50 YEARS after an all-day fundraiser in Cardiff that featured Pink Floyd, a special anniversary show will be held at the centre the funds were raised for.

Ron Geesin was a good friend and collaborator with Pink Floyd and he helped to compose the Atom Heart Mother suite and scored a number of soundtracks.

He will be performing with support from South Wales band CVC at Chapter in Cardiff on Friday, February 7. Tickets are available from chapter.org or Chapter’s box office on 029 2030 4400.

Back in 1970, the fundraiser was held at Sophia Gardens with the aim of collecting funds to create a new arts centre. The project became known as Chapter and it opened in 1971.

At the fundraiser, Quintessence and Trader Horne joined Pink Floyd on the line-up and all three were some of the most exciting performers of their day.

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Ron Geesin's performance will be a special improvised one and features piano, banjo, percussion, poems and stories.

There will also be an opportunity for a Q&A session after the performance with Geesin and the Chapter founders.

CVC will perform a set of 1970s covers to keep in with the anniversary theme as well as some of their own material.

Hannah Firth, programme director of Chapter: “In 2021, Chapter turns fifty and we are planning an exciting artistic programme that reflects on our rich past - whilst also looking to a bright future.

“Our official birthday is some way off but we wanted to pay tribute to everyone involved in the early days by celebrating significant events that helped to make the arts centre become a reality. We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Newsoundwales to bring Ron Geesin back to Cardiff to mark this historic moment.”

Francis Brown, founder of Newsoundwales: “I am delighted to bring back Ron Geesin to Cardiff after fifty years for this one off special anniversary performance.”

“The fundraiser for Chapter that featured Pink Floyd in 1970 has gained almost mythical status over the years so to bring back one of the original performers after all this time is a real honour. I think Cardiff is in for a rare treat and a reminder of a time when music knew no boundaries and was open to experimentation which is, I think, what drove the founders of Chapter Arts Centre back in the early 1970s.”