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Hindustan Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
The Searchers, 60s chart toppers, to bow out at Glastonbury
By Paul Sandle The Searchers, 60s chart toppers, to bow out at Glastonbury GLASTONBURY, England, - 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. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Glasgow Times
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Sensational 60s Experience concert to take place in Glasgow
The Sensational 60s Experience will be coming to the Royal Concert Hall on September 28. The concert will begin at 3pm, and tickets can be purchased from the box office on 0141 353 8000 or online at (Image: Supplied) The show is the only 1960s package show currently touring, and features an ensemble of original artists and band members. The show is said to be a "festival of nostalgia" that will transport the audience back to the magical decade of music and memories. Vanity Fare (Image: Supplied) The concert will feature performances by The Trems (featuring Jeff Brown, former member of The Tremeloes), The Fortunes, Mike d'Abo (former lead singer with Manfred Mann), Spencer James (lead singer with The Searchers), and Vanity Fare. The show will be packed with classics such as Silence Is Golden, Mighty Quinn, Needles and Pins, Storm in a Teacup, Hitchin' a Ride, and many more.
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Searchers bring their musical quest to an end after 68 years
They are the longest-running band in pop history, selling tens of millions of records and filling venues worldwide in a 68-year career. But now the Searchers have decided to take their final bow. The group, who were contemporaries of the Beatles during 'the British invasion' will play their last ever show at this year's Glastonbury festival, after a 'final farewell tour' of Britain. The band's guitarist John McNally, 83, and bassist and singer Frank Allen, 81, told the Guardian they have decided to retire, partly because age is catching up with them, but also because the increased traffic on the roads now makes it so hard to travel from one gig to another. Allen, who joined the Searchers in 1964, said: 'Age slows you down a bit. We did between 180 and 200 shows a year. But driving up and down the motorways is the hard part because the traffic is so much heavier than it ever was … There was never a problem with recovering from a show because that's the thing that brings you to life. We were always fit to do a show. It's just the driving up and down motorways.' McNally, who formed the band when he was 16 in 1957, said: 'The traffic is now an absolute nightmare.' The Merseybeat band found fame playing in the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg. Their debut No 1 hit Sweets for My Sweet in 1963 was followed by the chart-toppers Needles and Pins and Don't Throw Your Love Away, establishing them as a global act by the mid-1960s. But they have never played Glastonbury until now. 'No one's asked us,' Allen said. 'The Searchers are finally performing at the greatest music festival of them all. What a way to round off a tour and a career.' McNally added: 'A Glastonbury debut at 83! Can anyone top that? … We can't wait to see our fans again for this incredible final farewell.' Glastonbury has long championed ageing stars, including Paul McCartney, who headlined in 2022 at the age of 80. Those playing this year include Rod Stewart, 80, and Neil Young, 79. McNally – the son of a Liverpool docker and a barmaid – said some of the veterans keep on playing because there is now money to be made. The Searchers were among many musicians who did not earn much in the past: 'In the 1960s, no one had a rulebook to follow, no person to look after them. We just went through the motions and got ripped off.' He added: 'You think: hang on, where's the money going? We did our first tour of America in 1964 and, when we got back, it was like: 'tuppence for you and tuppence for you and tuppence for you …'. What? We were paying for everything. We didn't make any money on that tour.' Sign up to Sleeve Notes Get music news, bold reviews and unexpected extras. Every genre, every era, every week after newsletter promotion Asked whether it was agents, managers and record producers who ripped them off, he said: 'Yes, they know all the ins and outs … we were just stupid musicians, so naive.' Allen spoke of the buzz of being on stage: 'There's something special about it that keeps you young. It's just very addictive. People are cheering and telling you you're wonderful.' The Searchers have made previous attempts to retire, only to be coaxed back by their fans, who were crying on the last tour. In 2023, their 43-date tour sold out. So too their 2024 tour. The Searchers' Final Farewell tour runs from 14 to 27 June. The band will appear on the Acoustic Stage at the Glastonbury festival on 27 June
