‘HOUSE of The Rising Sun’… ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’….’Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ and 'Boom Boom’ (as featured in the James Bond movie, ‘Skyfall’).

The band that brought us all these hits The Animals ( & Friends) are set to play Southampton next week.

They are at The Brook on Saturday September 12.

Featuring from the original Animals are: John Steel and Mick Gallagher (The Blockheads), Danny Handley (performed with Spencer Davis, Bobby Elliott, Ric Lee of Ten Years After) and Scott Whitley (Ric Lee of Ten Years After).

“The Animals earned their name thanks to their wild stage act. That was 50 years ago and they have calmed down since, but their music has lost none of its vigour”. (Animals & Friends review - Wales Online)

In 1964 a wave of new energetic rock and roll swept over the youth of the world. On the crest of this wave was The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and of course The Animals. From the banks of the River Tyne came the North East's offering; a brand of rhythm n blues that the whole world seemed to grasp greedily.

Bruce Springsteen recently revealed on stage in the USA that it was The Animals, not The Beatles or the Stones who were his favourite British Invasion band." Their singles were the first full-blown class-consciousness I'd ever heard". After playing a short burst of 'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place', Springsteen then confessed: “That’s every song I’ve ever written. 'Born To Run', 'Born In The USA', all of them".

The Animals were the second British band to top the American charts after The Beatles with the now multi-million selling and legendary anthem, 'House of the Rising Sun'. The band subsequently achieved over twenty global Top Ten hit records, many of which gained the Number One slot in various parts of the world. In Britain alone, the band had no less than twelve chart entries. The Animals were the first British band to tour Poland and Japan.

The enduring influence and breadth of appeal of The Animals’ music continues ever onwards. The Animals’ 1964 debut was recently included in Classic Rock magazines’ feature - ‘50 Albums That Built Blues Rock’

Serious contenders to Bob Dylan in his ‘Never-Ending Tour’, the band have in recent years embarked on two massive UK tours with Special Guest Spencer Davis, as well as tours with other Special Guests including Stax , Booker T & The MGS and Blues Brothers guitar legend Steve Cropper, The Troggs and the late, great Mick Green (The Pirates, Van Morrison, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry). ANIMALS & FRIENDS’ appeal continues abroad, too – with shows in Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Russia and Holland.

Saturday September12: The Brook, 466 Portswood Rd, Southampton SO17 3SD

023 8055 5366

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