Animals continue to work like dogs

Take those House Of The Rising Sun legends The Animals who pitch up at Chesterfield’s Winding Wheel on September 23.

Their latest tour barely gives them a day off this autumn but with founder John Steel celebrating an amazing 50 years as a performing musician there’s a renewed spirit within the ranks.

He and co-founder Eric Burdon began plying their trade in and around their native Tyneside without the slightest inking that in a very few years they would find themselves forever bracketed with the best of British music.

To celebrate those formative years John has been recording tracks for a new Animals & Friends album called Prehistorc featuring many of the songs he and Eric performed as members of pre-Animals groups such as the Kansas City Seven, The Alan Price Rhythm & Blues Combo and finally The Pagans at legendary Newcastle clubs such as The Downbeat and The New Orleans Jazz Club.

"It was great fun to record songs that were the soundtrack of our early teenage years," recalled John, joined on tour by Mick Gallagher (The Blockheads, The Clash, Paul McCartney), John E. Williamson (Titanic) and Peter Barton (Wayne Fontana's Mindbenders).”

Back in their heyday The Animals achieved over 20 global top 10 hit records with the likes of Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood and We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.

Joining The Animals & Friends on Holywell Street a week on Sunday will be Spencer Davis, the Welsh singer behind such heavily-covered classics as Gimme Some Lovin.’.