The Zombies bring their Begin Here festival home to St Albans this weekend — with a candlelit cathedral concert

Just up the road from London, St Albans is turning into a 1960s time capsule this weekend. The Zombies, the band behind “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season”, are back in their home city for their Begin Here festival, which runs from tonight until Sunday.

The cathedral concert

The centrepiece is Saturday night’s candlelit concert in St Albans Cathedral. Singer Colin Blunstone performs with Dave Bainbridge and the Q Strings quartet, with Russ Ballard and Soren Koch as guests and local trio ARC opening. The Bishop of St Albans, Andrew Rumsey, a folk singer and composer, is also due to perform.

The rest of the weekend

• Friday: a fan club opening party at the Blacksmiths Arms, where the band first met in 1961, and a ’60s costume dance party.
• Saturday: a record signing and a Q&A with original bassist Paul Arnold before the concert.
• Sunday: a music brunch and a panel Q&A with all four original members: Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone, Chris White and Hugh Grundy.

Getting there

St Albans is around 20 minutes from London St Pancras on Thameslink. Festival passes, Saturday day passes and cathedral-only tickets are sold through the band’s website.

Sources: The Zombies, St Albans Times, Religion Media Centre.

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