DIRECT from Newcastle upon Tyne, the birthplace of the original Animals supergroup, comes the third generation of the Animals band, appropriately named Animals III.

The band, featuring Martin Bland (bass and vocals), Steve Hutchinson (keyboards), Graham Hunter (guitar and vocals), George Fearon (guitar) and Paul Elliot (drums) will be playing The Wharf on Saturday, August 12.

Following in the footsteps of the original Animals band, Animals III is as authentic as it gets, with its raunchy and powerful show that features all the classic hits including the smashers House of The Rising Sun, We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place, Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood and many more.

The Animals were formed in 1963 and were known for their distinctive gritty rhythm and blues sound derived from a mixture of British pop and American blues. They were also known in the US as part of the British invasion. The original band consisted of Eric Burdon (vocals), Hilton Valentine (guitar), Chas Chandler (bass), Alan Price (keyboards) and John Steel (drums). They shot to worldwide fame with their number one signature song House of the Rising Sun.

Following the success of this number one song in 1965, Alan Price left the band to follow a solo career and was replaced by Dave Rowberry on keyboards. In February 1966, John Steel left the band and was replaced by Barry Jenkins on drums until the band split in late 1966. Eric Burdon then moved to the USA and along with Jenkins formed the ‘psychedelic’ band ‘Eric Burdon and the New Animals’.

The original line-up had brief comeback tours in 1975 and 1983, and in 1994 The Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sadly, Chas Chandler passed away two years later in 1996.