This year, to mark what would have been Roger "Syd" Barrett's 80 birthday, a range of celebrations have been arranged, including a concert and a major exhibition in Cambridge, as well as a commemorative double LP and double CD, all of which raising money for mental health charities, with all proceeds donated to them.

First, the concert. A natural choice for the location has been picked: Cambridge Corn Exchange, where he gave his final live performance on February 24th 1972. On October 10th, audiences will experience a special concert featuring Kula Shaker, Soft Machine, Men on the Border, Diana Silveira & The Psychedelic Circus, Radhika and Pünk Floyd, with additional surprise guests still to be announced. The event will also feature an immersive liquid light show by Los Angeles visual artist The Mad Alchemist.

Tickets for the concert go on sale at 10am BST on Friday (June 19th) through Cornex.co.uk, the website for the venue.

The anniversary will also be marked by the release of Clowns And Jugglers: The Songs Of Syd Barrett, a commemorative double coloured vinyl and double CD album on October 9th 2026, featuring new recordings, previously unreleased material and standout live performances celebrating Barrett's enduring influence. The cover has been created by Mark Wilkinson, most known for artwork for the likes of Marillion, but who also did the cover for the 2003 DVD, The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story. Contributors to the album include Kula Shaker, All About Eve, Mystery Jets, Rosalie Cunningham, Pink Floyd, David Gilmour and Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets. The full track listing can be seen below.

Alongside the concert and album, a major exhibition exploring Barrett's life, art and cultural impact will run from October 3rd–9th at camopen.space. The exhibition will showcase original paintings and sketches by Syd Barrett, alongside prints of larger works. Visitors will also be able to view work by a number of guest artists, including Barrett’s nephew Ian Barrett, Mark Wilkinson, Mick Rock, Spadge Hopkins, Mikey Georgeson, James Wilkinson and Justin Wiggan & Dominick Allen. A programme of talks from leading Barrett biographers will further explore the life and legacy of one of Britain’s most fascinating creative minds.

Neil Jones, co-organiser of the events, said: "Eighty years after his birth, Syd Barrett's influence remains as powerful as ever. His music, creativity and unique vision continue to inspire artists and audiences across generations. It's especially fitting that this celebration takes place in Cambridge, the city at the heart of his story. Bringing together live music, art and a new album on World Mental Health Day is a fitting tribute to one of the city's most extraordinary cultural figures".

Rosemary Breen, Barrett's sister, said: "The family wholeheartedly support these exciting events in aid of mental health charities. Syd would have been so happy and honoured to know his music was still being enjoyed in Cambridge."

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Exactly 45 years ago today, Pink Floyd performed The Wall for the last time, in London. The end of an era and at the same time the beginning of a turbulent decade. A fitting day for the publishers of a new book about the album and associated concerts to announce it to the Floydian community!

In the Dutch language book Aangenaam Verdoofd - Bedevaart Naar The Wall (which translates to COMFORTABLY NUMB – PILGRIMAGE TO THE WALL), Charles Beterams and Wouter Bessels describe the complex origin story of the album and the film and the overwhelming impact that the – no more than 31 – concerts have on the visitors. Pink Floyd didn't include The Netherlands on their schedule for The Wall shows. The devoted Dutch followers had to do their utmost to get their hands on the scarce tickets for concerts in London and Dortmund. They become, without having foreseen it, part of a historical journey, a pilgrimage to The Wall in 1980 and 1981. Upon their return, there are the stories, concert reports in the newspapers, and – secretly taken – photos.

That history is now captured for the first time in a 120-page richly illustrated book. The authors spoke with concertgoers and other involved parties and uncovered a lot of unique and previously unpublished footage.

In the years that follow, Roger Waters remains inextricably linked to the album, even after the film's release in 1982. It is therefore not surprising that a reprise follows in Berlin in 1990 after a turbulent decade in which everything seems to be overshadowed by The Wall. The book concludes with a detailed description of the particulars of the 31 concerts and a discography.

Aangenaam Verdoofd - Bedevaart Naar The Wall is released as a luxury hardcover edition. 120 pages on 170-gram paper, size 22 x 22 cm. There are two options available: a limited, numbered, and one-time Regular Edition of 600 copies. They've put aside 100 copies of that which are available as a Signature Edition in a luxury magnetic box with foil printing, containing a signed copy of the book and exclusively a printed silk-like retro scarf as was also sold at the concerts back then.

Both versions are now available for pre-order from Floydstuff.com who are the exclusive stockists of this book. The book will be released on Friday, September 25th, 2026. Those who have seen their previous books will know that they are very well designed and produced, and are well worth adding to your Floydian bookshelves!

