“You're going to come and upstage me? OK, great”: David Gilmour surprises pub-goers with acoustic rendition of Pink Floyd classic accompanied by daughter Romany
Gilmour wielded his Martin D-35 signature acoustic for a special Wish You Were Here duet at a tiny pub in the UK
Every Pink Floyd fan dreams about catching an intimate David Gilmour show at their local watering hole – and that is exactly what regulars at a pub in the seaside city of Brighton and Hove experienced last night, when Gilmour appeared with his child Romany for an acoustic rendition of 1975 Pink Floyd classic Wish You Were Here.
22-year-old Romany Gilmour, a talented songwriter in their own right, performed a short set of covers at The Neptune Inn, which included Joanna Newson's This Side of Blue and Leonard Cohen's If It Be Your Will.
Like any other aspiring singer-songwriter, they also tested out an original song with the working title Lily of the Roses. However, what the open mic attendees didn't expect was to see the Pink Floyd icon join Romany on stage.
“Oh my gosh, you're here. And you've brought your guitar,” Romany exclaimed, then jokingly added, “You're going to come and upstage me? OK, great.” The older Gilmour quickly set up his Martin D-35 signature acoustic and joined them on the small stage for a tender rendition of the Pink Floyd classic.
A post shared by David Gilmour (@davidgilmour)
A photo posted by on
The guitarist and bassist of David's current band, Ben Worsley and Guy Pratt, were also in attendance, along with Romany's brother Gabriel and Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane.
The Gilmour family, including Romany, have been an integral part of David's just-released solo album, Luck and Strange, which he recently called “the best album I’ve made in all those years since 1973 when The Dark Side of the Moon came out.”
Romany plays harp and takes on lead vocals on the reimagined Between Two Points, a Montgolfier Brothers original. The folk-tinged Yes, I Have Ghosts sees them duet with their dad.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
“I was working on this song just as we went into lockdown and had to cancel a session with backing singers,” revealed David in a press release. “But, as it turned out, the solution was right here and I couldn’t be happier with the way Romany’s voice blends with mine and the beautiful harp playing has been another revelation.”
The acclaimed guitarist is gearing up to take Luck and Strange on the road, with October and November dates already announced at Circo Massimo in Rome, London's Royal Albert Hall, the Intuit Dome and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and New York's Madison Square Garden.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
“We’re very into shredding and treating the guitar the way Yngwie Malmsteen or Eddie Van Halen would treat a guitar”: Syncatto's Charlie Robbins is the latest virtuoso to feature on Cobra Kai’s guitar-driven soundtrack
“I walked right past Stevie Ray Vaughan when my dad was talking to him. My dad called me back and said, ‘There’s somebody here you want to meet’”: George Thorogood guitarist Jim Suhler on the first time he met SRV – and the profound advice he received