kogure, who just emanates love in “Gilmour”, can do. Just recalling that time while I’m writing this report almost gives me goosebumps. Kenneth Andrew’s vocals on this song has a taste of Roger Waters, and I was so happy to hear about this performance as I also am a fan of Roger’s solo albums. Perhaps I had this in mind while I was listening to the live performance, but the chorus by vocalists Lovely Reina and Reika Tomita sounded soulful.
Then in the middle of the song, YOKAN, who was conducting “Atom Heart Mother” in the second set, came out to play a saxophone solo. It’s time for Pink Floyd fans to get into a blissful state.

Photo by Koichi Morishima Photography

Photo by Naoko Shikai

Photo by Naoko Shikai

Photo by Koichi Morishima Photography

2、Wish You Were Here

This is another great song from the album Wish You Were Here. The acoustic guitar ensemble by Takehiko “shake” Kogure and Yutaro Ogita go perfectly together, and this sets apart Genshi Shinbo from other tribute bands who only perform for party events. I couldn’t help but think of the phrase on the sticker from the Japanese edition of the record cover: “Recall your soul to this land, oh, wish you were here”. The performance was phenomenal, so I wished we could sing along with the band and rock out to this song!

Photo by Koichi Morishima Photography

Photo by　畔柳ユキ

3、Another Brick In The Wall part2

Finally, here we have a track from the album The Wall. This time the opening of this song is based on the live album p·u·l·s·e, and the arrangement starts with the guitar riff from “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1)” along with the sound effects. It can be said that this is a big gift for Japanese fans because Pink Floyd didn’t come to Japan when p·u·l·s·e was released. When listening to this song on the album The Wall, the disco music flavor added by the producer is impressive. However, the performance by Genshi Shinbo has a heavy guitar sound, and together with a rock drum by Katsumi Kashihara, becomes a fun straight rock sound. In the Hammond solo, Yoshitaka Mikuni and Harunobu Okubo’s respectful organ and keyboard battle that pays homage to the late Richard Wright. This live performance gives the fans a different kind of thrill from the real Floyd live concert. But... I found myself wanting to sing along with this performance too!!

Photo by Koichi Morishima Photography

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

4、Comfortably Numb

This next one is a single from The Wall. “Comfortably Numb” excites me immediately starting from the first note. Yutaro Ogita sings the verse and Kenneth Andrew sings the bridge. This arrangement feels like the original version from the album, not from the live album. The unique floating feeling is elaborately expressed by the strings sound on synth and the choral sound. The part sung by Yutaro Ogita seemed to express the voice of Bob Geldof in addition to the feeling of Roger Waters, and it gave me goosebumps because I like The Wall. (*) The tone of the guitar solo is really irresistible as the song pushes forward to the latter half and it reminds me of "Young Lust" from the same album!
(* Bob Geldof starred in the movie The Wall produced by Pink Floyd.)

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

5、Run Like Hell

The main section of the show ends with this final floor killer number again from The Wall. The whole band skillfully emulates the fun of this song. I’m sorry, but I really love The Wall. I was so engrossed by the show that a lot of time passed before I could accurately take notes because of my excitement. It reminds me of the days when I used to dance like crazy at the club where they played this song every once in a while. Then, I got an idea in my mind. The band Genshi Shinbo probably is a group that pursues the fun that a cover band does not have by releasing their own unique niche through a Pink Floyd tribute band. I was more sure about this when I heard the following song played in an encore.

At this point we start guessing what song the band will be playing for an encore when the main segment of the show ends.
It was the first time my boss and I watched Genshi Shinbo live.
“Will they play some standard song?”
“If they do a standard, the show will maybe end with ‘Eclipse’?”
“Or maybe it could be the choice we would never expect because there are many diehard fans?”
“If so, it will be something from Ummagumma or A Saucerful of Secrets...”
“It could be a super surprise from More or Obscured by Clouds, hahahaha”
“No way! Lol”
We were having this conversation, then...!

Encore：Nile Song

I thought I was joking, but they really did it! “The Nile Song” is the song that features an impressive, aggressive performance from the soundtrack album, More, which was produced by Pink Floyd. This song will hype up the audience at a live concert for sure, but it’s nice of Genshi Shinbo to perform it at the end of the show! They know what diehard fans really want!
I remember when I was listening to the soundtrack albums from the 1960’s, which were re-evaluated in the 1990’s due to the Shibuya-kei boom. In fact, Takehiko “shake” Kogure said on the stage that Genshi Shinbo always played “The Nile Song” at the end. It was the day I experienced a live performance made of Floyd fans, by Floyd fans, for Floyd fans.

Photo by Yuki Kuroyanagi

Genshi Shinbo - They create live performances with unique production and stage presence. They draw out a concert venue full of euphoria that cannot be expressed by words. This November, they are planning a tour “Genshi Shinbo - Pink Floyd Trips - 2021 Fall / Meddle 50 Years Anniversary Tour”. As the tour name suggests, all songs from the album Meddle will be played. You absolutely can’t miss it! I especially look forward to the song “Echoes” from the album. This song has been performed at Gilmour’s solo concerts but the band hasn’t performed in Japan for a long time, so the later generations of fans who have only watched the videos of their performances like me can’t wait for this event. I’m already excited and my palms are already starting to sweat! Preferably, I will follow Genshi Shinbo until the 50th anniversary of the album The Endless River tour!

Photo by Koichi Morishima Photography

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)

Genshi Shinbo Tour Dates
“Meddle 50 Years Anniversary Tour”
November 4 (Thu.) Nagano LIVE HOUSE J
November 5 (Fri.) Nagoya Electric Lady Land
November 11 (Thu.) Kobe CHICKEN GEORGE
November 12 (Fri.) Kobe CHICKEN GEORGE　
[New!!] Tokyo and Osaka
Double feature: all songs from Meddle and Atom Heart Mother to be played - 50 Years Anniversary Tour -
December 24 (Fri.) Osaka BIGCAT
December 30 (Thu.) Roppongi EX THEATER

For more Information, visit Genshi Shinbo Official Website!
http://pinkfloydtrips.com/tour/

■ Live video with orchestra "Atom Heart Mother" by Genshi Shinbo

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 Floyd fans’ heartstrings, which is available now at Sound House.

GHS / GB-DGF DAVID GILMOUR SIGNATURE Blue

This is the signature string set for David Gilmour who has been using GHS Boomers since the days of The Wall. The standard electric guitar strings GHS Boomers series features a bright, tense, and powerful sound. A string is made by tightly wrapping nickel-plated steel around a round core. The sound is clear and has a good reputation for durability. I want to play “Comfortably Numb” with these strings.