Colin Blunstone: Zombie, Romantic, Trailblazer, The Voice

Interview with one of the finest remaining artists of the 60’s British Invasion 

They say you should never meet your heroes, and I’ve been overly cautious down the years. Heroes should maintain a sense of mystique. However, when exceptions arrive on your doorstep it’s most welcome. One of those exceptions happened a few weeks back when I was fortunate enough to sit down with Colin Blunstone, the sultry but deceptively powerful English singer and songwriter, who came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of classic rock band, The Zombies.

The Zombies formed in the historic Cathedral city of St Albans in 1961 with a 16-year old Blunstone and keys impresario Rod Argent, alongside Chris White (Bass), Paul Atkinson (Guitar) and Hugh Grundy (drums). Only Colin and Rod remain in the full time version of the band today, although on special occasions (such as their 2019 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame), both White and Grundy make an appearance. Paul Atkinson died of cancer in 2004, although his memory is held fondly by his band mates. The Zombies is not just a band these days – it’s an institution that has seen many great musicians pass through: worthy of mention are Paul Arnold, Rick Birkett, Mark Johns, Sebastian Santa Maria, Keith Airey, Darian Sahanaja, and the much missed, legendary bass player, Jim Rodford, who departed in 2018.

Now, you’ll almost certainly recall that iconic hit by the band – She’s Not There. It reached number 12 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1964, and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States at the beginning of December 1964. In fact, the band released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s: She’s Not There, Tell Her No, She’s Coming Home and Time of the Season, which was famously used in the 2013 supernatural horror movie, The Conjuring, and has also featured on the likes of Friends and South Park. It also turned out to be one of their most enduring hits, reaching number 3 in the US Billboard Hot 100, and becoming something of a counterculture anthem. 

Blunstone, who is renowned for his powerhouse vocal tenor, went on to have a significant solo career too, with a key highlight pointing at that epic 1971 album release, One Year. We talk about that, and much, much more in a fascinating interview that left me with the sort of fulfilment a hero ought to provide.

At almost 79-years young, Blunstone begins the call with a sense of panic – Google Meets is intimidating enough for any fresh starter, let alone someone touching eighty. The back-and-forths as we work through getting his audio and camera on are bizarre for me. Here’s a man I’ve watched on stages all over the UK and idolised, probably a dozen times over the past twenty years – and here I am trying to help him access a virtual call as if speaking to a friend. As it turns out, that’s exactly how Colin comes across – extremely amiable, normal, humble and willing. From the offset I realise that this is going to be a treasured hour, and that I can probably crack-on full steam ahead with all the questions I’ve pondered over the week leading up to the interview. I also clock on that he’s sat in a vast personal library, and start readying myself for the odd literary question, ala The Broken Spine.

I begin with a vital and yet inevitable question:

Colin, you are so far down the line – still on form, still relevant, still making records and still on tour – [60+ years] is so ridiculous to conceive, but how is it feeling to be so far down the line?

Well, I’ll tell you, it’s a huge surprise to Rod [Argent] and I that we’re still touring at this time in our lives, but it’s a wonderful surprise! Neither of us were expecting it, but it just happened, and we love playing live. We love writing, we love recording, and we love touring – so it’s been most unexpected, but gratefully accepted to be touring in the autumn of our careers.

So, I can’t lie. I fan-boy a little, and tell Colin about all the times I’ve seen The Zombies live, the lengths I’ve travelled to watch them, and the recruits I’ve picked up along the way. I also inform him that I’ll be joining them in Buxton, Manchester and London on the upcoming tour. He’s surprisingly jovial, friendly and even somewhat surprised by my dedication and admissions, almost as though he can’t quite believe people would make such a fuss over the band he started with his “mates”. He nods and smiles along, recalling that he remembers two of the gigs I’ve attended really well: the first at St Helens Citadel way back in 2007, and my most recent trip to see them up until this interview at The Floral Pavilion in New Brighton in late 2023.

I want to go back to the start with this next question Colin, and this incredible cult album that you guys made – Odyssey & Oracle. It’s my favourite record of the 60s, alongside Forever Changes by Love … tell us about the making of that record, and at the time did you realise how iconic it would become?

