#1,168: Hello ... Hello ... my old friends ... It's great to see you once again! When
Bev Bevan announced back in July that the UK tour dates originally slated for
The Move ft. Bev and Trevor Burton in October/November
had been cancelled and replaced by selected Midlands dates by
Bev Bevan's Zing Band, it was a huge relief to Yours Truly KJS that their gig at
The Prince of Wales Theatre in Cannock on the night of Sunday 18th September had been retained. The anticipation of seeing
The Move and
ELO co-founder perform live for the first time in 2016 was enhanced by the rave reviews and recommendations for support act
Ricky Cool & The In Crowd hence a superb evening of entertainment was guaranteed.
And so it was as
Ricky Cool and his amazing, energetic sextet wowed the audience with a superb 45 minute set which included the title track from their new album
"Flamingo Nights", fantastic covers of
"Keep On Running" and
"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", the intriguingly entitled
"The Coconut Question",
"Watch Your Step" and
"Time Is Tight". Visit their
official web site and/or go see 'em folks!
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| From The Move to ELO to Black Sabbath: Bev Bevan [Photos: John Collins/Forever web site] |
After we had caught our breath in the ensuing interval, it was the turn of
Bev Bevan's Zing Band to make their appearance on stage. The
'new' quintet featured the familiar faces of
Phil Tree,
Tony Kelsey,
Abby Brant alongside guest lead vocalist
Geoff Turton and those assembled were taken on a musical journey that took in the careers of both
Bev and former
Rockin' Berries star
Geoff, with one or three surprises thrown in for good measure. One would have expected to hear some
Roy Wood penned
Move classics, some sixties covers - a la the
Made In Brum and
Stand Up & Rock! theatre shows - and, of course the odd glorious
ELO tune - but it was the inclusion of
Black Sabbath and
Argent classics
"Heaven And Hell",
"Paranoid" and
"Hold Your Head Up" which ensured a pleasant surprise for this writer and many more, especially when you consider that the likes of
Roy Orbison and
The Beatles were also represented in a set that was, in fact, cohesive and balanced. Add to that the wonderful humour of
Geoff Turton as well as the career recollections of the drummer once nicknamed
'Basher' and
'Bullfrog' and you have a great show. Mention also must needs be made for the contributions of stalwart bassist/co-vocalist
Phil, guitar wizard
Tony and the sublime voice of keyboard queen
Abby.
If it is indeed true that
The Move have now
moved on, then this latest project for
Bev Bevan has all the elements required to ensure future success for this most distinguished of legendary percussionists.
Bev Bevan's Zing Band performed:
"I Can Hear The Grass Grow" ~ "Fire Brigade" ~ "A Hard Day's Night" ~ "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" ~ "When You Walk In The Room" ~ "Piece Of My Heart" ~ "Hold Me" ~ "He's In Town" ~ "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" ~ "Can't Find My Way Home" ~ "Heaven And Hell" ~ "Paranoid" ~ "Hold Your Head Up" ~ "Running Scared" ~ "Mercury Blues" ~ "California Man" ~ "Blackberry Way" ~ "Mr. Blue Sky" ~ "Don't Bring Me Down" ~ "Gimme Some Lovin'"
You can still catch Bev Bevan's Zing Band live in 2016 at these two (2) shows thus:
Friday 23rd September
Aston Wood Golf Club @ Sutton Coldfield ~ (0121) 580 7803
Tickets: £20 each (*plus booking fee)
www.astonwoodgolfclub.co.uk/events
Saturday 29th October
Palace Theatre @ Redditch ~ (01527) 65203
Tickets: £20 each (*plus booking fee)
www.redditchpalacetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/all-shows/bev-bevans-zing-band
Until next "Time" in the ELO (and related) Universe ... KJS ... 20-Sep-2016
