How Syd Barrett cast a spell that lasted throughout Pink Floyd's career

Syd Barrett in 1967, his face lit by psychedelic lights.

After their particularly acrimonious break up, The Eagles said they’d re-form when Hell froze over. So, Hell froze over. And it must have happened again for the Live 8 concert in July 2005, as the next most unlikely reunion took place: that of Roger Waters and the three-quarters of Pink Floyd who'd had the audacity to carry on without him. 

But the real evidence of Hell’s temperature dropping well below zero would have been if Pink Floyd’s reclusive originator had stepped from the shadows, dusted off his guitar and joined his former bandmates on the Hyde Park stage. It’s often forgotten, but Pink Floyd is neither Roger Waters’ nor David Gilmour’s band. It’s Syd Barrett’s.