If I could just tell you first of all that we toured with Love for about four or five weeks, and it’s a shame that it’s not possible to do it now because it would be a great double bill with them playing Forever Changes and us playing Odessey & Oracle – it would be really, really good! How the album came together, well … some of the details I was never aware of because we’d been on Decca for nearly three years I think, from ‘64 to the summer of ‘67, and we changed to CBS, but I wasn’t involved in any negotiations there. I just realised that we were now on CBS, and between them they managed to get us time at Abbey Road, which at that time was called EMI studios, and as far as I knew it was for the use, exclusively, of EMI artists. Again, I never understood how we managed to get in there because it was the studio that everyone wanted to record in, so that was brilliant!

I’m absolutely fascinated by this stage, but Colin is about to drop a bomb that really makes me understand the epic history behind The Zombies and that much underrated, monumental early recording career…

…So, we turned up just after the Beatles had left, where they’d just finished Sgt Pepper, and we walked into the studio and all the percussion instruments were left out on the floor from The Beatles’ session, which was a very interesting way to start an album! We were actually in Studio 3, which they only used occasionally – they mostly recorded in Studio 2. So, we were in Studio 3, which is the studio you come to as you walk in the building – it’s on the left-hand side, and the engineer that worked with us most there was Peter Vince, who was a wonderful engineer, although Geoff Emerick also did one or two tracks, and he’s the engineer that worked most with The Beatles, and then later with Paul McCartney as well. 

It was a wonderful experience. It was the summer of 1967, we had a minute recording budget of £1000, which if you’re recording in Abbey Road, even then, was laughable really, but what we decided to do was rehearse really extensively so that when we went into the studio we knew which songs we were doing, we knew what keys they were in, we knew the arrangements, so we were just looking for a performance. We recorded incredibly quickly, and managed to record that album for £1000.

We briefly discuss the trend back then of recording albums so quickly – often in weeks, if not days, and ruminate on how things have changed so much these days. Colin is wistful as he recalls these wonderful details on what was clearly a very impressionable time in his career, and I enjoy the sparkle in his eye as he reminisces.

Did you realise at the time that you were doing something so unique?

No, I’m not sure that anybody ever really does realise it at the time. I can tell you what I really thought about Odessey & Oracle – I thought we’d done the very best that we were capable of. That’s what I felt at the time. And, of course, the reactions to the album at the time were really quite disappointing. It was a time when the single was all important. That was going to change very quickly after this period, and the album would become all important, but at this time the single was still all important. CBS decided to release Care Of Cell 44, which I thought was one of the more commercial tracks, as a single in the UK, but there was no reaction, or very little support for it. The only guy who got behind it on the radio was Kenny Everett. He loved it, and played the single then later the album, interviewed Rod and Chris, then he interviewed me as well. He really loved the album. And there was also one great review in Disc Magazine from Penny Valentine, I remember that, so I can’t say it was completely ignored, but apart from those two, the single and the album were pretty much ignored. 

It’s staggering to think that a record so unique, diverse, and truly original as Odessey & Oracle would be ignored by the press. It makes you wonder what everybody could have been thinking, though, of course, the charts was awash with wonderful music arriving on the doorsteps of radio stations nationwide in 1967/8. Let us just immerse ourselves in some of the albums that landed around the same time as Odessey & Oracle. Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks, Beggars Banquet by The Stones, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, Aretha’s Lady Soul, Wheels Of Fire by Cream, and Music From Big Pink by The Band. As if that wasn’t feast enough, The Beatles were lining up The White Album, The Small Faces were about to drop their masterpiece, Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake, Bookends by Simon and Garfunkel was their next big release, and the psychedelic gem The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown had landed. DJ’s and critics were bombarded with genius. Maybe that’s why Odessey & Oracle was so easily dismissed? 