To be published at the end of this month by White Owl (and on August 30th in North America) is a new book, Pink Floyd: Album by Album by Stephen Palmer.

The book, written by a musician who is a long-standing Pink Floyd fan, is said to analyse the music as well as the context it was created in, and looks at the "unique contributions of each of the five members to the group". It includes concert photographs from fans.

"This book tells a fifty-five year story, from the sun-dappled haunts of Cambridge, through stadium concerts and the fourth bestselling album of all time, to the messy, but ultimately triumphant conclusion."

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As we participate in their affiliate programme, ordering any item after entering Amazon through our links helps with BD's ongoing running costs, and we really appreciate it. You can order this guide from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

To be published on September 29th 2026 is Places To Go: A Guide To The Pink Floyd's Cambridge, a fold-out illustrated map and guide charting more than 40 Cambridge locations connected to the lives, music and legacy of Pink Floyd.

Family homes, schools and venues sit alongside record shops, chalk pits and riverside meadows, mapping how Cambridge shaped Pink Floyd and how the band, in turn, left its mark on the city. Syd Barrett and Roger Waters grew up within streets of each other, attended the same school and played the same venues before leaving for London in the early 1960s. David Gilmour, who also grew up in Cambridge and knew Barrett from the local music scene, would later complete the connection when he joined the band in 1968.

The publishers note that this is a guide to be used on the street as well as read at home. Each location is accompanied by concise notes placing it within the band's story and Cambridge's cultural history.

With the map and guide written by none other than Glenn Povey - founder and editor of Brain Damage in its fanzine print days from 1985 to 1993, and subsequently author of numerous essential reference books about the Floyd - you are sure of detailed and accurate information. Whilst we've not seen a copy yet, we're sure it will prove an extremely useful, and illuminating, guide to the band's days in the city of Cambridge, whether or not you are planning a visit there.

ORDERING INFO:
As we participate in their affiliate programme, ordering any item after entering Amazon through our links helps with BD's ongoing running costs, and we really appreciate it. You can order this guide from Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Not all stores are showing it as available to order yet at time of posting this, so please keep trying until they do!

Our very best wishes go to Gerald Scarfe on a momentous occasion, as today he celebrates his 90th birthday! Gerald, of course, is a graphic artist with a long history with the Floyd, from the 1974 tour programme caricature, through to his most famous work on The Wall, and beyond that, working with Roger Waters on his Pros and Cons project. As ever, many happy returns to Gerald on this very special day from all of us here at Brain Damage.

For those who haven't seen it, Gerald's superb The Art Of Pink Floyd The Wall is REALLY worth checking out if you are interested in his work on the project, which spanned the album, concerts and film.

Published almost five years ago, it is a beautiful, 288-page hardback book, in landscape format housed within a cardboard sleeve that reveals a huge amount of rare and previously unseen sketches, paintings and more, created by Gerald Scarfe principally for The Wall project, but also includes earlier materials, for Wish You Were Here and Animals, for example. It is an expensive book, but the work involved bringing together the breadth of material within, and the quality of its presentation, help to justify the price tag - and it is completely different to any previous books on Scarfe's artwork for the Floyd.

However much you think you know The Wall, and Scarfe's artwork for it (and earlier Pink Floyd projects), this book will reveal far more than you could imagine. One wonders if there was anything left in his archive that wasn't included? It's superb to see so many early sketches and ideas sitting alongside finished designs and images.

This is a truly incredible book that will appeal equally to Pink Floyd fans, to Scarfe enthusiasts, and to those interested in production design for film and concert stage.

As a special exclusive treat, Gerald had this video shot especially for us here at Brain Damage, so you get a feel for what the book includes, and the format it comes in. Thanks Gerald, and hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Some very sad news today: Dick Parry, the English saxophonist who played with numerous artists, but was probably best known for his work with Pink Floyd, has died.

Born in Suffolk, Parry, once in Cambridge, started his musical career, and was a friend of David Gilmour. Later Parry was asked by Gilmour to play sax on The Dark Side Of The Moon, and he recreated his iconic sax solos on Money and Us And Them on the 1973 tour. He remained as part of the touring band until the end of the 1977 tour, playing sax (including the standout sax on Shine On You Crazy Diamond) as well as additional keyboards, rejoining Pink Floyd on the road in 1994. He also took part in the Pink Floyd reunion in 2005's Live 8.

Following his sterling work on The Dark Side Of The Moon, Parry also played sax on Wish You Were Here and The Division Bell. Later, he rejoined Gilmour for the 2001/2002 live dates, which ultimately lead to the 2006 On An Island tour, where Parry again played sax, additional keyboards, and the glass harmonica.

He will be sorely missed. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.