Why Pink Floyd played the 1970 Bath Festival and what made it unforgettable

They took the gig because they needed the money. 1970 was a cash-strapped year for the band—they’d just finished recording Atom Heart Mother and touring wasn’t covering the bills. The Bath Festival of Blues & Progressive Music, held in Shepton Mallet, was one of the first big outdoor UK festivals organized by the same people behind Glastonbury, and promoters offered a fee Pink Floyd couldn’t turn down.

What made it memorable was the “bubble machine” disaster. The band had rigged up a device that blew soap bubbles across the field, meant to add a whimsical visual to their set. But a stiff wind caught the bubbles and carried them straight into the monitor console, shorting out the sound system mid-performance. Dave Gilmour kept playing, Rick Wright flailed at his organ, and the crowd just laughed while the crew frantically dried the boards. It was a total mess—and a rare, humanizing moment for a band still figuring out how to be a huge live act.