The Animals (and friends)

I first saw the current incarnation of the Animals (see here) on 3rd October 2008 (I remember as it was my birthday) up at the Blakeney Harbour Room, an unlikely bastion of RnB perhaps? I was not a huge fan, having heard mainly the "obvious" and slightly poppy sounds but live, in this formation did they play some dirty RnB? You bet! Plus special guest for the second half was Spencer Davis...very nice.

So on to the Maddermarket Theatre on Thursday 2nd April which was an even weirder venue. Anyway, getting there the front desk was selling some Animals CDs (old and new material) plus a couple of Zoot Money Cds. I asked how on earth was a relatively obscure (compared to the Animals anyway) artist on sale? Only 'cos he was guesting on keyboards all night. What an unexpected treat. The "usual" keyboard player (Mickey Gallagher - post Alan Price) was on tour with the Blockheads! Don't this guys ever retire? No Eric Burden obviously but the lead vocals of Pete Barton are pretty fine in my opinion and had a real raw energy.

So onto the set. Kicking off with "Baby Let Me Take You Home" and interspersing the Animals crowd pleasers with a great selection of RnB classics and a couple of soul numbers (and not just the obvious - Ray Charles "I Believe To My Soul" anyone?) - pick the bones out of (my fave of the night) "Road Runner" (Chuck Berry / Bo Diddley), John Lee Hooker "Dimples" and a great version of "Boom Boom" with lead guitar and Zoot's keyboards duelling (my second fave of the night), Dale Hawkins' "Suzy-Q" plus others which now escape me. Shame this was a seated venue and Zoot's only featured track was "Big Timer Operator" (no "Uncle Willie" unfortunately).

Well worth a look and it transpires last year they had Steve Cropper as ther guest! What a gig that would have been. I think they are in Wells Next The Sea in Augus this year...

Just a quick postcript - they ended with "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" and how it was the US forces nunber 1 for three years during Vietnam plus the obligatory (but great version of) "House of the Rising Sun"