A Word from Rosemary"I am thrilled to be involved in this project. Syd, my brother, was someone for whom creativity was as necessary as breathing." More... Rosemary Breen (nee Barrett) helped us launch the City Wakes by making a donation to the project. More...
The City Wakes is produced by Escape Artists, a registered charity that supports recovery and social inclusion within the mental health care sector.
The Piper Gallery
The City Wakes - Il primo tributo ufficiale
alla vita e all’opera di Syd Barrett
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To find out more about things to do in Cambridge, visit the Visit Cambridge website:
Karen Bell
1 in 6 people will currently be experiencing problems with their mental health. That means that even if you haven't experienced a mental health problem yourself, you almost certainly know many people who have.
Buy your books from the Escape Artists bookshop and HALF the profit is donated to us - that's £2 on a typical £10 book. Our service is as good as Amazon's, but here your book buying helps support our charitable work. Under the price of each book you can see what contribution its purchase makes to Escape Artists.
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Last Update: 18th November 2008If this is your first visit to this website, we recommend taking a quick look at the introduction to the project and the first press release. Our thanks to Matt Johns at Brain Damage for an excellent summary of all The City Wakes events. Read the summary here. The City Wakes concerts were professionally recorded on both video and through a sound desk. There's quite a bit of editing work that needs to be done, but videos will be on this website soon, as will downloadable versions of all the songs that were performed. Storm Studios are currently working on a new design for The City Wakes CD cover. The photoshoot for the design will take place on a Spanish beach before Christmas... The highly successful Mind Over Matter exhibition will shortly be showing in Ely (Pink Floyd fans will know why an Exhibition in Ely is of special relevance). The City Wakes on Czech TV
Coming Soon:
Thanks to Rosemary Breen, Syd Barrett's sister, we shall shortly be auctioning this mosaic by Syd in order to raise funds for the Syd Barrett Trust. Join The City Wakes mailing list and we'll let you know when the auction begins.
Vilayanur Ramachandran on Synesthesia
People Paintings
The UFO, supporters of The Other Room, hosted a special "People Painting" during The City Wakes: a blank canvas available for visitors to "offer their love and creativity to Mr. Barrett". Everyone had the opportunity to express themselves. More... T-Shirt Designs - Get Creative!You can now create your own unique item of clothing by mixing Storm Studio designs with lettering of your choice. More...
Feedback
"On a rain-sodden night in Cambridge as we walked through the archway into the grounds of Trinity College light shone like beacons from the Chapel to our right. Through the windows of the buildings surrounding the quadrangle we could see and feel the history that has passed through this seat of learning over the centuries. Another chapter was about to be written as Syd Barrett's music was soon to be performed. This is probably the most beautiful setting that could have been chosen for the Gala performance - the acoustics were perfect, the audience sat and listened and the applause shook the rafters. As the band entered through the main central walkway we could tell that this was to be a special night. Peter Wynne-Willson's psychedelic lighting effects filled the Chapel and the opening bars of Astronime Domine filled the air. Simon Gunton's inspired arrangements breathed new life into Syd's songs with every member of the band giving 110% to make this a show to remember. Has this historic place of worship ever had a rap singer performing Arnold Layne before? - most probably not. Members of the Chapel Choir gave a quite stunning and very moving rendition of "Dark Globe", the Grasshoppers Green Herbarian Band treated us to Brain Damamge and High Hopes - the latter dedicated to Richard Wright. Highlights for me were See Emily Play and Dominoes. As I mentioned in the Opening Night thread these were not note for note reproductions but completely new arrangements giving the songs a vibrancyand feel that was totally unique. Before the final song (an encore of Astronime Domine) Rosemary gave a heartfelt speech thanking the performers and remarking how Syd would have been pleased with the arrangements of his songs. Upon leaving the Chapel as we looked back we could see the lighting effects still visible through the stained glass windows bringing a glow to the very dark wet night outside. Afterwards we adjourned to The Roof Top Restaurant at The Cambridge Arts Theatre for the after-show party attended by Rosemary, Ian and their families. Also there were Mick Rock and 3 of Syd's former girlfriends. We spent some time talking to Libby who confirmed (for you ladies) that Syd had Brown eyes with Green flecks. There was an atmosphere of a job well done and Syd's presence seemed to move around the room. It was good to meet Bea, Purplebumblebee,Sean Beaver, Dark Globe & Mrs DG, Lady Barrett and I caught a fleeting glimpse of GyroscopeSect after the show. All in all a magical evening that will stay in the memory till I shuffle off this mortal coil. Once again many thanks to Escape Artists and The City Wakes team for realising this production and on behalf of this Forum our sincere best wishes for your future projects." Posted by Madcapsyd on the Syd Barrett Late Night Discussion Forum - 2nd November, 2008
