On this day 30 June 1969 legendary prog rockers Pink Floyd played Cardiff’s Top Rank, playing the President’s Ball. The band had previously played the same venue in February and the Kee Club in Bridgend and the University College, Swansea in March.
The President’s Ball was part of the celebrations to honour the Investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales.
Presented by Llandaff Technical College, the support band were Stop Watch and Pink Floyd played for 1-hour and were paid £100.
The band had released Saucerful of Secrets the previous year which reached number nine in the UK charts whilst the band had recorded some of their recent gigs for the release of Ummagumma.
The double album had one half of live recordings contain songs from their current set whilst the the other contained solo compositions by each member of the band recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
The album's title supposedly comes from Cambridge slang for sex, commonly used by Pink Floyd friend and occasional roadie, Iain "Emo" Moore, who would say, "I'm going back to the house for some ummagumma". According to Moore, he made up the term himself.
Setlist
Astronomy Domine
Green Is the Colour
Careful With That Axe, Eugene
Interstellar Overdrive
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
A Saucerful of Secrets