Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
I went to a concert recently (the first I had been to for a long time), featuring the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
It was part of a short tour that the band undertook, and was at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester.
I was always a great admirer of the Bonzos, their surreal comedy and at times tight rock'n'roll.
I probably noticed them in the first place because I realised that one of their two co-leaders, Vivian Shanshall, was an old schoolmate of mine.
Vivian and I (although we knew him then as Vic Stanshall), were in the same year at Southend-on-Sea High School for Boys, one of the local Grammar Schools.
Tragically, he died in a fire at home some years ago.
The concert featured all the famous original members of the band (with one exception, of course - well, two actually, because the bass player Dennis Cowan had also died in the meantime).
Neil Innes did most of the announcing, and also involved were Rodney Slater, Roger Ruskin Spear, Vernon Dudley Bohay Nowell, Sam Spoons, Bob Kerr and Legs Larry Smith. Taking some of Viv's vocal parts were guest stars Phill Jupitus and Adrian Edmondson.
To everybody's joy, they ran through loads of Bonzos favourites, including "Mr. Slater's Parrot", "Busted", "Noises for the Leg", "Little Sir Echo", "Falling in Love Again", "Look at Me I'm Wonderful" and "The Equestrian Statue".
It was a fabulous evening.
Posted by colin on Tuesday 26th December, 2006 at 11:18am