Founding members Rod Argent (c) and Colin Blunstone (2nd from r) lead the Zombies in 2023, with Søren Koch, Tom Toomey and Steve Rodford
The Zombies have announced a North American tour in support of their new studio album. Different Game arrived Mar. 31, 2023, via U.K. indie label Cooking Vinyl Records. In support of the release, and a forthcoming feature documentary, the band have resumed their “Life Is A Merry-Go-Round” tour.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers began work on the album after their 2019 induction and a U.S. tour with Brian Wilson. The Zombies are founding keyboardist Rod Argent and lead singer Colin Blunstone, along with drummer Steve Rodford, guitarist Tom Toomey and bassist Søren Koch. As primary songwriter and producer Rod Argent notes, “Making this album has been a joy from start to finish. Post-lockdown, we were absolutely determined to come together and record in as ‘live’ a way as we could – to capture the magical, fleeting quality of energy and immediacy of performance.”
Watch the animated lyric video for the first release, “Dropped Reeling & Stupid”
Different Game is produced by Argent together with the band’s longtime live audio engineer Dale Hanson.
The album, their first since 2015, was released in advance of a new feature documentary entitled Hung Up On a Dream, directed by musician and filmmaker Robert Schwartzman, and co-produced by Schwartzman’s Utopia Films, The Ranch Productions, and Tom Hanks’ Playtone, slated for release later in 2023.
Different Game Track Listing
Different Game
Dropped Reeling & Stupid
Rediscover
Runaway
You Could Be My Love
Merry-Go-Round
Love You While I Can
I Want to Fly
Got to Move On
The Sun Will Rise Again
The British Invasion band is known for their sophisticated melodies, breathy vocals, choral back-up harmonies and jazzy keyboard riffs of their 1960’s hit singles “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.” Ironically, the original lineup disbanded just prior to achieving their greatest success – the worldwide chart-topping single, “Time of the Season,” from their swan-song album, Odessey and Oracle.
The Zombies 2023 Tour (Tickets for many of the concerts are available here and here)
Aug 05 – Oxford, UK – Wilderness Festival
Aug 06 – Wickham, UK – Wickham Festival
Aug 20 – Faversham, UK – A New Day Festival
Oct 01 – New Westminster, BC – Massey Theatre
Oct 02 – Seattle, WA – Washington Hall
Oct 03 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
Oct 05 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
Oct 06 – Los Angeles, CA – Alex Theatre
Oct 07 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
Oct 09 – Santa Fe, NM – Lensic PAC
Oct 11 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
Oct 13 – Saint Paul, MN – Fitgerald Theater
Oct 14 – Milwaukee, WI – South Milwaukee PAC
Oct 15 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folk Music
Oct 17 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Oct 18 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 19 – Cincinnati, OH – Ludlow Garage
Oct 22 – Northfield, OH – MGM Northfield Park
Oct 24 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
Oct 26 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
Oct 27 – New York, NY – The Concert Hall at NY Society For Ethical Culture
Oct 29 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
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4 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationRod Argent is (IMO) one of the most overlooked keyboardists in classic rock history, with his sinewy passages on “Time Of The Season” as well as the transitions back and forth from Rock to Psychedelia,
on “Hold Your Head Up”, as two examples.
A friend of mine (an accomplished drummer) saw this current line-up of the Zombies a few years ago, and was totally enthralled with their performance.
I won’t miss them this time around, when they are in the area.
Support Live Music.
I saw them when they toured thru the Midwest for their 50th Anniversary Odessey and Oracle tour in 2017, and remember thinking that I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. There have been some personnel changes since then, it appears, but I’m sure it will be fine. So, I’d appreciate here the new USA tour dates as they roll in. Thank you in advance.
I realize that Rod Argent is the leader of this band as well as the songwriter, producer, etc.. But I feel that they would benefit from a independent producer as either Argent can’t tell he mixes his keyboards so that nothing else is as loud as his parts, including the vocals, or he intentionally does it as an egomaniac, in which case someone else really does need to take the reins for the sake of the recording and for the sake of the band. I guess no one else in the band is allowed to say anything about balancing the parts? The guitar parts are almost non-existent, but that’s the way they sound live as well, so….
No Phoenix? What are we . . . just out of reach?