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Argent had a hit record in 1972 with ‘Hold Your Head Up’. Sadly within three years of the top five single, all four members of the
Hertfordshire combo had gone their separate ways.
2010 finally brought the great news, fans like me had been waiting to hear for so long. 35 years on, the original line-up reformed to play the ‘High
Voltage’ summer rock festival at Victoria Park in East London and announce a string of five pre-Christmas shows across the UK.
Tonight’s gig, in the resplendent 1934 art deco former cinema building, is
the last show of the tour. Rod Argent, Russ Ballard, Bob Henrit and Jim Rodford walk on stage at The HMV Forum to rapturous applause.
Russ Ballard straps on his Fender Stratocaster and breaks into the
opening notes of ‘The Coming of Kohoutek’. The instrumental takes its inspiration from the Comet, discovered by the Czech astronomer who gave it his name.
It is fabulous to see these four great players
back together sharing the same stage, having a great time and giving us such a rare musical treat. Christmas has come early!
The set is a finely balanced selection of tunes from the line-up’s five fabulous
studio albums yet music from the band’s two post-Ballard releases is left out.
‘Liar’ and ‘Be Free’ are taken from the band’s ground-breaking first album released in 1970. ‘Liar’, written by
Ballard, was covered by Three Dog Night, reaching the number seven slot in US Billboard Chart in 1971. ‘Be Free’ isn’t a number the band played live that often. So it’s magic to hear it played live tonight.
Rod Argent remembers his father “he was a great stride piano player” when describing the influences that led him to write ‘Keep on Rollin’. The boogie woogie blues number is a live Argent classic and
a highlight of the band’s third album ‘All Together Now’, IMHO their best.
‘I am the Dance of Ages’ is undoubtedly one of the best numbers of the night and is served up with atmospheric
lighting and ‘storm’ sound special effects hailed by Rod.
The chap sitting next to me is a bit disappointed there’s no room for that other live favourite with meteorological sound bites
‘Thunder and Lightning’.
‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, not an Argent hit but one for Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow in 1979, is a fine example of Russ Ballard’s superb song-writing talents. Is there
any end to the long list of acts which have plundered his songbook to great acclaim?
‘She’s Not There’ is one of Rod Argent’s earliest song compositions and chart hit for the band he formed in St
Albans in 1961, the Zombies. 36 years later it would be an even bigger for Santana.
By the time we get to the last two numbers of the night, the quartet has the Forum crowd chanting in the aisles. Jim
Rodford’s pulsating bass line heralds the beginning of ‘Hold Your Head Up’, one of the all-time great anthems of rock. Cue Rod Argent’s Hammond organ and Ballard’s hypnotic guitar riff. The encore is
‘God Gave Rock n’ Roll to You’, another Ballard original and a big hit for Kiss in 1992.
Is the reincarnation of my favourite rock quartet just a temporary apparition or will the experience of
2010 encourage our four heroes to reassemble and set out from where they left off 35 years ago?
Set List: The Coming of Kohoutek (intro) - It's Only Money (Parts 1 &2) - Keep On Rolling – Rejoice - I
am the Dance of Ages - Be Free - Sweet Mary – Liar - She's Not There - I Don't Believe in Miracles - Since You've Been Gone - Hold Your Head Up. Encore: God Gave Rock n Roll To You.
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