PREVIEW: COLIN BLUNSTONE OF THE ZOMBIES TO PERFORM AT TROY SAVINGS BANK MUSIC HALL ALONGSIDE THE FIXX AND PETER ASHER
09/30 @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy
Photo by Andrew Eccles
“As soon as you walk out on stage and the audience responds to you, it’s a huge lift… There’s no danger in being tired or despondent when an audience responds to you; it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.”
In the 1960s, The Zombies contributed such timeless hits as “Time of the Season,” “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Some songs are flashes in the pan; bits of pop culture that soon fade into the ether. Others, like those recorded by The Zombies, are timeless and take on lives of their own, finding their way into a sort of permanence.
On September 30, the original lead singer of The Zombies, Colin Blunstone, is set to take the stage at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall alongside The Fixx and Peter Asher. Actively touring, Blunstone is showing no signs of slowing down as he is working on finishing his latest solo record.
Blunstone noted his enthusiasm for the record-making process.
“I’ve written, or co-written all the songs, which is the first time that’s ever happened for me,” Blunstone explained.
Working with producer George Moore, Blunstone has excitedly been chipping away at this undertaking. He has currently recorded about half of the tunes slated for release.
The record’s progress is currently on hold as Blunstone finishes his 19-date tour. The tour, as he notes, has been well-received — all three acts bring something a bit different to the stage.
“It’s been going fantastically well,” Blunstone said.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s experience with touring has changed over the course of his six decades in the industry.
When he was starting out, bands seldom knew where they were staying on any given night, often figuring out lodging at the last minute. And while traveling still remains the hardest part, Blunstone notes how the industry has improved in this manner.
“[Touring] is arranged in a much more sophisticated way than it was when we first started,” Blunstone stated. Continuing, “I’m amazed that we ever got to the venues in the first place… it’s completely different now!”
For the show at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Blunstone will be working his way through all the hits from The Zombies discography, as well as select tracks from his solo career. The artist notes that The Zombies are not likely to tour again and that some of their more obscure tunes will be featured in the live set. Some, he said, he’s never performed live before.
Performing these hits for nearly 60 years, Blunstone has found a way to keep them from getting stale.
“They’re just timeless classics and I always enjoy performing them,” Blunstone explained. “You can just put slightly different emphasis on one part or another of the song that can make it sound fresh again… It still sounds relevant today.”
Though he is excited about the new record, Blunstone said these new songs will not be played live until after the record is released sometime in 2027.
The staples of his live set require quite a vocal range — a range that Blunstone has impressively maintained throughout his career. He attributes this to living ‘sensibly’ on the road, focusing on hydration, as well as his studies under the vocal coach Ian Adam. While the studies were cursory, Blunstone noted that he continues doing the warmup exercises he learned to this day, doing one set before soundcheck and one set just before the show.
Blunstone took a break from touring about halfway through his career, turning his attention to making records. Now, there’s seemingly no desire to stop as the artist mentions a Europe tour currently in the works for next year. During our interview for the show, his enthusiasm for the craft permeated the entire conversation.
“As soon as you walk out on stage and the audience responds to you, it’s a huge lift,” Blunstone explained. “There’s no danger in being tired or despondent when an audience responds to you; it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.”
To learn more about the show, please go to www.troymusichall.org.
