THE iconic sounds of Pink Floyd will be enjoyed live as tribute band Iron Bell take to the stage in Bolton this Saturday.

The band, which has been recreating the sounds from the band's classic albums over the last two years, is making its first appearance in the town — which is doubling up as a homecoming gig for musical director Tec Etchells,who grew up in Breightmet.

Former maths teacher Tec, Iron Bell's keyboard player, who now lives in Belmont, said: "We’re really excited to be playing at the Bolton Little Theatre and I’m especially thrilled to be bringing the show to my home town.

"Pink Floyd have always had a really diverse audience with something for everyone and we aim to accurately reproduce some of the fantastic songs that people have enjoyed over the years.

"It’s great that as well as long-established fans our gigs are also attracting a younger audience."

Tec, who is currently a research fellow at Liverpool John Moores University, said: "I have played in bands in Bolton since 1985 and played many venues in Bolton including the Albert Halls. The bands I played in over the years have included Stash; Legacy; Lounge Lizards; Archangel and The Cruel Groovers, all rock covers bands from 1985 to 2016. "

He was also joined the successful The SoulTrain, a Northern Soul band.

Through Facebook he reunited with former Legacy band member Roy Grattolli and others in the hope to stage a one-off reunion gig. Although the gig did not go ahead, it rekindled the friendship with Roy.

"The songs that really worked in the reunion rehearsals where the Pink Floyds songs we used to perform in the early 1990’s," he said, "Bearing in mind this was the days before tribute bands, in those days an audience would easily be bored listening to just one band’s music all night, they wanted a mix; Simple Minds; Van Halen; Toto; Genesis etc."

Tec, who worked at Rivington and Blackrod High School and Bolton North Sixth Form College, added:" When the Legacy reunion didn’t work out Roy and I decided to form a band from musicians we knew to recreate Pink Floyd music as accurately as people remember listening to it in their youth or indeed on their CDs now.

"We recruited Mark Green on bass and vocals from the Lounge Lizards, Andrew Procter on saxophone from the SoulTrain; Gary Owen on vocals and percussion also from the SoulTrain and we recruited Graham Brennan on Drums. I also borrowed The SoulTrain’s sound engineer Brett Slater for our live performances."

He added: "We have fantastic rapturous responses and feedback from our shows. The highlight of 2017 was headlining the Darwen Live Music Festival at the Library Theatre to a packed auditorium."

Comments on the band's Facebook page have included: "Awesome Band! If you like Pink Floyd you will love these guys!"

On Saturday Iron Bell will be playing tracks from several of Pink Floyd’s most popular albums such as Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, Meddle, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell.

Tec said: "I think every generation has it musical icons, presently we have, for example, Ed Sheeran for the new generation. For my generation, in terms of rock, our icons were Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, ELP, Yes, the list goes on.

"For us in our 50s and 60s who listened on vinyl and saw these bands live in our younger years, we want to experience listening and watching musicians that once again recreate what they heard 30 years ago.

"In the case of a band like Pink Floyd, it is not possible to see the original band play live ever again. But people still want to see a concert where their music is played as it should be and give the audience a trip back in time. Actual surviving Pink Floyd members such as David Gilmour and Roger Waters still occasionally tour independently with massive productions in arenas. We can’t compete with the scale of venues and production, but we will hold our own on musicianship and reproducing the music accurately."

He added: "I wasn’t nervous about playing their music, I and my band members have played it for decades. I am still very nervous about not disappointing people’s expectations. I want our audience to leave our show uplifted and smiling, reminiscing about their Pink Floyd experiences over their life. Also, I want the younger members of the audience to experience the music of a fabulous, but troubled, band when they were at their very very best. Now that is a tribute."

The concert will takes place at Bolton Little Theatre on June 16 at 7.15pm.

Tickets are available online at www.boltonlittletheatre.co.uk/buying-tickets/ or from the Bolton Little Theatre Box Office 01204 524469.