We go on to discuss the end of The Zombies, as a result of Odessey & Oracle’s flop, and Colin’s desire to move onto new projects. We talk about how the likes of Paul Weller (who will join The Zombies at their London show this week) and Dave Grohl have since championed their classic album, which has helped rescue it from the abyss and finally get the recognition it deserves, and Colin acknowledges that with much satisfaction. He tells me that such validation is immensely important to The Zombies personally, and that waiting all that time is ok … life is not simple, he chuckles, as though a weight is finally off his creative shoulder. 

You had a solo career after all of this, with the release of your incredible solo album, One Year, and Rod when on to form Argent, who were a magnificent and much underrated 70s rock band (at which Colin intercepts to declare “I agree! I was a real fan!”). What is brilliant about your live shows is that you incorporate a huge mix of everything – it’s not just Zombies music, but touches of your solo stuff, touches of Argent, but mainly Zombies obviously. You and Rod seem like such amazing friends – was that always the case, or during this period did you have some form of separation? 

Well, Rod and I always knocked around together during the original band, but I think there probably were periods where we did drift apart a bit socially. I mean we weren’t even in the same part of the country. Rod got married a long time before I did so his social needs were probably rather different to mine because I was still partying for England! But work wise, we’ve worked with each other off and on throughout this whole period, and certainly now I think we’re better friends than we’ve ever been. Obviously we’ve worked together now for the last 25 years – we got back together again in 1999, and of course made five or six albums. Now, ironically, we live quite close to one another – we’re probably about an hour apart, but it’s a straight road, so it’s easy to get to one another, and we do meet quite a lot. Strangely, our wives have become very close friends, and so we’re told that we’re getting together … you know, going out together or having Sunday lunch together – things like that. So, that’s been really really good!

I tell Colin how I’ve recruited many “born-again Zombies fans” over the years with various trips and gigs, and he laughs at my labours. We recall some of those gigs before I ask him about the induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

We’ve talked about recognition, which finally came. You guys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame a few years back [2019], which I was thrilled about, as I suspect all Zombies fans were, because some people get overlooked. Did you ever think that was going to come, or did you really care that much whether you did or didn’t?

Oh, I cared! But to answer your first question, I certainly did think it might not come because the recognition we’ve had for Odessey & Oracle and for our early records has come so late that everything seems to be out of sync with The Zombies’ career. I always think that it’s a bit mysterious, our Zombies career, and I can’t explain much of it myself. I don’t know how it happened … you know, there’s not that many people that have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame … if you look it up it’s maybe only just over 1000 … maybe 1400 … and I didn’t honestly think that we had a serious chance, but then we were nominated out of the blue, which was a wonderful surprise. We didn’t get in, but we were nominated four out of five years I think, and eventually we did get inducted. I can tell you, that was pretty exciting in our household that day when we got inducted. 

At this point, as Colin is in full flow, Rod Argent’s wife calls, which is a very funny moment for me. Colin is suddenly torn between what to do, but declares that he’ll call her back after the interview, which satisfies me in the knowledge that he’s enjoying our chat.

The actual ceremony itself was incredible. It was at The Barclay Center in Brooklyn, it was in front of 17,000 people, and when you looked out from the stage the mighty and the good from the record industry were right up front … it was like a who’s who of the record industry, so it was very exciting and probably a bit intimidating too. We were inducted alongside Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Def Leppard, Roxy Music, Radiohead and The Cure … incredible artists, so it was a wonderful evening. We sang four songs at the ceremony and I really enjoyed it. It was the four surviving original members supplemented by the current band, and I think it worked quite well. You don’t know how it’s going to work, do you, something like that? I seem to remember we had a rehearsal the day before and we were all over the place because that’s not how we normally play live, so it was a little bit different for us. And they say if the rehearsal is not good then there’s a fair chance that the show will be good. I was really relieved that it all came together. 

We laugh about the fact that Taylor Swift and Jay Z were appearing in clips from the front rows watching The Zombies as they performed their Hall Of Fame set, and Colin reiterated the importance of really concentrating on such occasions. I then cheekily ask him if he ever reminds himself of the fact that he’s a Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee when he’s having a bad day, to which he admits he does have such conversations with himself since it’s such a rarified position to be in for someone from the music industry. 

