Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer [NL]
Saturday, 19th April 2025
Colin Blunstone is of course best known as the singer of the legendary band The Zombies, responsible for many hits in the sixties. In addition, he has managed to build an impressive solo career with his unique, somewhat husky voice. In particular, his contributions to several albums by The Alan Parsons Project have long remained in the memory of prog fans, among others. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I had never seen the iconic singer before in concert, time to put things right. The setlist this evening would mainly consist of Blunstone’s solo work, however this does not mean that The Zombies songs are missing, on the contrary.
The band starts at half past eight exactly with 60’s pop in the form of She Loves The Way They Love Her, which immediately invites you to sing along. Andorra follows, a small hit with a rocky edge and Caroline Goodbye will probably have nothing to do with the departure of the good pirate radio ship. The Wild Places is an ode to his unfortunately much too early deceased good friend Duncan Browne, and coincidentally his only hit in the Netherlands. I never thought I would ever come across that song in a live performance, although I once had the chance to admire the original in 1980, in an old venue in The Hague.
Now I Know I’ll Never Get Over You is a Blunstone song about coming home after a long tour, whereas Time to Move is from The Zombies catalogue, and tonight featuring a leading role for Dave Bainbridge on Hammond. The well-known What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, a Jimmy Ruffin cover, was a major hit for Blunstone in the early 80s and is sung along with great enthusiasm by the fans tonight. Lesser well-known is Levi Stubbs’ Tears, a Billy Bragg song about the singer of the same name from The Four Tops. We stay in genre of black-eyed soul for a while with The Miracles cover of The Tracks of My Tears with another excellent Hammond organ part for Dave Bainbridge (Iona, Celestial Fire, Lifesigns, Strawbs, Circuline).
A series of Zombies numbers follow, with the obscure Hung Up on a Dream as opener followed by This Will Be Our Year and the well-known Time of the Season (aahhhh). Apparently there will never be another Zombies show after founder/keyboardist Rod Argent finally closed the book, but Blunstone keeps the light burning. A short break of about fifteen minutes is necessary to lubricate throats and give the musicians some time to recover.
After a short delay we are presented with an intimate intermezzo: the singer accompanied by the acoustic duo of Bainbridge and Koch, with the former taking on both the electric piano and the acoustic guitar as well. Keep the Curtains Closed Today and the Tim Hardin number Misty Roses are part of the show. Any Other Way sounds quite Al Stewart-like, rocking but with Koch’s acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. The well-known hit I Don’t Believe in Miracles by Russ Ballard is sung by Blunstone including the high final note, the audience reacts euphorically. Say You Don’t Mind is a rocker written by Denny Laine (Moodie Blues/Wings).
The big Alan Parsons Project hit Old and Wise is next. The characteristic husky voice is missing but his top-notch backing band pulls him through, resulting in a big applause from the enthusiastic audience, the atmosphere is truly excellent. She’s Not There should of course not be missing in a Blunstone show, the song that changed the lives of the group members forever as it was the first big hit by Rod Argent’s ensemble. Including a great Hammond solo by the unsurpassed Dave Bainbridge. The band briefly withdraws from the stage to return at lightning speed for another song by The Zombies, Just Out of Reach, after which the swinging sing-along I Want Some More serves as the final chord. Gratefully the band inhales the deafening applause from the excited audience.
Blunstone still looks great as he approaches 80, debonair with a dark stage outfit and cool scarf around his neck. The golden voice, husky and a bit plaintive, recognizable anywhere is no longer there, however there is still a surprising amount of power in his delivery and he absolutely does not shy away from the high notes. The latter gets him a standing ovation on a few occasions. The audience reacts enthusiastically anyway, Blunstone is a real entertainer who knows how to win the fans over.
His accompanists can rightly be called an ‘All-Star band’, as was already said during the announcement, with two Strawbs members, bassist Chas Cronk (among others Steve Hackett, Rick Wakeman) and an absolute leading role for jack-of-all-trades Dave Bainbridge. The latter, always smiling and friendly behind his instruments, this time in the role of keyboardist. Drummer Steve Rodford and guitarist Soren Koch have been part of The Zombies for years. All musicians are in a good spirits and make a professional and especially well-rehearsed impression. The show is part of a short tour through Germany and the Netherlands.
The keywords this evening are catchy, entertaining, professional and exciting. Much more pop than prog perhaps but I still had a great time. And that certainly applies to the rest of the audience, about 400 people, on this chilly April evening in Zoetermeer. Fortunately, the show was heartwarming, in every sense.
[Live photographs used with the kind permission of Marcel Boshuizen (Poppodium Boerderij)]
SETLIST
She Loves the Way They Love Her
Andorra
Caroline Goodbye
The Wild Places
Now I Know I’ll Never Get Over You
Time to Move
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
Levi Stubbs’ Tears
The Tracks of My Tears
Hung Up on a Dream
This Will Be Our Year
Time of the Season
– Interval –
Let Me Come Closer to You
Keep the Curtains Closed
Misty Roses
Any Other Way
I Don’t Believe in Miracles
Say You Don’t Mind
Old and Wise
She’s Not There
~ Encore:
Just Out of Reach
I Want Some More
MUSICIANS
Colin Blunstone – Lead Vocals
Soren Koch – Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Backing Vocals
Dave Bainbridge – Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
Chas Cronk – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Steve Rodford: Drums
Dean Anschutz: Percussion
LINKS
Colin Blunstone – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
