Following the London premiere of Sir Henry at Rawlinson End in 2011, Neil Innes - who attended with Adrian Edmondson - invited Michael to collaborate. What followed was an extraordinary period of rehearsal, performance and friendship during the Bonzos’ final touring years - and the beginning of a creative partnership that would continue long after the curtain fell. What followed was not simply collaboration, but several extraordinary years at the heart of the Bonzos’ final chapter.

FIRST REHEARSALS - THE BONTLES

First rehearsal of a combined Bonzos and Rutles line-up affectionately dubbed “The Bontles”.

L–R: Phil Jackson, Rodney Slater, Mark Griffiths, John “Barry Wom” Halsey, Neil Innes, Elliott Randall, Michael Livesley.

Ten years - and ten stones - ago

My first rehearsal with the band was in Ipswich - in the long-time rehearsal room of extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. Singing My Pink Half of the Drainpipe while staring at walls plastered with “Jesus is a C***” stickers is not an experience one forgets quickly.

This was the “psychedelic Bonzos” line-up - Neil’s term - performing material from the electric years. Instantly welcoming, fiercely musical, and gloriously eccentric. Neil was the ringmaster for this incredible collection of players. I don't recall us ever doing a full song beginning to end. Rather we would do a section here and a section there, but there was method to Neil's madness. That approach kept everything fresh and - as Neil often said - 'If you don't rehearse then absolutely NOTHING can go wrong!'

It was also where I discovered that the quietly brilliant guitarist beside me was none other than Elliott Randall of Steely Dan fame.

A fairly normal Tuesday, all things considered.

WORKING WITH THE BONZOS

First gig - KOKO, Camden, London.

What began as an invitation quickly became a working partnership.

Rehearsals were unlike anything I had previously experienced - part meticulous musical preparation, part organised mischief. The Bonzos’ approach to performance combined virtuoso musicianship with instinctive theatricality, where precision and absurdity existed comfortably side by side.

Developing the live show meant learning not only the songs, but the distinctive rhythm of Bonzos performance - timing that could pivot from tightly arranged ensemble playing to spontaneous comic invention in a heartbeat. Every rehearsal carried the sense that anything might happen… and often did.

Alongside the humour and invention was an extraordinary depth of musicianship. Working closely with players whose careers spanned decades of recording and performance created a constant exchange of ideas - about arrangement, interpretation, and the delicate balance between structure and freedom that defines live work at its best.

What emerged was not simply a guest appearance, but genuine collaboration - shared stagecraft shaped through rehearsal rooms, soundchecks, and the evolving energy of live audiences.

It marked the beginning of several years performing together, culminating in appearances during the band’s final touring period and establishing creative relationships that would continue well beyond the stage.

The live shows were exuberant, unpredictable, and deeply moving in equal measure. Audiences who had loved the band for decades stood shoulder-to-shoulder with those discovering them for the first time.

It was impossible not to feel part of something historically significant - a living continuation of a uniquely British creative tradition that refused categorisation.

THE FINAL TOUR

Touring with the Bonzos was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Every night brought a new theatre, a new audience, and the same extraordinary sense of joyous unpredictability that had defined the band from the very beginning.

One particular highlight was performing at the London Palladium - sharing the stage with Goodie Tim Brooke-Taylor. It felt faintly surreal, as though I had somehow wandered directly into the golden age of British comedy and been allowed to stay.

But just as memorable as the performances themselves were the hours after the curtain fell. Night after night we gathered in hotel bars while Rodney, Legs, Sam and Vernon traded stories from the 1960s - tales of tours, television studios, chaos, invention and survival.

I mostly sat and listened. It was an education directly from the mouths of the people who were part of the beating cultural heart of the 60s counter-culture. The Bonzos were the connective tissue between the Beatles and Monty Python. It felt less like socialising and more like attending the most entertaining oral history seminar imaginable.

Those years together were deeply joyful - and they led, unexpectedly, to one of the most significant projects of my career.

STILL BARKING

Work began in 2016 on what would eventually become the Still Barking box set - a title coined, of course, by Neil, because only he could describe a band’s continuing creative life with such perfect comic precision.

The project became a long and complex labour of love, finally released in 2024.

During that time we lost two dear friends - Sam Spoons and Neil Innes - which makes the finished work feel not only celebratory, but deeply personal for everyone involved.

Only a few weeks before Neil died, I was invited to join a gathering of the remaining Bonzos at London’s Landmark Hotel for what can only be described as a spectacularly posh meal. I felt as though I had accidentally wandered somewhere far grander than my station in life - fully expecting at any moment to be rugby-tackled by a waiter and escorted firmly back onto the street.

It was a beautiful evening. I feel very lucky to have been there.

CURATING THE LEGACY

As the Still Barking project developed, my involvement deepened in unexpected ways. In 2023, Madfish Music asked me to take over the video side of the project following the death of the legendary Ray Shulman of Gentle Giant - one of my musical heroes, and someone whose work I had admired for years. Stepping into a role he had begun was both humbling and deeply meaningful, and I approached it with a strong sense of responsibility to honour Ray’s contribution, the band’s extraordinary history, and the spirit of the Bonzos themselves.

This work included reconstructing the band’s long-lost episode of the BBC’s Colour Me Pop, producing the promotional film for the previously unreleased single “Boo!”, and producing and directing the feature documentary Unboxing Day…

Since the release of Still Barking, the Bonzos’ story - like their music - shows no sign of settling quietly into history.

I’ve since had the pleasure of compering An Evening with “Legs” Larry Smith at the Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames, joined not only by Legs but also Rodney Slater and Roger Ruskin Spear, alongside Larry’s special guests Pamela Des Barres and Flip Webster. And there are already plans for another Bonzos event at London’s Cadogan Hall later this year.

After all these years, the music, the mischief, and the friendships continue - evolving, reappearing, and refusing to fade quietly away.

The Bonzos, quite simply… are still barking.