HE was the iconic front man of one the most influential bands of the 1960s.And now the career of Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd is to hit the limelight again - hopefully with the help of Norfolk fans of his psychedelic music.

HE was the iconic front man of one the most influential bands of the 1960s.

And now the career of Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd is to hit the limelight again - hopefully with the help of Norfolk fans of his psychedelic music.

London-based music author Russell Beecher is hoping that people who saw Pink Floyd concerts in Gorleston and Dereham in 1967 have photographs of the band playing.

Any images from the summer concerts at Dereham's former Wellington Club and Gorleston's Floral Hall, now called the Ocean Room, will be used in an illustrative biography of Barrett which could be published by the end of the year.

Mr Beecher says that photographs and newspapers clippings from his band's appearances in 1967 are quite rare - leaving a gap in the history of one of the most important groups on British music history.

In January 2005, the EDP featured a story on the Dereham gig in which a 21-year-old Terry Manning met his future wife Sandra in the crowd.

Mr Manning said: “They played long songs with no real rhythm and I wouldn't have called the lighting spectacular either.

“Because I didn't enjoy them on the night I've never listened to them again.”

The 1967 Norfolk concerts came as Pink Floyd, which also featured Rick Wright, Roger Waters and Nick Mason, were being acclaimed for their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

The album was recorded in the Abbey Studios as the Beatles worked there on their seminal Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Mr Beecher said: “Syd Barrett was the spearhead of a new type of music - up until then most British bands were based on American R&B.

“It would be fantastic if we could find some photographs to illustrate how important he was in the history of this country's music scene.”

In the June of 1968 Pink Floyd played at the University of East Anglia in Norwich but Barrett had left the band by then due to his erratic behaviour and was replaced by Dave Gilmour.

Barrett launched a solo career after leaving the band and he died in Cambridge in July 2006 aged 60.

Anyone who has any photographs of the Pink Floyd's Gorleston and Dereham concerts can email Mr Beecher on russell.beecher@essentialworks.co.uk or call the EDP on 01493 847955.