David Gilmour, Royal Albert Hall

Elder statesman of British rock David Gilmour returns for another string of dates at the Royal Albert Hall in September in support of his as-yet-untitled fourth solo album, slated for release around the same time, his first solo effort since 2006's acclaimed On an Island (which also brought Gilmour to the Royal Albert for a live recording, Remember That Night).
It will be Gilmour's first studio effort since last year's final Pink Floyd release, The Endless River – the third of the post-Roger Waters era, and a final tribute to founding member and keyboardist Richard Wright, who passed away in 2008. Endless River was a reasonable effort, but left us with a keen sense that the Floyd era was consigned to the past, its sparse lyrics coming across as an admission that
Gilmour and co had little more of relevance to say, even if they could must another hour of stately jamming; interesting, and of sentimental value to fans, but primarily a paean to another time.
It remains to be seen, then, what direction Gilmour intends for his solo vehicle after the final bow of the group that both catapulted him to stardom, and, for many years, held him under the creative direction of Waters (the breakdown of that relationship, and its terminal effect on the original lineup of Britain's greatest rock outfit, is a well-documented tale).
His eponymous solo debut, released in 1978, bore the hallmarks of a man still to depart from the style that made his name, but the two that followed (in 1984 and 2006 – Gilmour has never been a man to rush) won critical acclaim, tempering his natural inclination to solo with the harmonies of David Crosby and Graham Nash and the orchestral arrangements of Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner.
It is likely to be a special series of nights for Gilmour himself, his first UK headline dates since the demise of Floyd, and the appearance of new material from a musical icon of his stature is not to be sniffed at, even if the ticket price is slightly eye-watering.