The Hollies - Concert Review

Cheltenham Town Hall, 26^th January 2001 - by Derek Briggs

Courtesy Gloucestershire Echo; Tuesday; January 30, 2001

Hollies carry on rocking

Review: The Hollies, Cheltenham Town Hall By Derek Briggs

The Town Hall may not be huge but it was impressive to see The Hollies filling it 40 years after Graham Nash and Allan Clarke began the band.

Nash and Clarke have left but their core buddy, lead guitarist Tony Hicks, was much in evidence with cheeky humour and Beatles haircut.

Whilst drummer Bobby Elliott is almost an original, bass guitarist Ray Stiles, keyboardist Ian Parker and guitarist Alan Coates have all done long service.

All eyes were on Carl Wayne, a recent replacement for Clarke, and the erstwhile singer with The Move.

How well would he fill Clarke's shoes? The verdict of the audience was, very well indeed. An extremely confident performer he belted out hit after hit to a dazzling light show,

Among them were the much applauded I'm Alive, Jennifer Eccles, Just One Look, Bus Stop and Stay:

Perhaps it was only in my mind that they lacked the subtle group harmonies that made the originals memorable.

Wayne did not completely take centre stage. Coates got into the feeling of On a Carrousel, Hicks' Carrie Anne was a delight, Stiles impressed, album songs were featured and even a recording of Buddy Holly got into the act.

He Ain't Heavy featured in a long encore, long because Wayne kept asking: "Do you want any more?"

Quite a, night for nostalgia.

Derek Briggs

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