Invergordon Town Hall sets stage for The Animals and Friends with hopes high for Easter Ross venue showcase
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AN Easter Ross venue is set to host an intimate performance featuring a founding member of a band which became a household name in the 1960s.
And the Saturday, September 23 gig by The Animals & Friends is also being seen as an opportunity to showcase to Ross-shire residents the future potential of the landmark Invergordon Town Hall.
With only 99 seats in the venue, it's a chance for fan to get up close and personal with the band and check out a venue whch local activists hope to breathe fresh life into under ambitious redevelopment plans.
The original band behind hits like House Of The Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place and Baby Let Me Take You Home witnessed a number of line-up changes since being formed in Newcastle in the early 1960s.
Original band member, drummer John Steel, has embarked on a number of tours with his band The Animals & Friends who also play the Orkney Blues Festival this month.
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A peak inside Invergordon Town Hall
Chris Boxall, the events manager at locally based Highland Castle Entertainment Ltd said: "There are a couple of reasons for the event taking place at such short notice.
"I was informed by a friend who runs the Orkney Blues Ffestival that The Animals & Friends were to be playing the festival on the closing night, Sunday, September 24 and he wanted to know if we could help facilitate another concert on the band’s way up to the islands.
"As HCE are also in the process of trying to take over the Invergordon Town Hall, we felt that this was a great opportunity to show the people of Ross-shire area what type of acts we could bring to the community if we were to reach an agreement with the owners and Highlife Highland who currently run the town hall."
He added: "John Steel is in the Rock Hall of Fame and such an achievement deserves a full house."
Bruce Springsteen has spoken of the impact the original incarnation of the band – Alan Price, Chas Chandler, Hilton Valentine and John Steel – made on him growing up.
Tickets for the Invergordon show are pegged at £30 and available by calling 0800 999 4441 or via ticketsource.co.uk
