THINK Floyd come to Clitheroe tomorrow having just returned from a whirlwind trip to the Gulf, where they played two shows in 48 hours in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

“We weren’t sure what to expect,” said the band’s bassist Lewis Hall. “But it was amazing. We had fans of all nationalities, all wearing their Floyd T-shirts and they knew every word.

“It proved to be quite an emotional experience. We had Russians, Iraqis, Syrians and ex-pats all just enjoying the music together. It just shows the unifying power of music.”

One of the leading tributes to Pink Floyd, Think Floyd will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Wish You Were Here album by playing it in its entirety as part of their show at the Grand.

“We’ll play the album at the start of the second half of the show,” said Lewis. “It’s a really good album to play and quite a challenge.”

The album is famous for the song Shine on You Crazy Diamond, a tribute to the band’s founder Syd Barrett.

“We did the whole album 10 years ago but the band’s line-up has changed since then,” said Lewis, “so this has been a good opportunity to revisit it and to play songs such as Welcome to the Machine, which aren’t often done live.”

Think Floyd are one of the few bands playing Pink Floyd music who cover all eras of the band from their origins in sixties’ psychedelia through to their most recent release The Endless River.

“With our shows we try to include some songs that will appeal to the more casual listener but also throw in one or two more unusual songs for the more dedicated fans,” said Lewis.

“Over the years we have learned to have the courage to try some of the more obscure songs. Dark Side of the Moon was a great album which we love playing but around 50 per cent of Floyd’s material dates to before that album.”

Lewis is quick to dispel the myths around the notion of a tribute band.

“I think the term got a bad reputation 10 or 15 years ago when tributes were springing up everywhere,” he said. “You’d get pub singers pretending to be Elvis or Robbie Williams or a covers band thinking they could make a few more quid by calling themselves a tribute.

“But the real tribute bands like ourselves seek to create as authentic a sound and concert experience as possible. With Pink Floyd it has always been about the music and the visual aspects of the show and it is the same for us. We always have our own lighting and sound engineers and we try to make the show a genuine experience for the audience.

“The great thing is that our audiences tend to grow when we return to a venue. We’ve played Clitheroe a couple of times before and just loved it. We can’t wait to be back there tomorrow night.”

  • Think Floyd, Clitheroe Grand, Friday, April 24. Details from 01200 421599.