The Hollies - Concert Review
Evergreen Hollies (Jersey Preview), 18th May 2001 - by Isobel Osmont (Jersey Evening Post)
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Photo by Rob Haywood |
The Hollies are approaching their 40th anniversary - it will be in 2003 - yet they still go on tour every two years, notching up to 60 gigs each time.
Tony Hicks is one of two original band members still in residence since those far-off days of the 1960s. Then, The Hollies were up against the likes of The Beatles, The Moody Blues, The Stones and an American singer called Elvis Presley.
So why do they still tour? `We enjoy it,' Tony said. `And there is such a good feel about it - it's like the 60s again. We have a whole new lease of life now that Carl Wayne has joined us,' Tony added, enthusing about the newest boy in the band.
`His voice is a revelation. We've been knocked out by his singing and he has been accepted by audiences so readily.'
Tony went on to explain that Carl had been approached to join the band following Allan Clarke's announcement that he was going to retire in December 1999.
Stage presence
`Allan was the voice of The Hollies, a hard act to follow. But a new voice was what we needed and Carl is a strong performer with great stage presence. And it's meant that we've been able to broaden our programme. As well as our songs we do The Move songs - and Tiger Feet because of Ray Stiles. It gives the whole thing more variety and an extra dimension and seems like the perfect marriage.'
Tony was speaking prior to the concert at the Fort last Saturday night, which was one of the last in The Hollies' Spring tour.
`We've been to Jersey five or six times before. We always enjoy it here, though we'll not be seeing much of the Island this time as we're going back to the mainland on Sunday morning at seven o'clock,' he said.
Fans of the band will be delighted hear that a new album is to be cut in late summer at the Abbey Road studios where, in the 60's, The Hollies would be recording in one studio while The Beatles were in another, and they could pop in and listen to each other.
`EMI like what they have heard with the current line-up, so they decided we should go back into the studio.'
And the man who was responsible for co-writing such hit songs as Stop, Stop, Stop, On a Carousel, Too Young to be Married and Carrie Ann is still writing, so the new album will carry a mix of old and new.
Did he still find it easy to write, he was asked. `It's as it always was,' he said. `You sit there for ages and there's nothing. Then inspiration comes.'
The new album promises to be something of a family affair, as Tony's son is a recording engineer at the Abbey Road studio.
As such, of course, he is used to meeting the big names of the music world, so how does he react to the fact that his father is one of them? `He's very laid-back about the whole thing. About ten years ago he came to Australia with us when we were on tour, but he doesn't do that very often.'
Meanwhile, Tony admits that the touring aspect has changed a bit since the early days.
`We used to travel around in the van, maybe six or seven weeks at a time, touring the USA. It was a great way of life for us. We were travelling and doing a hobby we got paid for.'
These days he manages to get home most nights while they are travelling round the UK. `As soon as the gig is finished, around 10 pm, I get straight into a waiting car. The roads are pretty quiet at that time of night, so I'm usually home by midnight.'
Unlike the parents of many musicians of his generation, he said that his mother and father never tried to get him to do a `proper' job.
`I was an apprentice electrician at a Lancashire cotton mill for a couple of years after I left school. They were pretty supportive about the music. I remember my father saying that he had done a real job all his life and it had never got him anywhere. 'They encouraged me to do it, although I doubt they ever thought we'd last so long.'
Although his parents died some years back. they saw their son make it big in the music industry and travel the world with the band.
Tony remembers visiting Poland in the early days. 'We weren't sure what the audience reaction would be like in eastern Europe - it was quite wild, actually. There were other places where the audiences didn't seem sure what to do, places like Bangkok and Singapore. Things have changed since then, but tours are always a great voyage of discovery for us, quite an adventure'
And judging by the enormous fan base The Hollies have, the adventure looks certain to continue for a good number of years yet - here's looking at the 50th anniversary.
With thanks to Isobel Osmont and the Jersey Evening Post.