The Hollies -- A Very Special Summer Tour

The Hollies -- A Very Special Summer Tour

Date: Wed,

Tauranga, Matakana, Christchurch, Nelson, New Plymouth, Wellington and Auckland this summer

With more hit singles than The Beatles in the 60s, THE HOLLIES shaped the world of pop music as we know it today. Their mega hits including Air That I Breathe, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother; Bus Stop, Long Cool Woman (in a black dress) and Carrie Anne, continue to be among the most-played in the world today - testament to just how good this band is.

Along with The Rolling Stones and The Searchers, they are one of the few British pop groups of the early 1960s that have never officially broken up and that continue to record and perform. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year and having backed it up with an international tour and best-of album, The Hollies remain as current today as they did three decades ago.

The Hollies proudly announce that they will be bringing their Midas Touch tour to New Zealand this summer - a very special event not to be missed. With a playlist that includes their biggest hits, fans are urged not to delay buying their tickets when they go on sale on Saturday, October 9 for concerts in Tauranga, Matakana, Christchurch, Nelson, New Plymouth, Wellington and Auckland.

New Zealand concert promoters say "it's an honour to have pop royalty touring this summer. "The Hollies have a pedigree most groups can only dream of. This band is one of the biggest of all time. What a thrill it is to be hosting them."

January
Sat 29 Tauranga Mills Reef Winery
Sun 30 Tauranga Mills Reef Winery Mon 31 Matakana Ascension Wine Estate
February
Wed 2 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre
Thu 3 Nelson Trafalgar Centre
Fri 4 Christchurch Town Hall
Sun 6 New Plymouth Bowl of Brooklands
Mon 7 Auckland Civic Theatre

"The Hollies just sound better every time I see them" - Buxton Opera

"A perfect concert with the legends form the 60-ies." Songkick.com

The tour coincides with the release of a new two-disc, 48 track compilation, The Midas Touch, which focuses on the group's 60s and 70s recordings but brings their story to the present day with selections from their 2009 album Then, Now, Always plus two previously unissued live recordings from their 2009 tour.

This new career spanning anthology includes all the major hits from the 60's such as "We're Through", "I'm Alive", "I Can't Let Go", "Bus Stop", "Stop Stop Stop" and "Carrie Anne", a string of singles that featured the classic first Hollies line up of Elliott, Hicks, singer Allan Clarke, bassist Eric Haydock (replaced in 1966 by Bernie Calvert) and singer/ rhythm guitarist Graham Nash. Nash left the group at the end of 1968 to team up with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, replaced by Terry Sylvester. The hits kept coming under this new line up, including signature songs "He Ain't Heavy." and "I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top". Even after founding member Allan Clarke left the group in 1971 (he would return in 1973), the Hollies enjoyed another major hit with "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress". It was also No. I in the American Billboard charts. "The Air That I Breathe" was a major hit in 1974, reaching No. 2 in the UK charts.

In addition to the plethora of unforgettable hits, The Midas Touch includes album tracks like "Dear Eloise", "Butterfly", "Rain On The Window" and "Pay You Back With Interest" plus further hits like "Hey Willy", "Soldier's Song" and "Gasoline Alley Bread". The Midas Touch alludes to another classic Hollies' song, "King Midas In Reverse", here given a new mix by Paul Hicks (Tony's son), done at AIR Studios. This new anthology is superb testament to one of Britain's best loved groups and one of its most original and innovative - combining soaring and distinctive harmonies, brilliantly crafted songs and cultivated, often experimental musicianship and arrangements. The Hollies catalogue of hits, like that of the Beatles, the Kinks, or the Beach Boys has ensured their longevity, one of the greatest pop groups to emerge in the 60's and whose music remains fresh, yet familiar and timeless.

Unlike so many groups of their day, the Hollies have continued touring and recording without a break: the current six piece line up comprising Hicks and Elliott plus Ray Stiles, bassist and singer, formerly with Mud, now a Hollies member for 25 years, keyboardist Ian Parker, a 20 year veteran with the group, plus relative newcomers guitarist Steve Lauri and lead vocalist Peter Howarth.

THE HOLLIES "MIDAS TOUCH" DOUBLE CD NOW ON SALE

www.hollies.co.uk

ENDS

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