The Hollies - Concert Review
Fort Regent, Jersey, 11th May 2001 - by Isobel Osmont (Jersey Evening Post)
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Picture: DAVID FERGUSON |
'What do you need to write a review for?' he asked.
'We're going - we know they'll be good.'
That evening I realised that, of course, he was right.
The band was formed in the early 1960s and here they are in 2001, still performing to thousands of fans every year, all over the world.
Admittedly, the line-up has changed in that period - probably most memorably when Graham Nash left to form Crosby Stills and Nash, and more recently, when Allan Clarke, lead singer and another founder member, retired - although The Hollies must surely be the only band of that era with a couple of the original members, guitarist Tony Hicks and drummer Bobby Elliott, still in the line-up.
Besotted
Not only that, but there are some people in the UK who are so besotted with The Hollies that they go to as many concerts as they can.
Two of them, Chris and Sheila Bowen from Birmingham, have been to all their concerts throughout the British Isles and occasionally overseas, since 1988, while sisters Helen and Claire Wright from Burnley said that they were attending their 200th Hollies concert.
'Tony is the reason we come,' they said, while Chris and Sheila who also produce the fan magazine Carousel (named after one of the songs), insisted that their presence at every show was certainly not because they are rich or daft, as one member of the band had once asked them.
'The Hollies are just very, very good,' they said. And, indeed they are.
They don't just sing pop music from the sixties - or seventies or eighties, for they had top ten hits in each of those decades too - they sing songs which even ardent fans didn't know, and some they did know but weren't aware the Hollies had recorded, such as Blowin' In The Wind, made famous by Bob Dylan.
One of the truly unknowns was Soldier's Song, written by Mike Batt of Wombles fame, and which was, deservedly in my opinion, a huge hit - but never in Britain.
Its a haunting song about a young man going to war and learning at first hand of its brutality. The dramatic lighting and the drum rolls which sounded like machine gun-fire also had their impact on the audience. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop for a few seconds as the last notes faded.
That song came about half way through the first half. At the start of the show the six members of the band walked sedately on stage, as befits men of 50 plus. But as soon as they launched into the songs for which they are famous - I'm Alive, followed by Here I Go Again, then Jennifer Eccles, Just One Look and Carousel - we were transported back in time by the songs, and the energy and power of the performance.
Bopping
Soon most of the audience were singing along or, at the very least, tapping their feet - we're an undemonstrative bunch in Jersey.
I did wonder why the concert was an all-seater affair, especially having seen the over 40s dancing the night away when Showaddywaddy were here last year. Did people not dance because the seats were there, or were the seats there because they weren't expected to start bopping in the aisles anyway?
It wasn't until the second half that a few people let go their inhibitions and got to their feet to dance. Even then, only one person seemed to know the steps for Tiger Feet. You would be correct in thinking that song was not one of The Hollies' - it was performed as a tribute to Mud since, in a previous incarnation, bass player Ray Stiles was a member of the 70s band prior to joining the Hollies.
The newest addition to the line- up, lead singer Carl Wayne, has been a member for just over a year since Allan Clarke retired, and has melded seamlessly with the group. He has a superb voice which was first heard when he was lead singer of the Move.
He sang The Hollies' classics extremely well, and with obvious enjoyment, and the addition to the repertoire of a couple of Move hits, Flowers in the Rain and Blackberry Way, in no way jarred. Indeed, it complemented the music, and the audience enjoyed it too.
When the band came back for the second half they had changed their outfits, Carl Wayne looking very dramatic in shiny leather pants, while Tony Hicks' mandarin collared suit took us back 30 years. Still, since he looks about 23, it was a nice touch.
Three other songs are worthy of special mention. The first was Blackbird, the McCartney ballad arranged by The Hollies for two guitars and three voices.
Spine tingling
Performed by Alan Coates and Tony Hicks, who both have superb voices and are wonderful guitarists, the song also highlighted the voice of Ray Stiles.
Graham Nash's song Butterfly provided another opportunity for us to hear Alan Coates, while Buddy Holly's Peggy Sue Got Married, penned by the man himself and, by the wonders of modern technology sung by him too, and accompanied by the band, was spine tingling as Carl Wayne moved into the shadows and the lone spotlight shone on the empty mike stand.
The rest of the show consisted of more Hollies hits, and it included the wonderful The Air that I Breathe and, of course, He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother - how could they not sing that one?
The final song was a simple vocal number sung by five of the six which showed, as if anyone needed reminding, just what consummate musicians these guys are.
My friend, and those fans from England, are right. The Hollies are very, very good.