I then turn my line of questioning to Colin’s parents, and he emphasises how supportive they both were of his venture into music. His Dad had questioned his plan B of going to art school, citing that all those types of students used to do was drink beer and chase women, to which Coling giggles as he says “I don’t know if he was trying to put me off because that seemed like a wonderful experience to me!” I could see the happiness in Colin’s expression as he then explained how his father didn’t hesitate to countersign the contract when the music opportunity arrived, which, as Colin admits, surprised and delighted him all at once. 

We move on to their classic hit, and how Colin is still singing with such power.

I play in a band myself, Colin, but I’ve never been able to get anywhere near singing She’s Not There – it’s astronomically high, and yet you guys are still playing it in the same key. How are you managing that these days, Colin?

Well, I did study with a vocal coach, and I still do those exercises twice a day when we’re on the road and it really helps. It strengthens your voice and it makes it more accurate. It keep that range open as well. But the other things that are really important, both in general but also when you’re on the road, and even more important as you get older, is to drink plenty of water. It seems like such a basic thing but, especially in the 60s and 70s, people used to drink a lot of alcohol, which, of course, dries you out. It’s the last thing you should be doing. You should be drinking lots of water, you should eat sensibly and get lots of sleep. The complete opposite to what young bands did in the 60s. And then maybe you need a bit of luck as well to hold on to your voice … I would advocate seeing a vocal coach – you’ve got to find the right person because you don’t want to change your voice, you just want to make it stronger and more accurate. You want to work with them to get more idea about singing technique, because there are going to be days where you don’t want to sing or you’re not feeling that great, but you’ve got to do it. You have to turn it on. It helps to know a little bit about singing technique to do that. 

A little bit later in your career, after The Zombies had disbanded the first time, you brought out this wonderful record One Year, which is an incredibly personal and sentimental record. Did you see that as something completely different to The Zombies, as in were you carving your own path there?

Well it’s kind of interesting because Rod Argent and Chris White produced that album, and we recorded it in Studio 3 at Abbey Road with Peter Vince engineering. I did make some solo records before that, but that One Year album, in some ways, is for me the beginning of my solo career. It was made much easier because it was almost like getting the old team back together again – it was most of the people who worked on Odessey & Oracle who worked on One Year, and it made it a lot easier for me. There are lots of subtle differences between being a solo artist and being in a band, and it’s difficult really to explain, but you are responsible for everything when you’re a solo artist – it’s no longer a team … it’s definitely different, and a little bit tougher I think, especially if you’ve come from a band environment.

He goes on to tell me that he’s got a solo band, and plans some shows in the future – the first one to be announced is his solo gig as part of the “Begin Here Festival” in St Albans, where Zombies devotees like me will have the opportunity to see both Colin performing One Year, and a concert the following day with The Zombies in the town of their origin. 

I want to talk about the new album because one of the wonderful things about you guys is that you’re still writing, and still writing brilliantly relevant stuff. There are a lot of old bands who go through the motions and put albums out for the sake of it, but this stuff is some of the best stuff you’ve ever done. Highlights for me on the record include the song Rediscover, which has got an incredible Beach Boys flavour – those harmonies are amazing – and, you’ve probably found that everyone has said this, but Dropped Reeling & Stupid is classic Zombies. How has the process differed between making a record in the 60s and the 2020s, and how are you feeling about the new stuff – is it as exciting as it was 60 years ago?

Oh yeah! In some ways it’s even more exciting because none of us were expecting to be doing this at this time in our lives, and we’re eternally grateful that we’re able to write, record and tour in the autumn of our careers – and we have to face it, that’s what it is. Recording is totally different in many ways because when we started recording She’s Not There we were limited to four tracks. It was almost like recording live, really, but in a studio environment. The only thing we overdubbed were the l;ead vocals and the backing vocals, and we did those together on the fourth track. Nowadays you can have limitless tracks … everything can be treated independently. It’s totally different in a recording studio, except, for us, The Zombies, we’ve found that we prefer to record in a live environment, so everyone’s in the studio together playing at the same time. We don’t particularly overdub things … we might overdub a solo, and we might overdub harmonies, but otherwise we record with the whole band playing together, and I sing live with them as well. If I’m singing with them, they play differently – just slightly. And if I’m singing with them, I sing differently. This is what we’ve found on this album, and actually the album before [2015’s Still Got That Hunger]. It works better for us. So, despite all these technological advancements, we’ve almost gone back to the beginning because we’re playing live!

