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Daily Mirror
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Glastonbury viewers fume as The Searchers' final gig 'snubbed' by BBC
The Searchers ended nearly 70 years of touring with their debut at Glastonbury Festival on Friday - but their final performance was not shown on BBC iPlayer BBC fans were left feeling let down as The Searchers' live performance failed to reach TV screens. The Liverpool legends wrapped up an astonishing 70 years of touring with a landmark debut at Glastonbury Festival today. Kicking off on Wednesday, June 25, the Worthy Farm festival will thrill music lovers until Sunday, June 29, boasting performances from a glittering array of musical talent. The top-billed superstars gracing this year's stages include The 1975, Olivia Rodrigo, and Neil Young, alongside other big names such as Charli XCX, Grammy-award victor Doechii, Rod Stewart, and The Prodigy. Spotted in the company of John McNally and Frank Allen from The Searchers was none other than Sir Paul McCartney, all ahead of the band's final bow. Fans had their hopes dashed when they tuned in on Friday evening from 8pm to 9pm for the Acoustic Stage event only to find it absent from BBC iPlayer. Despite the plethora of live content streaming across platforms, including stalwarts like the Pyramid Stage and newcomers such as Woodsies Stage – to name but a few – the omission of the Acoustic Stage did not go unnoticed. Disgruntled viewers took to social media, with one fan posting: "Surely The Searchers should be on one of the feeds live, last ever show." A second supporter queried: "Will the BBC show The Searchers set??" With roots stretching back to the '60s and having started their incredible journey at the iconic Cavern Club amidst peers like The Beatles, Gerry and The Pacemakers, and The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Searchers' farewell performance symbolised a fitting tribute to their remarkable impact on the music world. In a heartfelt sign-off, The Cavern Club bid their "bittersweet farewell" to a legendary group that's been synonymous with Liverpool for over 60 years. They said: "We know they'll take the same energy, warmth, and timeless tunes to the Glastonbury stage as they have to every gig over the years - from the cellar of The Cavern Club to the bright lights of international fame. "While this may be their final show, their legacy will echo on - in their records, in the countless musicians they've influenced, and of course, here at The Cavern Club, where it all began. We'll be cheering them on at Glastonbury - and we know the whole of Liverpool will be too." One of the original band members, John McNally, spoke with a buzz to the BBC about his unprecedented debut: "A Glastonbury debut at 83-can anyone top that? I don't think life gets any better, does it? "There will be a few nerves, but in a good way, and we'll be nicely warmed up from our shows in June. We can't wait to see our fans again for this incredible final farewell." Frank Allen gave a nod to his incredible six-decade stint with the band: "I have played shows across the world with The Searchers for over 60 years; Glastonbury has always been an ambition that has eluded us – until now. "The Searchers are finally performing at the greatest music festival of them all. What a way to round off a tour and a career. I can't wait to get up on stage and give our fans one final blast."
