Review: The Zombies (19/04/23)
[As published on Facebook]
The Zombies - ‘Life is a Merry-Go-Round’ (Support: Bruce Sudano) - SPA PAVILION | WEDNESDAY 19 APRIL, 2023
A Review by Laura Locke, of Felixstowe Radio
A month ago, I found The Zombies’ gig written in my diary, an entry that had been there since their cancelled tour in 2022. I am so glad I had kept the date. thezombiesmusic.com
Bruce Sudano, The Zombies’ support, no doubt was right when he said many of the Spa’s audience had not heard of him; but they would have heard his music, and I am sure after the gig many will be listening to him again. brucesudano.com
Having written songs for Tommy James and the Shondelles, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton and his late wife Donna Summer (including ‘Love to Love You’ and ‘Bad Girls’), his contribution to popular music has been significant, and he is still creating impactive music. ‘Tighter Tighter’, written by Tommy James, was Sudano’s band ‘Alive and Kicking’ one hit wonder in 1970.
'Things are Changing’, he sang to us, and he has seen many. Born in 1948 his relaxed stage persona and Americana music style warmed the audience for The Zombies, and his thoughtful lyrics and informal storytelling were engaging and inclusive .
Married for 32 years to Donna Summer, after her death he said he felt his world was twisted around, and his choice was to curl up or carry on. Fortunately he chose the latter, has remarried and is about to release a new album.
The second UK band to reach no 1 in the USA after the Beatles, The Zombies defined the 60s with their iconic sound. And 55 years after the release of their 2nd album 'Odessey and Oracle', The Zombies are back on the Merry Go Round.
As you would expect, the Spa Pavilion was full of the retro rocker generation (me included) but meeting a super fan in her twenties who had followed them since she was 16 confirmed that their output is timeless.
My memories of frontman Colin Blunstone’s voice is of a gentle soothing ‘breathyness’ and I was sure that this quality would not still be there. However his range and tone had not been compromised by the years. He and Rod Argent, supremely talented keyboard player, are in their 70s and maybe you would think it was time to pack away their touring kit.
But with a band that are all highly accomplished musicians their sound did not disappoint. This comprised Colin Blunstone on vocals, Rod Argent on keyboards, Steve Rodford on drums, guitarist Tom Toomey, and bassist Søren Koch.
Touring again with their newly released album, ‘Different Game’, Blunstone informed us that he had been singing for more than 60 years. In 1961, The Zombies had their first rehearsal and album ‘Odessey and Oracle’ cited as Paul Weller’s and Dave Grohl’s favourite album, was released in ‘68. Singles ‘Tell Her No’, and ‘She’s not There’ and ‘Time of the Season’ ironically charted after the band had broken up.
Rod Argent went on to form Argent, and as he explained why one of their top singles is ‘Hold your Head Up (Woman)’, I may adopt this as one of my empowerment anthems for my Felixstowe Radio ‘Laura Unlocked’ women’s show on a Friday morning.
With a healthy mix of new songs from the ‘Different Game’ album, (see if you think the title track has resonances of Procol Harem’s ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’) and their classics, great musicianship and vocals, the band kept the Spa audience singing and on their feet for the numerous encores. And I realised that ‘Time of the Season’ and ‘She’s Not There’ are two of my all-time favourite songs.
The band was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 and the new album is in the UK and US album charts.
You’ve still ‘Really Got a Hold on Me’, Zombies, and as one of the audience members shouted – you’ve still got it!