We recorded this album at Rod’s studio – he’s got a studio in his home – it’s a lovely studio, and it was great fun just to hang out and play the album. Unfortunately, we did actually start it just before covid struck, so it was put on hold for two years. Obviously if we all want to be in the studio together we couldn’t do it with the restrictions that were happening when covid hit, so we had to wait until it was over. It was great to be back together again, and we finished the album quite quickly. 

I nerd out a little after this by showing Colin my signed copy of the new album, and discussing how it has certainly kept us Zombies fanatics both happy and intrigued at the original sound meeting new ideas. He goes on to reference the song Rediscover, which I mentioned in the previous question, which he explains was influenced by Brian Wilson and his pre-gig warm up when The Zombies toured with him a few years back. Wilson would sing a beautiful acapella version of In My Room, and Colin is certain that it was this that influenced Rod’s writing of Rediscover. 

We speak about the brilliant live harmonies, and mention the great Jim Rodford (Dad of drummer Steve), who sadly died after a fall on 20th January 2018, at the age of 76, a few days after returning from America with The Zombies. He was the bass player and former Kinks session player. We also discuss possible future original music from the band, to which Colin’s answer is “absolutely … hopefully this summer!” 

I go on to speak about the tour, and Colin pinpoints The London Barbican gig as a highlight, explaining that the likes of Paul Weller will be joining, although he was still a little uncertain as to what the guests would be doing! I also ask about two of my favourite Zombies songs and enquire why they’re not not in the set – firstly Leave Me Be, but Colin claims, to my surprise, that none of the band were happy with it and that it was too “doomy” to be a single. The other is Goin’ Out of My Head, the Little Anthony cover that Colin likes as a song, but is still clearly visibly frustrated about the poor mix of their original recording. That was that tune that inevitably meant that Rod Argent and Chris White would take over the producer chair from thereon in.  

We then move onto influences and heroes. 

Who are your heroes, Colin? Not just from when you were younger, looking up to some of the 50s and 60s stars, but who are the people that are currently in the music business that you admire?

Well, I’ve got a theory that most people stick with the artists that they like and hear in their formative years, perhaps from 15-25, and I can certainly say it’s true of me. I still listen to and admire most the artists that I listened to then. And so, certainly McCartney would be in there … Elton … Clapton … and one person that I heard a bit later was Sting. I think he’s a fabulous talent, and I really admire that he doesn’t compromise. 

I ask Colin if he’d ever got to work with or meet any of those people he’s namechecked, and even though McCartney was a no, he tells me that he was on Elton’s label for three albums, and that he’d worked with Sting during a series of concerts in Antwerp. He also tells a lovely story about how Clapton went out of his way at a charity gig to introduce himself, which Colin thought was magical. I assure him that The Zombies keep such company very well, but he insists that Rod and he have always just seen themselves as “us – mates who play music together”, and that viewing themselves in such esteemed company is strange. 

Colin has been at it all day with various interviews across various media outlets, so I tell him I’ve just a couple of questions left before he can give his speaking voice a well earned rest. The first is a question about his literary influences, since he’s sat in a vast library throughout this conversation. I introduce our magazine, The Broken Spine Artist Collective, which is based in Southport, just north of Liverpool, as a poetry, photography, art and short story magazine, but Colin chuckles at the mere mention of “literary”. He’s sorry to disappoint, but his tastes are very mainstream and convenient – he doesn’t think he’s ever read a classic, and confesses that’s a terrible admission. He inherits his wife’s cast off novels, and we laugh at the idea that he can’t “run off a lot of long Russian names”!

