30 Oct 2023
Iconic British psychedelic pop legends, The Zombies, will be in conversation and perform a live acoustic set at St Albans Museum + Gallery.
The event, on Friday November 10, is 62 years after they first formed in St Albans in 1961.
The Zombies Come Home event kicks off the Begin Here Festival – a weekend of gigs, screenings, and events to celebrate their time-honoured career and recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside the likes of The Cure, Radiohead, Janet Jackson, Roxy Music, Def Leppard, and Stevie Nicks.
The intimate event, held in the Assembly Room, will feature the four surviving original band members: Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Chris White, and Hugh Grundy.
They will talk with journalist Jo Kendall about how they formed and perfected their sound in the pubs and live music venues of St Albans to join the forefront of the 1960s British Invasion with hits ‘She’s Not There’ and ‘Time of the Season’ and how their fame has shaped their lives.
A live acoustic set follows, with Colin Blunstone on vocals and Rod Argent on keyboard and vocals, featuring songs from their new album Different Game alongside some much-loved hits.
St Albans Museum + Gallery will also host a display of Zombies memorabilia in St Albans on Demand, outside the Assembly Room, until May 2024.
The band remember their early days in St Albans fondly.
Rod said: “We met outside a pub. We were too young to walk in the pub.”
Colin added: “I was literally in a corner singing to myself, doing a Ricky Nelson song, and Rod came over and said, ‘That’s really good. I’ll tell you what. If you’ll be the lead singer, I’ll play keyboards.’”
The band met outside the Blacksmiths Arms pub in St Albans before their very first rehearsal and went on to hold their early rehearsals at The Pioneer Club, then situated on Hatfield Road, using equipment lent to them by the Bluetones.
All aged around 16 years and still at school, the band members were too young to perform in pubs when they first met but they later went on to play at Old Albanian and Old Verulamian rugby clubs in St Albans where they gained their initial reputation and following.
Colin recalled: “The nights playing at Old Verulamians were very special as we built up a following that led to the club hiring a large marquee to house the hundreds of followers at our Saturday night performances.
“In the early days of the band Hugh Grundy bought a Vespa scooter and somehow managed to transport himself, his set of drums, me and my guitar to and from our shows on it, it was madness but great fun!”
With roots firmly in St Albans – as youngsters, Rod being a member of St Albans Cathedral Choir and Colin going to St Albans Grammar School – the band has many intimate memories to share with the audience at the event.
Colin continued: “St Albans means memories of a solid and sound education under the keen eye of Mr Bradshaw at St Albans County Grammar School for Boys and once I left school at 18 my social life was very firmly centred on the bright lights of St Albans! Then later, playing at Old Verulamians and of course the beginnings of a 60-year career in the music business with The Zombies first ever rehearsal in The Pioneer Club.”
SADC arts, tourism, heritage and culture manager and head of St Albans Museums Farhana Begum added: “The Zombies are one of the most influential bands of the last 60 years and it’s an honour to welcome them back home to St Albans. Many locals will remember seeing the band in their early days, so this intimate and revealing event is exceptionally poignant. Their recent sell-out tour has delighted fans across the country, and their celebration event at St Albans Museum + Gallery is sure to go down in history as an unforgettable evening.”
Tickets available via: stalbansmuseums.org.uk
