How Nick Mason’s Deep Dive Into the Pink Floyd Archive Spawned His Solo Band

Nick Mason was the primary curator of the 2017 Victoria & Albert Museum exhibition Their Mortal Remains, spending two years sifting through the band’s massive private archive. He unearthed old film reels, stage props, and master tapes—including unreleased concert recordings and alternate takes that hadn’t been heard in decades. That hands-on archival work didn’t just produce a museum show; it personally reconnected Mason with the pre-Dark Side psychedelic era he’d mostly left behind.

The immersion convinced him that the early, Syd Barrett-driven material deserved to be played live again. So he recruited guitarist Lee Harris, bassist Guy Pratt, and vocalist/keyboardist Gary Kemp to form Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets. The band debuted with a secret gig at the exhibition’s afterparty in August 2017—Mason’s first public performance outside of Pink Floyd since 1996. What started as an archival curator’s side project quickly became a full touring act, giving Mason a second act built directly from the boxes he’d been unpacking.