We finish with this, though I admit it’s a rather bullish question:

I’ve just had a delivery from Amazon – the vinyl box set of Manfred Mann’s albums from ‘64-’67 [I show Colin, who looks delighted] – one of the things I’d really love to see in my collection is a vinyl box set of those early Zombies albums. Are there any plans in the pipeline to do something like that? 

Not that I know of. I mean there is a box set, but it wasn’t issued on vinyl. I’m not aware of anything happening like that, although there is a lot going on with those old masters. The masters reverted to us about a year ago, so that ownership of the masters is now with us. There’s a lot of contractual work going on at the moment, so who knows? It might happen!

We finish the interview with Colin casually chatting about how he was a guest vocalist for Manfred Mann over the course of about 3-4 years, and compliments them immensely as a fan himself. That’s before we end, much to my joy, with us both acknowledging what a great chat it’s been. 

I’m left with that irrepressible feeling of gratification – I’ve just spent an hour chatting with a 60s rock hero. How about that! 

The Zombies – more alive than ever!

And so, post interview, I have caught The Zombies live twice. And just like always, what nights they were.

It had been many years since I’d been to Buxton, and I’d forgotten just how quaint and civilised it was. My friends were braving a 60-mile bike ride to make the gig from Manchester – all friends who had never seen The Zombies before, but had heard me raving about them for decades. Off they had set along the Trans Pennine Trail, then through Bredbury, along the River Goyt into Marple, along the Macclesfield Canal to Bollington and Macclesfield before joining quiet roads leading through the beautiful Peak District to Buxton. I, of course, sat on the train with a book and a coffee enjoying the countryside flash by without even the hint of cramp. We were off to the Opera House – a venue that we’d all been excited to see, and one with more than just a hint of nostalgia. 

The Buxton Opera House was built in 1903 and designed by Frank Matcham, who designed the London Palladium, the London Coliseum, and many other theatres throughout the UK. Resting in the square in Buxton, it’s a stunning monument to generations long gone, and a Grade II listed building in the High Peak of Derbyshire. It was fitting, as I arrived, to see the poster of The Zombies on the billboards outside – a legendary act in a legacy venue.

The thing about The Zombies live is – and this is tried and tested – you can take people along who don’t know most of the songs but they’ll still love it. They are infectious, compelling, mysterious, at times raucous, and always fun on the stage. Their songs transcend multiple genres, and you are completely endeared by Rod and Colin’s chat discussing their career and achievements. A Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Act they might be, but they’re very much a band of the people.

When the lights came down in Buxton Opera House, and we were all settled in our private box (we went all out for a great night), the venue had filled up and that wonderful buzz of anticipation had arisen. The current line-up of The Zombies is arguably the best ever: Rod Argent (keyboards and vocals), Colin Blunstone (lead vocals), Steve Rodford (drums), Tom Toomey (guitar) and Søren Koch (bass). They walked out as a unit, and that tight, musical bond never lapsed all night. In short, their performance absolutely rocked … again!

They begin with their quirky 1965 number It’s Alright With Me, taken from the album Begin Here, before diving deep almost straight away into that hauntingly beautiful rendition of George Gershwin’s Summertime – and Blunstone is perfectly measured and typically sensual with his vocal delivery. By the time the band kick into the Titus Turner cover Sticks and Stones, the place is cooking, and even The Zombies’ novices are singing “I love you…!” on repeat when that iconic guitar riff kicks in for song number four.

Title track from their new album Different Game is next, and it’s a reminder that the fire is still there in the studio – The Zombies’ new music is as sumptuous and impressionistic as it always was in their heyday. They follow up with another new track, You Could Be My Love, after a fascinating insight from Rod Argent, whose public speaking is every bit as intricate and mesmerising as his extraordinary keys playing. I, of course, am thrilled to be over his shoulder throughout the performance from the incredible vantage point of a box, and can see every subtle infusion of jazz and blues and rock’n’roll first hand in those genius fingers of his.