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Searchers bow out at Glastonbury after 68-years of performing
The Searchers have made their Glastonbury Festival debut in what will be the Merseybeat band's "final show ever" after 68 years of performing. Bassist Frank Allen said the four-piece, which formed in 1957, "couldn't turn down" the chance to play the festival for the first time before they as the "longest-running band in pop history", the Liverpool band had three UK number ones, including with their version of The Drifters' hit Sweets For My ahead of their performance on Friday, Allen said: "If you're going to go out, you might as well go out big." He said the band, formed in 1957 by John McNally and Mike Pender, "tried to retire a few years ago, but they just won't let us". "We've done four final tours and we've actually discovered the fun about it again," Allen said. "We said no more, unless something important comes up that we can't turn down."McNally said the band thought it was a joke when they heard they had been asked to play the festival. "Of course we said yes," he said. He said the key to having a successful career in music was to keep finding the fun in it. "You've got to have a laugh on stage," McNally said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Reuters
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
The Searchers, 60s chart toppers, to bow out at Glastonbury
GLASTONBURY, England, June 27 (Reuters) - The Searchers, the Liverpool band that topped the charts in the 1960s with "Sweets for My Sweet", "Needles and Pins" and "Don't Throw Your Love Away", will play their final show at Glastonbury Festival on Friday after 66 years of touring. Formed in 1959 by John McNally and Mike Pender, the group was part of the Merseybeat scene alongside Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Beatles that broke through in the early 1960s before finding success in the United States. Bass player and singer Frank Allen, who joined in 1964, said The Searchers had played "final" gigs before but decided to come back one last time after an invitation from the festival in southwestern England. "We had said that was it, unless something comes up that we really couldn't turn down," Allen, 81, told Reuters. "If there was going to be a bigger one to end on, then that's the one." "It will be mostly the hits, a few little things, tributes maybe to some of the other people that we've toured with over the years." The band has shared bills with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and Cliff Richard, as well as Motown artists in the U.S., he said. After playing to screaming fans in the 1960s, tastes changed in the 1970s and the band moved to the club circuit. "We survived and we came out the other side bigger and better," Allen said. "And as we hit the end of the 70s, everything took off again and there was a new respect for everything we'd done in the past." Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty are among those who said they were influenced by the group's sound, he said. Other performers at Worthy Farm this year include Neil Young, 79, and Rod Stewart, 80.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Searchers at Glastonbury 2025 – stage and time as Liverpool band end 68 years of touring
Liverpool band The Searchers will end nearly 70 years of touring with their debut at the Glastonbury Festival. The band has performed with different line-ups since its formation in 1957. They were formed by musicians Mike Pender and John McNally. The group is long-standing and has existed for decades, after first finding success in the 1960s. The Searchers will take to the Acoustic Stage today. Their stage time is scheduled to be from 8pm to 9pm. Singer in the group John McNally told the BBC: "A Glastonbury debut at 83—can anyone top that? I don't think life gets any better, does it?" "There will be a few nerves, but in a good way, and we'll be nicely warmed up from our shows in June. We can't wait to see our fans again for this incredible final farewell." READ MORE: Noel Gallagher wrote 'moody' Oasis song after 'appalling' gig saw him storm out of band READ MORE: Joshua Kimmich becomes first Bayern Munich player to break silence on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool Bassist and singer Frank Allen, who joined the group in 1964, said: "I have played shows across the world with The Searchers for over 60 years; Glastonbury has always been an ambition that has eluded us – until now. "The Searchers are finally performing at the greatest music festival of them all. What a way to round off a tour and a career. I can't wait to get up on stage and give our fans one final blast." The Searchers had the first of three UK number ones in 1963 with their version of The Drifters' hit Sweets For My Sweet. They were a part of the Merseybeat scene, flourishing during the British Invasion of the 1960s. They also topped the UK charts twice in 1964 with Needles and Pins and Don't Throw Your Love Away and had other hits in the decade with When You Walk In The Room, Goodbye My Love, and Sugar and Spice. Mike Pender, real name Michael Prendergast, was part of the original line-up, he left the group in 1985 to pursue a solo career and received an MBE for services to music in 2020. He took the lead vocals on a number of their big hits. The current members of The Searchers are: John McNally – lead guitar, backing vocals (1959–present) Frank Allen – bass, backing and lead vocals (1964–present) Spencer James – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar synthesizer (1985–present) Richie Burns – drums, backing vocals (2023–present) The Final Farewell Tour runs from June 14 and will end with the band playing the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury on June 27. The Scouse artists join a line-up of other performers from Liverpool playing at Glastonbury this year. Liverpool DJ Lauren Lo Sung played The Glade yesterday, June 26, between 7.30pm and 8.30pm. Lauren's parents gifted her her first set of decks at 11. Three years later, the Scouse musician was sneaking into local clubs with her older sister, who played a pivotal role in introducing Lauren to dance music. Also taking to the stage yesterday was Walton-based band The Cheap Thrills. Their performance attracted hundreds of people from Liverpool who packed out the surrounding area of the stage to show their support. Fans of the local band praised their incredible achievement. One fan posted on social media: "Absolute madness reading something like this being from Walton Vale as well, good luck guys", to which The Cheap Thrills replied "L9 forever". They played the Bread and Roses. This weekend will be a huge moment for The Sway, who have started headlining their own shows after being the support acts the likes of Jamie Webster and Red Rum Club. Both Jamie and Red Rum Club are on the Glastonbury bill. Jamie will perform at Left Field on Sunday as part of a 'radical round up' alongside musical icon Billy Bragg. It's not Jamie's first time at the festival, having performed to huge crowds in the past. The Liverpool singer-songwriter performed on the Other Stage last year.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Not 'easy, fast or cheap': The big changes needed for Canada to diversify trade away from U.S.
