December 22, 2024

Skylight Webzine

Online since 2000

The Zombies announce The Invaders Return Tour

Timed with the one-year anniversary of The Zombies’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and 50 years to-the-day that their classic Time of The Season’ first hit #1 on the charts, the music legends announce The Invaders Return Tour.

Following a year of overseas touring, The Zombies will be returning to Scandinavia for a series of tour dates, which is significant as the first place on mainland Europe that the band ever played back in 1967. The band has also announced other US, Canadian and UK dates. The band will be debuting brand-new songs on this tour.  

Led by founding members, vocalist Colin Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent, The Zombies’ 21st-Century line-up features Steve Rodford on drums, guitarist Tom Toomey, and the newest member, Søren Koch, on bass. Original bassist Jim Rodford passed away in 2018.

The band’s live shows, described by Rolling Stone as “absolutely triumphant”, take fans on a journey through time, from their early hits…their 1968 masterpiece ‘Odessey & Oracle’…post-Zombies solo favorites…right to today with songs from their forthcoming new album.

Earlier, the band released a live version of their hit song Time of The Season’.Recorded at Abbey Road in 1967 and released in 1968, the track was a worldwide chart-topper that paved the way to a full-fledged glorious career for the band. The live rendition was recorded live in Los Angeles and premiered via Rolling Stone. Most recently, they have shared the video of ‘She’s Not There’, performed live at the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

The Zombies are now working on a new LP, their first since their 2015 Billboard-charting album ‘Still Got That Hunger’.  Never content to only look back, keyboardist Rod Argent noted that several songs have already been recorded in his new studio, which was designed by the same person responsible for the acoustic design of all Abbey Road studios.

51 years have passed since ‘Time of the Season’ claimed the number one position on the U.S. single charts, making them the second UK band (following the Beatles) to score a #1 hit in America during the 1964 “British Invasion”.

After infiltrating the airwaves with hit singles ‘She’s Not There’ and ‘Tell Her No’, The Zombies ironically broke up shortly before their greatest successes – ‘Time of the Season’ and their swan-song album ‘Odessey & Oracle’, which ranked #100 among Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.  To this day, generations of new bands have cited The Zombies’ work as pop touchstones, and the band continues to be embraced by new generations of fans.

In 2019, The Zombies were inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after receiving their fourth nomination in five years. Support among the public and their peers was undeniable, with the band placing fourth in the public online poll with over 330,000 votes. Fittingly, the induction ceremony took place on March 29, 2019 – exactly 50 years to-the-day after The Zombies’ classic ‘Time of the Season’ first hit #1 on the charts. They hereby joined Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, The Cure, Def Leppard, Janet Jackson, and Roxy Music in the Class of 2019.

Following the break-up of the original band, lead vocalist Colin Blunstone went on to develop an acclaimed solo career (with hits including ‘Say You Don’t Mind’, ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted’ and ‘Old & Wise’ with Alan Parsons Project) and keyboardist/ songwriter Rod Argent rocked ‘70’s arenas with his eponymous band ARGENT (‘Hold Your Head Up’, ‘God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll To You’), but the legend of The Zombies continued to take on a life of its own.  By the start of the new Millennium, Blunstone and Argent were inspired to resurrect The Zombies.

The explosive release of ‘Still Got That Hunger’ led to performing at Glastonbury Festival, an appearance on TV on ‘Later…With Jools Holland’, and the band’s 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction… With so many major triumphs in their 5-decade career, the band is not resting on their laurels.  The Zombies story continues! More information on tour dates can be found at https://www.thezombiesmusic.com/live, as well as Bandsintown and Songkick.

SCANDINAVIAN TOUR DATES
27 May – Alesund, Norway at Terminalen
29 May – Trondheim, Norway at Byscenen
31 May – Bergen, Norway at Ole Bull Scene
1 June – Stavanger, Norway at Folken
2 June – Oslo, Norway at Rockefeller
4 June – Mölnlycke, Sweden at Rada Rum
5 June – Malmo, Sweden at Kulturbolaget
6 June – Stubbekobing, Denmark at Kun For Forrykte Festival

Time of The Season (Live in Los Angeles 2019) https://youtu.be/dPhjnUiudrs
Time of The Season (lyric video) https://youtu.be/T8ecsAI3FhY
This Will Be Our Year (lyric video) https://youtu.be/xSzU9Geg6jA
She’s Not There (at 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony) https://youtu.be/-vD5RoGPG-4

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