One of my favourite Zombies tunes, Tell Her No, follows the couplet of new songs, and it brings the house down. Very much influenced by the music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, its emphatic chorus is very much a concert highlight, and evidence that the track was a precursor to jazz fusion. More Argent genius, of course. A mash-up of covers You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me / Bring It On Home to Me precedes another new track, and arguably the best on the new album, Dropped Reeling & Stupid. There are hints of Steely Dan, splashes of Doobie Brothers, a touch of Love and even Procol Harum here that suggest more intriguing ’70s comparisons than rehashing an old formula. 

Another highlight of the night is a trilogy of tracks from their much underrated 1968 album Odessey and Oracle. They began with a rip-roaring version of Care Of Cell 44, which you can see here:

Blunstone’s voice carries a touch of melancholy towards the end of This Will Be Our Year, somewhat prompting heavy hearted reminiscence, or even the band’s bittersweet history in terms of success. Argent’s beautiful outro brings a smile to Colin’s face, which warms my heart to see – great friends, and still very much exciting one another in the live arena. The band go on to deliver a flawless version of A Rose for Emily, which has complex, intricate backing vocals swirling in the ether. You can see that here too:

Just as the sentiment began to linger, they kick into one of their biggest trans-Atlantic hits, Time Of The Season, prompting hoots and hollers from an excited and fully charged crowd. Watch that here:

Rapturous applause follows their hippy masterpiece, and both Rod and Colin greet the audience with the familiarity of old friends, their anecdotal tales interspersed with hits both old and new. And it’s another new one that they stride forth with, Blunstone’s voice now hot and steaming. The track – Merry Go Round – is a real dancer, and I see people start to head for the aisles for a little bop. When the song ends it reminds me what a great record A Different Game actually is. It has all the innocent, sweet yearnings and rapturous, proggy, ear-worm journeys that The Zombies have become renowned for, and more. 

Rod talks the crowd through the confusion of Argent’s awesome hit Hold Your Head Up, making it perfectly clear that this should be an anthem for women’s rights since the chorus actually says “Hold your head up … woman!” It’s gratefully received, and the Buxton faithful join in with the right words when prompted. Rod’s psychedelic organ solo has everyone transfixed, until the band outro once more with that epic chorus. It’s been one hell of a ride, but there’s been one key song missing – She’s Not There. Argent leads with that recognisable riff, and Blunstone nails that famed vocal (by the way, in the SAME key as 1964), and the band rifle through individual solos, demonstrating their immense musicianship throughout. Bass player, Søren Koch, even offers snippets of many 60s classics in his gripping stride into the spotlight, including The Beatles, The Kinks and more.

Greeted with both riotous applause and astonishment, the band left the stage, with only Blunstone and Argent reemerging for a moving version of The Way I Feel Inside, before coming together to take their due plaudits. 

The Manchester gig is equally as dazzling, except an even larger audience and more of a buzz around the auditorium in the wonderful RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music). I overhear a Dad and lad discussing the importance of this gig in terms of their own relationship, and see the joy on the faces of many young people (students in their droves) who have come out to see the old boys rock. That’s a really nice thing to see, and evidence of this timeless music spanning generations.

The Zombies have been out on tour around the UK in recent weeks, and the big one is coming up this Friday at London’s Barbican on June 7th, when the band will be joined on stage by special guests including Paul Weller, Irwin Sparkes (The Hoosiers) and Sarah Brown, with others to be announced. Go and see them, buy their records, celebrate one of our finest ever bands. The time is now, though I don’t think this is the end. Not in the slightest. Even approaching their 80s, Argent and Blunstone are still full of energy, creativity and potency on stage. 

And anyway, Zombies can’t die anyway, right?

Upcoming dates:

JUN 4, 2024: Bristol St George’s, Bristol, UK

JUN 7, 2024: Barbican, London, England

JUN 14, 2024: Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, UK

JUN 15, 2024: The Great Mountain, Moffat, UK, Eden Festival

JUL 25, 2024: Henham Park – Southwold, null Southwold, UK, Latitude Festival

JUL 27, 2024: Holt Festival, Holt, UK

NOV 8, 2024 – NOV 10, 2024: Begin Here Festival, St Albans, UK

NOV 9, 2024: Eric Morecambe Centre, Harpenden, England

All tickets available here.

The new album, and all Zombies merchandise is available on their official website here.