Cathedral Welcomes The Zombies for a Weekend of Celebration! They started in St Albans. They will be back in St Albans! For the second year running, The Zombies, are returning to the roots of where their music began and St Albans Cathedral is firmly on the map for fans from far and wide. On Friday 8 November 2024 in the atmospheric setting of the Cathedral Lady Chapel, original band member Chris White, 81 will be reminiscing on a lifetime of music. His famous song ‘This Will be Our Year’, from the classic album Odessey and Oracle will be performed by St Albans Cathedral Acting Assistant Director of Music Ben Collyer. “It’s very exciting,” said Ben. “I am thrilled to be performing a song by the legendary Chris White. “It is a real honour to be invited to bring the Zombies music back into the Cathedral.” Chris White, a former pupil of St Albans Grammer School, together with original and current band members will be spending memorable time in the City where The Zombies music began in 1961. Photo of Chris White The ‘Begin Here’ festival will be celebrating The Zombies with a series of events in pubs, bars, small and large spaces in the historic City that put the band on the world map. Former St Albans Cathedral chorister and lay clerk and member of the Zombies Rod Argent, 79, said, “When we started to get big in St Albans it was fantastically exciting.” Rod, who attended St Albans School, would run from Cathedral choir rehearsals to band rehearsals in the early days of The Zombies. He has recently retired from touring after 60 years. A sold out concert, devoted to Rod will take place at the Eric Morecambe Centre in Harpenden on Saturday 9th November. Original and current members of the band will also be meeting fans in the Cathedral’s Alban Room on Saturday November 9th in which The Zombies panel will look back at the journey of their music over the decades, their induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and of course where it all began in the heart of St Albans. Fans will also be able to enjoy all corners of the Cathedral, experience the choir singing Evensong and hear the choral music that Rod Argent once studied as a chorister. “When I look back at my own time in the choir in the fifties and sixties I realise just how much it gave me,” said Rod. “A daily natural familiarity with more than 400 years of some of the best music ever written.” Tickets for The Zombies Cathedral events and additional information on all events in the Begin Here Festival available from The Zombies website. Ticket information Manage Cookie Preferences