Featuring from the original Animals:

JOHN STEEL

Plus Danny Handley, Barney Williams, and Roberto Ruiz

​

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.

 

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.

​

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 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’