Developing the infrastructure necessary to make Canada's economy less dependent on trade with the U.S. 'will not be easy, fast, or cheap,' and will require refocusing investment priorities, a new report from Scotiabank Economics says. The report by senior policy advisor John McNally points out that government infrastructure programs launched long before the current trade tensions with the U.S. began to unfold have 'not been able to keep up with existing demand, let alone support growth.' They also focus largely on road and rail infrastructure, while increasing exports to other countries would necessarily require a focus on marine and air. 'Tackling this issue would require private and public sector pushes to invest additional capital, advance deregulatory efforts, and overcome the inefficiencies causing national headaches,' the report said. Tariffs and the upheaval of global trade relationships have been among the defining narratives of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, with the need for trade diversification becoming a central talking point in response. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently signed on to a security and defence partnership with the European Union, while Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem told an audience in Newfoundland that 'diversification adds resilience.' The Scotiabank analysis modelled the impact of shifting away exports to the U.S. and found that redirecting 10 per cent of trade away from the U.S. would increase the share of goods leaving Canada via ports by five per cent and via airports by three per cent. Due to the realities of geography, air and sea transport accounts for less than 10 per cent of Canadian exports to the U.S., but virtually all exports elsewhere. 'Overseas trade growth would largely be driven by energy and commodities shipped via port, and higher-value manufactured goods shipped by air,' the report said. Yet the second-order effects of the trade shock—namely uncertainty brought about by trade tensions—are further dulling investment, worsening an underlying Economics However, current government estimates for long-term capital expenditures 'forecast road and rail to account for over 80 per cent' of infrastructure spending, the report points out. Given this, McNally writes that 'a rebalanced portfolio is needed,' as well as additional spending. Canada would need to invest in marine and air infrastructure in addition to 'strengthening east-west investments in rail, road and intermodal capacity.' The report says Canada's airports may be reasonably well equipped for an increase in cargo shipments, but the same is not true for the country's major ports. Two of Canada's three largest ports were ranked in the bottom 15 per cent in the world for container port performance by the World Bank in 2023, Scotiabank observes. Rail infrastructure investment, furthermore, would need to be around 2.5x current annual expenditure to meet requirements forecast by a federal government task force. The report notes that the impact of the trade war thus far has been far better than modelled in worst-case scenarios, and the direct economic impact could be muted. 'Yet, the second-order effects of the trade shock—namely uncertainty brought about by trade tensions—are further dulling investment, worsening an underlying problem,' the report added. 'Here, diversification can help.' However, Scotiabank cautions that a significant overhaul of infrastructure priorities will not have immediate effects, nor will it solve all of Canada's economic problems — again because of the realities of geography. 'Selling into different markets would require investments and relationships that typically take years to bear fruit, likely offering little to offset volatility in the coming months,' the report said. 'Expectations should also be clear around degrees of diversification sought. Given the geographic proximity of U.S. markets, Canadian trade flows will likely remain integrated with our southern neighbour, with diversification offering a hedge (or marginal benefits) to reduce overall risk.' John MacFarlane is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on X @jmacf. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
