World famous former Cathedral chorister Rod Argent from band The Zombies has never forgotten his St Albans Cathedral roots. 

While The Zombies music has reached millions of fans across the globe with decades of sell out tours and gained recognition in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rod is proud to acknowledge his time as a chorister at the Cathedral.

Cut outs of former Zombie members from the festival this year are taken to the park to be photographed with the Cathedral!

From 10 - 12 November 2023, St Albans will hold the first annual ‘Begin Here Festival’ with original Zombies members visiting the Cathedral and other significant local landmarks in St Albans. Fans from around the world will also be walking in the footsteps of Rod to discover the corners of the Cathedral where Rod once gained his early musical education as a chorister.

Rod’s heartfelt appreciation of the Cathedral and its music was acknowledged earlier this year when Rod donated a mountain of merchandise to support the choir tour fundraiser for their Italy tour.

Rod Argent, who was born in St Albans, was a chorister from 1956 -1959 and a Cathedral choir Lay Clerk until 1962.

 “When I look back at my own time in the choir in the 50s and 60s both as a boy and a lay clerk, I realise just how much it gave me - a daily natural familiarity with more than 400 years of some of the best music ever written,” said Rod. 

A recent picture of our Cathedral boys choir layered with an old image of Rod Argent and what it would have looked like with him in the choir.

The ‘Begin Here’ festival is an exciting three day event in St Albans that marks the opening of an exhibition of The Zombies, at St Albans Museum on 10 November.

Numerous pop up events have been planned around St Albans, including, book signings, a record signing at Empire Records, an art exhibition at the Collective Gallery on Holywell Hill, the screening of the Zombies documentary ‘Hung up on a Dream, and a Q & A acoustic session with members from the Zombies and the director of the film.

Find out more about the Begin Here festival on their website. 

Begin Here Events