My Grubby Halo - the Pink Floyd Experience

The Pink Floyd Experience are a Kiwi band who have been wowing crowds for 28 years. They are hard-working men and women with day jobs.

They have toured widely in New Zealand and Australia and have a following on social media approaching 45,000 true believers internationally.

Their gigs are sold-old, visually and audio-wise brilliant – reproducing image-for-image and note- for-note the true sound of the original Pink Floyd.  The band have covered every Pink Floyd album, including “The Wall” and last year’s spectacular 50^th Anniversary “Dark Side of the Moon” tour.

This year they will reproduce one of Pink Floyd’s most iconic concert experiences – the awesome “Pulse” show, first staged at Earls Court in London thirty years ago. There’ll be “Pulse” and much more, at venues throughout Aotearoa.

Two very experienced film-makers and journalists, Rob Harley and Alan Seay, want to work with the Pink Floyd Experience to make a highly memorable 60-75 minute, high quality documentary on the 2024 tour.

We will take you right inside the meticulous planning for the tour from Day One. The shaping of the incomparable light show, the hours of rehearsal for the instrumentalists and vocalists, including three wahine backing singers who are pitch perfect Pink Floyd ladies.

The climax at the video will be an international standard, multi-camera recording of the key tracks and key moments at the Hamilton concert in mid-June.

We will spare no expense to record in high-definition images and sound, the truest tribute to one of the world’s greatest prog rock bands.

We will employ the very best on this project – dedicated videographers and others at the peak of their creative skills. It will be memorable.

The Pink Floyd Experience and its many Kiwi followers, plus those abroad, deserve a fitting tribute to a sensational tribute band. These guys are also huge supporters of emerging young musicians in this country.

We, the creators, are doing this gig for no pay. Please, let’s give the band a boost!

THE TEAM

Rob Harley has had a 50-year career as a television reporter and documentary-maker. His programmes have received more than 20 international and local awards. Rob has reported on everything from the 1981 Springbok tour, the case of the missing Swedish tourists in the Coromandel, the Rainbow Warrior sinking, and much more. He has been a passionate Pink Floyd follower since 1971. Rob is one of the videographers, working for free on this project.

Alan Seay is likewise passionately committed to the music of Pink Floyd and the Kiwi band. He is a highly accomplished journalist, having worked in print, radio and TV for many years, and has more recently filled high-profile communications roles with companies like Meridian Energy, ACC and GNS. Alan has an encyclopaedic knowledge of contemporary music and will act as co-producer of “My Grubby Halo,” and like Rob, he is working for free.

Reef Reid is one of New Zealand’s best photographers. He has been a constant presence with the Pink Floyd Experience for many years. He shoots everything that moves when the band tours. Reef produces stunning images of the fantastic light shows that are characteristic of the band, plus their rehearsals, show build-ups streamed live to very keen fans.

OUR CREATIVE PRACTICE

We are all professionals. We record on high-end equipment. The coverage of the Hamilton concert will be a multi-cam effort, directed by one of Aotearoa’s top live event producers using state of the art 4K equipment and flawless sound.

The edit and sound mix will use the very best people, some of whom are donating their time to this big exercise.

IN DEPTH

Tribute bands are a growing phenomenon. Every week, thousands of Kiwis flock to hear them. In recent years, we’ve seen nearly every major band and artist in the world showcased by often-excellent tribute acts. Led Zeppelin, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits and many more are being superbly reproduced by talented artists – many in Aotearoa.

The Pink Floyd Experience are special. Those who go to their concerts say if you close your eyes, you would swear it was the original band.

Darren Whittaker is almost indistinguishable from David Gilmour, Glenn Ahearn channels Richard Wright superbly and the rest of the crew are all standout, versatile musicians.

The thing is, they work for little or no reward financially. In fact, each year’s tour is a dicey quest just to break even.

The aim of the producers is to give this band the recognition they deserve after nearly thirty years of hard graft.

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

This is a high-quality exercise which would require a budget of close to $200,000 if made at commercial rates.

Because the creatives on this project are mostly working for free for several months, we will accomplish this for a fraction of the cost – in fact, it will cost us to do it.

So, here’s how it breaks down.

What we need:

• Travel costs $1000
• Camera kit hire for eight pre-concert shoots. $2500
• Full crew for two-hour Hamilton concert, six cameras with crew, including relevant expenses, accommodation, all gear. $8000
• Full edit, and colour grade. $4000
• Full professional sound mix and mastering. $3500
• Royalty payments for music use $1000
• Distribution, promotion and marketing $1000

Total budget $21,800

Less personal contribution from producers $4000
Less sponsorships from corporates etc $17,800

Total $8000, sought from Boosted pitch

FINALLY, WHY?

The end product will be a fantastic showcase of a great Kiwi band, committed to excellence and raising up other young creatives. And all for a very modest cost!