The dead may walk, but Zombies can tour

Point of clarification: we’re not talking about the slow moving, brain-eating monsters that populated George Romero’s 1968 Night of the Living Dead movie, nor the post-apocalyptic goons of The Walking Dead. The Zombies became a big deal in 1964 with the release of “She’s Not There,” right in the midst of the “British Invasion” that brought the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Dave Clark Five (among others) into American radio and television. Four years later, the group scored their second U.S. hit, “Time of the Season,” notable for its active bass line, call-and-response vocals, and jazzy organ solo. It’s been used in dozens of movies, and was covered and sampled by a slew of different artists.

The particular Zombies coming to the Belly Up on July 24 include two cornerstone members in keyboardist Rod Argent (who went on to his own mega-hit with 1972’s “Hold Your Head Up”) and Colin Blunstone on vocals. “The tour we’re starting next week will be The Zombies’ first since 2019,” Blunstone tells the Reader. “I think I can safely say that I’ll be approaching our first concert with a fair amount of excitement and just a little trepidation.”

The band has a new live album CD/DVD combo, The Zombies Live From Studio Two, recorded at London’s Abbey Road facility last year. When it comes to concert performances, Blunstone mentions having a ratio of new-versus-old music with which he feels comfortable. “There is a definite skill in planning a concert using both classic hits and brand-new material. The Zombies have always written and recorded new music, and it is always really exciting when a new song receives the same reaction as a classic hit that everyone is familiar with. I would estimate that about a third of a Zombies show is new material.”