Gary Wallis - Pink Floyd (1987-1994)

Pink Floyd (1987-1994)

Gary Wallis is perhaps best known as the percussionist for Pink Floyd in the post-Waters era for both their live and recorded performances. Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason described the first time that he and David Gilmour saw Wallis play: "Gary Wallis was spotted playing percussion with Nick Kershaw at a charity show where Gilmour was also appearing. Neither of us had ever seen anything like it. Instead of sitting down to play Gary was working in a kind of cage stuffed full of percussion, some pieces of which were mounted so high that a three-foot leap was needed to strike the required object. With his obvious musical skills this additional showmanship seemed an ideal bonus for a stage that looked initially as though it might be occupied by the living dead."

Wallis was invited to join Pink Floyd, playing on their A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour (which was released as Delicate Sound of Thunder in 1988). Blake (2008, p. 328) describes Wallis's playing as a "highly visual performing style - attacking an array of gongs, drums and cymbals mounted around him in a cage - was the perfect contrast to Mason's considerably more restrained approach."

He continued to perform with Pink Floyd until they took a break after their final tour concert at the Knebworth Festival in August, 1990. Wallis has stated that performing live at Knebworth with Pink Floyd (1990) was one of the most memorable moments of his career.

From 1990 to 1992, Gary Wallis performed alongside various members of Pink Floyd in different bands, including Blue Pearl (1990), Dream Academy with Gilmour and Guy Pratt (1991) and Jimmy Nail with Gilmour (1992). In December 1991, Wallis performed at the Amnesty International 30th Anniversary Concert, as part of a band directed by Gilmour. At the performance, the band backed Tom Jones and Spinal Tap, the "fictional" heavy metal band. Spinal Tap is known for its succession of drummers who "they claim died under odd circumstances", and Wallis was shown "exploding" at the end of the performance. The following year, he performed alongside Gilmour and other Pink Floyd band members at the Chelsea Arts Ball.

In 1994, Gary Wallis performed with Pink Floyd on their 60-show The Division Bell tour of the USA. The touring band consisted of Gilmour (lead vocals, guitar); Mason (drums), Richard Wright (keyboards); Tim Renwick (guitar); Jon Carin (keyboards); Guy Pratt (bass); Gary Wallis (percussion); Dick Parry (saxophone); as well as Sam Brown, Durga McBroom, and Claudia Fontaine (backing vocals). At the time of the tour, The Division Bell was the No. 1 album in the USA. During this tour, Pink Floyd recorded the Pulse live album and off-shoot video, with Gary Wallis playing percussion.

In the same year, Wallis and Gilmour attended a concert in Croydon by the tribute band The Australian Pink Floyd, afterwards inviting the band to attend The Division Bell end of tour party. The Australian Pink Floyd was also invited to play at Gilmour's 50th birthday party in 1996. After their performance, members of Pink Floyd, including Wallis, were handed the Australian musicians' instruments and performed "Money", "What Do You Want from Me", and other songs.

The drum sets used by Wallis and Mason on The Division Bell tour and Pulse DVD were from the Drum Workshop (DW). Mason states, "Gary Wallis and I ended up with thirty-odd drums, twenty pads, forty-odd cymbals and innumerable other bits of junk bolted to the drum risers, an installation that should have qualified us for the Turner Prize."