Wherever or whenever they perform, The Zombies never fail to impress the audience. The enduring British pop band of the ‘60s just finished tours in the US, Netherlands, UK and Japan, drawing rave reviews in media for dishing out their timeless music without missing a beat.
The Zombies, featuring lead vocalist Colin Blunstone and keyboard wizard Rod Argent, brings their act to the PICC tonight.
It’s the band’s third visit to the Philippines dating back to 1967 and 2006. While they’ve been playing beautiful music for nearly 50 years, The Zombies are going strong with a wide cross-section of fans from all over the world continuing to patronize their shows.
At the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., last month, The Zombies were never better. “When your admirers include Paul Weller, Dave Grohl and The Vaccines, you probably are doing something right,” wrote music critic Mickey in the website “We Love DC.” “And so The Zombies unquestionably got something right, capturing lightning in a bottle in their timeless classic ‘Time of the Season,’ off their most famous album, ‘Odessey and Oracle,’ in 1968 right as they disbanded. The album endured, however, and the band eventually returned to stay with the new century in a lineup that is touring on a new album.”
Mickey added, “All in all, The Zombies displayed the sort of natural skill that only comes with time and talent. Watching their show, it became clear why they still are thought of as standard-bearers for the baroque pop sound. It’s well worth catching them to enjoy their absolute professionalism or to savor a big chunk of rock history in one sitting. I’m certain you’ll leave full.”
Perhaps, the most exciting review came from The Washington Times which said, “The Zombies, still led by original keyboard wizard Rod Argent and featuring the smoked-silk vocals of Colin Blunstone, is the best ‘60s band still touring which doesn’t have Mick Jagger as a front man.”
In his website “Things Along The Way,” blogger Gary Leon Johnson recalled chancing upon The Zombies while on a trip to Manila in 2006. “Back when I was in high school, there was an English band called The Zombies,” he wrote. “They had a string of hit songs which included ‘She’s Not There’ ‘Tell Her No’ and ‘Time of the Season.’ I thought, and still think, lead singer Colin Blunstone had one of the great voices of rock-n-roll. The band’s harmonies were almost angelic. I had every album they put out. I never thought I would see them live on stage but it happened in February of 2006. I was in Manila and they performing at a coliseum on a reunion tour. The night before the big concert, they played for a small dinner crowd at the Hard Rock Café in Makati. Maria and I were lucky enough to get tickets at a table in front of the stage.”
On their third tour of the Philippines, The Zombies will mesmerize their Filipino fans with the same kind of music they’ve been known for since signing a three-year record deal with Decca in 1964. They’re tailor-fitting their set list to suit what the Filipino audience is familiar with from “How We Were Before” to “Miles Away” “The Way I Feel Inside” “Whenever You’re Ready” “Going Out of My Head” “Indication” and “Nothin’s Changed.”
If you’ve seen The Zombies before, you can’t miss this next opportunity to watch the ageless music icons again. And if you’ve never seen them before, it’s the “Time of the Season” to catch their show. Tickets are available at TicketWorld (Tel. No. 891-9999) and SM Tickets (Tel. No. 470-2222).