At the end of the Animals show at the De Valence Pavilion in Tenby on Saturday, the drummer generously thanked the audience for supporting rock 'n' roll.

Yet they didn't play much rock 'n' roll. The Animals were - and still are - among the very best British exponents of a thrilling mix of beat music and blues, which could accurately be labelled Power Blues.

So it was appropriate that they played at the De Valence Pavilion as a spin off to the hugely successful Tenby Pavilion Blues Festival a few months ago.

They're not the only ones doing it - Elvis used to love performing power blues numbers - but in Britain the Animals are still proving themselves supreme exponents.

When other bands in the early '60s - including the Beatles - did either pop or rock 'n' roll, the Animals gave us the raunchier House of the Rising Sun, It's My Life and Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.

These are all blues-based anthems, hard hitting and complex. They usually begin softly and mournfully, like mainstream blues, but build up inexorably, with minor chords and arpeggios, towards crashing climaxes.

Consequently, not every teenager in the '60s liked the Animals. After all, the songs didn't necessarily make you feel happy and musically, their repertoire was considered by some to be a bit too heavy.

But the Animals playing at the De Valence Pavilion last weekend were very much liked, and despite the fact that Eric Burden and Alan Price are no longer with them, their thumping wall of sound was as stunning as ever - if not even better.

Though it's not easy to compare those early performances with their shows of today. Because in the '60s they were often drowned out by screams, and there was none of that in the Pavilion.

The Animals are hugely experienced musicians, who, though having swapped their dark hair for grey, are still top of the Rhythm and Blues tree - and a packed audience roared for more.

They were rewarded by their masterpiece of 1964 - House of the Rising Sun. It brought the house (of red light) down - and will stay in this reviewer's mind for a long time.

The Animals were entertainingly supported by the Revelators, with an impressive selection of traditional blues songs.

High expectations are also held for Cara Dillon, who gives a preview concert for the Tenby Pavilion Folk Festival at the De Valence tomorrow (Saturda). She's supported by Lowri Evans, the Pembrokeshire recording star. Tickets are £12 each.

On Sunday at 12 noon (St. David's Day), the Tenby Pavilion Folk Festival preview concerts continue with The Crook Family - 'slow acoustic and brooding'. They're supported by popular singer songwriters Madra Rua. Tickets are only £6.

The Tenby Pavilion Folk Festival is now on course for its ambition to become the premier folk event in Wales.

Malcolm Stacey