Hi Colin, thank you for chatting with me!
You are heading out on the road for a solo tour, tell us more about it.
I have been touring with my solo band since 1997, longer in fact than I’ve toured with the re-formed Zombies. We have a settled line up of fine musicians and have played in Europe and the States as well as all over the U.K.
What are you most looking forward to?
It’s very exciting to be playing more of my solo material, much of which I’ve written my self. I try to keep my solo band and The Zombies repertoire as different as possible and so will probably end up playing only a couple of Zombie tunes. I really enjoy playing with The Zombies but I spend so much time on the road with them that it’s very invigorating to tour with different people playing a completely different set.
Touring or in studio, which do you prefer and why?
For me the perfect scenario is to start off writing and then watch it develop in the studio before going out on the road and playing the fully developed material to the public. Each stage has it’s own appeal and to see the very first idea of a song grow into a polished fully arranged performance is fantastic.
The Zombies v’s solo? … Tell us the best bits of each!
In some ways there’s less pressure in The Zombies as most decisions are joint decisions and I also feel very musically secure when we perform as the basis of our line up has been together for nearly 20 years!! We generally play larger venues in The Zombies including Glastonbury, The Isle Of Wight and many prestigious festivals in America.
It’s great to get the opportunity to play more of my solo material in the solo band.They are wonderful players and give me a fresh perspective on touring and live performances.
Will we see new music from you as well as your classics?
We are in the middle of recording a new solo album at the moment so I’m not absolutely sure if any of the new material will be ready for a live performance. We won’t really know until we have a “run through” the day before the tour begins.
What would you say is the defining moment of your musical career?
Recording “She’s Not There” in 1964 with the original Zombies changed my life forever.
What quote or saying do you always stand by?
Believe what people do and not what they say!!!
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
“In ear” monitors. They are small audio monitors that fit inside your ear and allow you to hear clearly everything you are singing.
Vocal warm up exercises. Makes your voice stronger and more accurate and allows you to sing for a 2 hours performance without losing your voice.
Eat early!! It’s very hard to sing on a full stomach.
Set list so that I’m absolutely sure what the next song is.
A bottle of water on stage. It’s very important to stay hydrated when you’re performing.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Yes.
My Website
And I am on Facebook.