"Just back from The City Wakes Syd Barrett tribute - it was a blinder. Whatever you are doing this weekend or next weekend, cancel it. Fill the car with petrol, get a train ticket or hitch a ride to Cambridge. You won't regret it. The City Wakes is a celebration of Syd Barrett's music and paintings. There's an exhibition at the Ruskin Gallery of his art (some, I believe, on view for the first time), photos by Mick Rock and Anthony Stern, letters with doodles written to Jenny Spires. An exhibition of Pink Floyd related photographs and album covers by Storm Thorgerson in the Grande Arcade shopping mall. Music workshops, of which more at a later stage when my feet have hit the ground. But the highlight for us was a reinterpretation of Syd Barrett's music. Maybe, like me, you won't even recognise most of the songs until the lyrics kick in but you are unlikely to hear anything so joyous and exhilarating in a long time. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might be going, but must mention the medieval sounding Scarecrow with harp and was it an oboe?, a Spanish matador Maisy, the gospel tinged Jugband Blues which morphed into some sort of a rumba, the Byzantine/middle eastern See Emily Play and the extraordinary (and I mean out of this world) Arnold Layne. All performed by a dynamic and very talented orchestra of professional and amateur musicians. Light show provided by Peter Wynne Willson with some of the original lighting equipment from UFO and Roundhouse days. And what a fine city Cambridge is... " Steve 26.10.08 (Photograph by Colin Turner)
Breathe - October 8th, 2008. The Centre at St Paul's
More pictures at Sponge Monkey The Happening - October 28th, 2008
Photographs by John Quysner Oranges and Apples: a song about Syd Barrett by The Trashcan Sinatras
Find out more about the Trashcan Sinatras and the genesis of this song... Proceeds from the sale of this song are being donated to The Syd Barrett Trust in support of arts in mental health. Download... "If he’s not too busy in the middle of a cosmic reunion jam with Rick Wright you could do worse than let Syd Barrett know there’s a fantastic new single coming out very soon in his honour. Sonically, it’s nothing like his blend of off-kilter psychedelia, but the Trashcan Sinatras have created a luscious and bluesy 6 and a half minutes plus track that’s a worthy contendor for Single of the Year." Plain or Pan IggyA previously unseen video of Syd Barrett's girlfriend Iggy, with its original soundtrack See Emily Play. Made by Anthony Stern, the video has never before been publicly available.
New Poster Design from Storm Studios
The City Wakes poster, signed by Storm Thorgerson, is available from this website at £30. Unsigned posters are also available. More... Mick Rock Remembers Syd Barrett"Syd Barrett was a friend of mine. I hadn't seen him in 33 years when he died, but in my mind he remained my friend. He proved that he still also considered me a friend when he co-signed 320 copies of the original publication of ''Psychedelic Renegades' (the total addition was 950 copies; the other 630 were signed by me alone), a beautiful slipcased limited edition published by Genesis Publications in 2002.
This was his only public gesture since the 1971 interview I did with him for 'Rolling Stone' magazine. Of course, he only signed them 'Barrett'. 'Syd was a persona he had shaken off in the early Seventies. But he signed them. And in doing so gave his blessing to the book and the images within, which include the photos I made of him in his mother's garden the day of the interview, the last photos he ever posed for. He even took a few of me that day... Thank you, Syd... Understandably, most people think of Syd as a dark, brooding, inarticulate Prince of Psychedelia gone haywire, but the strongest impression he left on me from the times we spent together, was of his laughter. He liked to laugh. Sometimes he laughed at a shared joke or insight. Sometimes he laughed for the hell of it. This madcap loved to laugh. I recently came across a brief silent 16mm film clip of Syd I shot in 1969. He's laughing for the entire clip. And check out some of the photos in my book. He had one of the best smiles I ever came across, full of fun and mischievousness. That's how I remember Syd. Shine on you crazy diamond.....You are not gone."
Mick Rock will be coming over to the UK from his home in New York especially for The City Wakes tribute to Syd Barrett. Mick will talking about his memories of Syd and signing copies of his book, Psychedelic Renegades, at Borders bookshop on Saturday November 1st. He will also be showing his celebrated photographs of Syd at the Ruskin Gallery from October 24th to November 2nd. Those Who Knew - Mick Rock
I Could Be Anyone by Matthew Scurfield
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