Oh Arnold Layne, it's not the same - but it's pretty close.

So close that a Bradford Pink Floyd tribute band is astounding crowds of up to 2,000 around Yorkshire.

"If you close your eyes you would swear it was the Floyd," said one stunned contributor to the band's website after a show at Harrogate International Centre.

It has to be good, said bass player Paul Barker, of Steeton, because if the band, Off The Wall, didn't pull in the crowds the members would lose a fortune at every gig.

For it doesn't just take cheek and musicianship to put on a show that can hold a candle to Pink Floyd's legendary gigs, it takes an awful lot of lighting and computer gear.

That Harrogate performance cost more than £6,000 to stage.

"It's a risk because we have to finance shows ourselves," said Paul, a photographer and Bradford councillor.

"But we've been playing together for a year and the gigs have been getting bigger and better.

"We had 2,000 for a show at Halifax Piece Hall and we're getting interest from the large promoters

"In fact it's going so well we're planning to play St George's Hall at the end of the year."

Paul, who has played with a number of bands over the last ten years, decided to take the plunge when he found a kindred spirit.

He and David Fortune, of Queensbury, were playing with a band called Joe Public when they discovered they were both passionate about Floyd. So they teamed up with other local musicians to form Off the Wall.

"I live near Haworth, drummer Chris Bold is from Skipton, Kev Fitzpatrick, the keyboard player and lead vocals is from Bradford and Stella Fairhead is from Batley," said Paul.

"She is what really sets us apart. As well as playing acoustic, steel and lead guitar she does a rendition of Great Gig In the Sky that rivals the original."

Floyd numbers like that, plus Another Brick in the Wall, Money, Shine on You Crazy Diamond etc are tough enough to play and sound like the originals but trying to match up to the band's light shows is something else.

It takes a crew of ten, two trucks and 15 tons of gear to set up an Off The Wall show.

Suspended across the back of the stage at each gig is a screen stretching ten metres by eight metres and images are projected via two huge projectors backed up by computers.

"It takes from midday to set up ready for a gig," said Paul. "Fortunately we've got a very good crew.

"We could never really reproduce the scale of what Floyd used to do but we've got a very impressive show of our own. It looks pretty fantastic when it's all up and running."

Next show for Off The Wall is in Morecambe a week on Friday (April 25).

But the big event this year - apart from the St George's Hall date which has yet to be announced - is a second gig at the Piece Hall, on August 9.

"We're working on some new Floyd numbers, like Bike and Astronomy Domine," said Paul.

"The last show there has already gone down as a legendary event. This time we'd like an even bigger crowd."

Tickets are available from the tourism office at the Piece Hall.