Review: The Hollies, Grand Opera House, York (From York Press)

Review: The Hollies, Grand Opera House, York

9:23am Tuesday 9th March 2010 in

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Although Manchester’s The Hollies were never as successful as The Rolling Stones or The Beatles, they were however Sixties legends in their own right, becoming the most distinctive group in the field of vocal harmonising.

They were incredible back in the day, so Sunday’s show at the Grand Opera House was directed at the older generation, but nonetheless it did not prevent the younger members of the audience from appreciating their music to some extent.

Be that as it may, plenty of lesser-known songs accompanied the classic tracks throughout the night, so although the audience enjoyed the performance and clapped along, there were moments where they were unable to sing along.

Nevertheless, you could not fault Tony Hicks, Peter Howarth, Ray Stiles and the rest of the band members for their excellent vocals and astounding guitar, drum, and keyboard solos; they are without a doubt very experienced players and singers.

However, I found the show somewhat lacking in performance and in accountability for the less familiar songs, and the absence of the heart-beating excitement that you should get from going to a concert was disappointing.

Overall, this very mellow night of old classics and newer material was sadly dissatisfying.

Review by Stephanie Gadsby