The Zombies singer talks Red Bank concert, new album
By Alex Biese
Colin Blunstone, the legendary lead singer of The Zombies and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is bringing his signature voice back to New Jersey this fall as part of a distinctly multigenerational tour.
Blunstone, who turned 81 in June, will perform Friday, Sept. 4, at the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Monmouth Street in Red Bank. The concert is part of a 19-city U.S. tour that unites two distinct waves of the British Invasion on a single triple bill alongside legendary producer-performer Peter Asher and 1980s new-wave pioneers The Fixx.
The upcoming tour offers American audiences a rare opportunity to experience a format akin to the historic package tours of Blunstone’s early career in the 1960s. During those days, shows often featured up to 14 acts playing just a few songs each.
“In this case, we’re obviously going to play longer,” Blunstone told The Two River Times. “And certainly there is a difference in the kind of music that we play, but I think it’s going to make for a really interesting and very exciting evening.”
The tour marks a transitional period for Blunstone. The Zombies’ highly successful 25-year second-life touring career, which began with an impromptu reunion between Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent in 1999 – and included a stellar 2016 bow at the Basie – came to an abrupt end in 2024 after Argent suffered a stroke and decided to stop touring.
“Firstly, it is sad that The Zombies have stopped touring,” Blunstone noted. “But I’ve always had a solo band and I’ve always toured.”
Because of his ongoing work as a solo artist, primarily in the United Kingdom and Europe, where he has charted a number of hit records, Blunstone said shifting back to a full-time solo focus has been a “quite natural progression.”
Blunstone’s non-Zombies catalog is extensive. His solo career began in 1971 with the album “One Year,” which had the U.K. hit “Say You Don’t Mind.” He also collaborated with The Alan Parsons Project, supplying guest vocals on five albums, including the 1982 single “Old and Wise.”
Maintaining a vocal performance level capable of hitting the high, demanding registers of classic Zombies hits like “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season” is no small feat – and Blunstone credits his endurance to formal vocal training he sought later in life, during his 40s and 50s.
“My music coach taught me a little bit about singing technique, which really helps,” Blunstone said. “He also gave me a set of singing exercises which I do most days, but when I’m on the road I do them twice a day. I do them before soundcheck and before the actual show.”
By the time Blunstone takes the stage at the Basie, he will have already warmed up his vocal cords for at least an hour. He notes that while voices naturally change with age, he has been “very fortunate” to fully retain his famous range.
Looking beyond the tour, Blunstone has spent time in a London studio of late working with producer George Moore on a new solo record planned for a spring 2027 release. It marks a historic milestone in his solo catalog, which currently spans 12 albums and his recent minimalist EP, “Less Is More.”
“It’s the first album I’ve recorded where I’ve written… or co-written all the songs,” Blunstone said. “So, it’s taken a long time to happen, but I’m finally recording an album of all my songs. It’s just brilliant.”
As for whether fans can expect any on-stage collaborations among Blunstone, Asher and The Fixx in Red Bank, the singer remains open-minded. While the show’s exact structure is still being finalized, Blunstone hinted that the performance remains “an open book.”
Colin Blunstone with Peter Asher and The Fixx, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. For tickets and more information, visit thebasie.org.
The article originally appeared in the August 27 – September 2, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
