One of the preeminent blues-rock bands of 1960s and part of the counterculture British Invasion of the US, The Animals will tour Australia for the final time in 2024.
Part of the Newcastle band's 60th anniversary, the 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' tour will land in Newcastle, Wollongong, Sydney, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Albury and Melbourne February-March next year.This run of dates will feature original drummer John Steel alongside Danny Handley, Bobby Ruiz and Barney 'Boogie' Williams, playing a Best of The Animals set.
The second UK band to chart #1 in the US behind The Beatles, The Animals' legacy includes some of the biggest songs from the decade including their rendition of 'The House Of The Rising Sun' as well as hits like 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place', 'It's My Life', 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue', 'Bring It On Home To Me' and 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'.
"They're not pop songs, they're not la la la song," says Steel when asked about the legacy of The Animals canon. "They're songs about the dark side of life."
Steel still loves to perform with The Animals, the only remaining original member to do so. "When we play, it's a mixed audience, we get people of our own generation – but there's a lot of young people coming to see us! And they're really getting off on it, they know all of the songs and lyrics.
"I love to see them, they're down the front and when we go out after the show and sign CDs and things like that we're meeting these people – they weren't even born when we were doing this stuff! And I'm really enjoying meeting them.
"But we're a real band, we're a live band and there's no backing tracks. It's just us onstage with our instruments, playing and we love what we do and I think it comes across. We get a standing ovation every time, so we must be doing something right I guess!"
Tickets on sale from 10am (local time) on 24 November.
The Animals 2024 Tour Dates
Tue 20 Feb - Lizotte's NewcastleWed 21 Feb - Centro CBD (Wollongong)
Fri 23 Feb - Paddington RSL (Sydney)
Sat 24 Feb - Bridge Hotel (Sydney)
Sun 25 Feb - Twin Towns (Gold Coast)
Wed 28 Feb - The Gov (Adelaide)
Fri 1 Mar - SS & A Club (Albury)
Sat 2 Mar - Wanstock 2024 @ Shoppingtown Hotel (Melbourne)
