Crazy Friday with Arthur Brown

THE Crazy World of Arthur Brown returns to Arlington Arts Centre in Newbury tonight (Friday).
The original God of Hellfire is still an incendiary act, decades after his only hit single, Fire, burned itself into the national consciousness.
Although commercial success subsequently eluded him, Brown earned a reputation for his flambouyant performances and produced several fine albums.
He has been cited as an influence by such varied artists as Peter Gabriel and Bruce Dickinson and his songs have been sampled or covered by The Who, The Prodigy and Ozzy Osborne.
It is said that the late, great Jimi Hendrix once proposed to Brown, who was on the same bill, that they form a band together - before the latter got kicked off the tour for setting light to the stage with his pyrotechnics.
At 72, his four octave vocal range is still astonishing and last year he released a new, crowd funded album, Zim Zam Zim.
But it’s on stage that Brown really comes alive, leaping around like a man half his age, his voice a deep baritone one minute, screeching and wailing the next.
The band is equally at home with soaring psychedelic flourishes as with earthy blues and Arthur Brown is still the showman par excellence.
Catch a national treasure and ‘60s survivor at Arlington Arts tonight.
www.arlingtonarts.co.uk