Legendary band The Searchers make big return to music scene with final UK tour | Music | Entertainment

They were a Merseybeat sensation with a string of warmly remembered Sixties hits – Sweets For My Sweet, Needles & Pins, When You Walk In The Room…And now, at an age when most men may search to remember why they’ve walked into any room, The Searchers are back for one final 43-date UK tour.

“It’s a quick bash before we retire permanently,” says genial guitarist and founder member John McNally, 81.

The band announced their premature end in 2018, playing their last gig in March 2019. “Getting back into it after a four-year lay-off is pretty scary,” says bassist Frank Allen, 79. “But the only thing that really frightens me about touring now is the traffic.”

Gigs were grander back in the day. Frank recalls arriving in New York in September 1964 for seven days of concerts. “The bill was Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las, plus Dusty Springfield and Millie Small…”

And top of the bill, closing the show, were The Searchers. The headlining special guests.

“Despite all that talent, it was the guys who looked and sounded like Beatles that the kids screamed for,” says Frank. “To us, it was fantastic. We were playing with legends, watching them in awe. It was such a privilege.”

This incredible bill at Brooklyn’s Fox Theatre performed six fast-moving shows a day, starting at 10am. Amiable Allen remembers flirting and smooching with Ronette Ronnie Bennett’s cousin Nedra in the wings and chatting to soul titan Marvin Gaye – “He was so cool, so mesmerising…”

The British Invasion bands, led by the Beatles, lavished praise on US soul stars, enticing curious white teenagers to their shows.

“Marvin loved our music and the whole British sound. He was grateful British groups had raved about Motown.”

Other highlights of The Searchers’ seven-decade-spanning career include being presented to the Queen at the 1981 Royal Command Performance, playing New York’s Madison Square Garden and of course performing to 80,000 people a night at Sir Cliff’s two huge Wembley concerts in 1989.

They also entertained British forces overseas, including Belize, Bosnia, and the Falklands – twice.

At one emotional show, they played to 2000 troops under canvas in Bosnia. As they ended with Johnny B Goode, two squaddies came on with submachine guns doing the Chuck Berry duck walk.

“Afterwards they all stood up chanting ‘We’re not worthy’ like Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World,” Frank fondly recalls.

The Searchers’ story naturally begins in Liverpool. Walton-born John, the son of a docker and a barmaid, and fellow singer-guitarist Mike Pender formed a skiffle band in 1959, taking their name from the classic John Wayne Western.

Country music was John’s biggest influence. “My brother was in the navy and brought all the records back, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash…”

Joined by singer Johnny Sandon in 1960, they regularly packed out Liverpool’s Iron Door Club and The Cavern as Johnny Sandon & The Searchers until Sandon left the following year. “That was the making of us,” says John.

They went pro in 1962. McNally, Pender, bassist-singer Tony Jackson and drummer Chris Curtis quit their day jobs to play Hamburg’s Star-Club, performing up to four one-hour sets a day and meeting Frank, then with Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.

When Allen joined, in August 1964, the Searchers had been snapped up by Pye Records, notching up their first hit in June ’63, with later New Faces star Tony Hatch as producer.

“I’ve been in the band for 59years and I’m still the new boy,” Frank laughs. “When I first met them, I’d never been in a recording studio. A year after, they offered me the job and virtually the next day we were in the studio recording my favourite Searchers song, When You Walk In The Room.”

He was four months too late to play on Needles & Pins.

Budgets at London’s Pye Studios were minimal. Their first two albums were laid down almost entirely in straight takes, vocal and backing tracks recorded together. No overdubs.

Love Potion Number 9, their biggest US hit, reached No 2 on the Cashbox chart in early 1965. But nobody told them. “We were touring with the Zombies, doing three songs six shows a day and we didn’t include the hit,” groans Frank.

The Hayes-born son of a painter-and-decorator has written two books about his career, Travelling Man and The Searchers & Me. Allen’s musical path mirrored McNally’s – school skiffle groups progressing to rock’n’roll after he’d mastered his fourth chord.

He was obsessed with rock – “Elvis, Gene Vincent, the Everly Brothers…When I saw Cliff Bennett & The Rabble Rousers play in Ickenham, I knew I had to be in the band and in the end I talked Cliff into thinking that too.”

He joined as rhythm guitarist and backing singer in 1961, aged 17, but switched to bass because they couldn’t find a bassist, becoming renowned for his then ground-breaking finger-plucking style.

“On my second stint in Hamburg I saw the Beatles and palled up with the Searchers who were my kind of people, modest people, modest drinkers. I was teetotal, I hadn’t had sex yet, didn’t smoke, didn’t do drugs. I’ve never smoked so much as a joint.”

John recalls playing Hamburg’s Star-Club supporting stars like Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Fats Domino and Ray Charles – “he was spot-on”.

McNally knew the Beatles from Liverpool. Frank’s first encounter with John Lennon at the Star-Club was more unsettling.

“He looked at me like a cat looking at a mouse. He said, ‘People in the club were saying that next to Cliff you’re the most popular member of the band’.

“Then he paused a beat and added, ‘I can’t think why, your harmonies are ****ing ridiculous’.” I couldn’t work out if he was being serious or taking the piss.”

Their debut album, Meet The Searchers went Top 3 at home, top 20 in Germany and Top 30 in the US. They had ten UK hit singles, including three Number Ones. But by 1966 the hits dried up and the band turned to cabaret.

“It was our university education,” says John. “We learned how to control an audience and put on a show.”

Ever since an accident nobbled a support act in the 90s, the Searchers have supported themselves – hour set, interval, then another hour.

Frank recalls a lousy show at the Green Room, Soho, for an agents’ convention. “We come on and they get up and start talking. There’s no applause between songs, no politeness. Sod ’em.”

In Leeds they conquered rare audience apathy by setting off their confetti cannon at the start.

Earlier gigs were worse. “We got a telegram on stage saying that Sweets For My Sweet was number one,” recalls. John. “Someone shouted, ‘Stop being flash you bastard’. Tony took umbrage and hit him over the head.

“Another time Tony and Mike Pender had a fight on stage at Tivoli Gardens in Cardiff. If that had been The Kinks it would have been front page news.”

Curtis quit after a joint Australian tour with the Rolling Stones, because, they say, he couldn’t stand playing second fiddle to them. Then Pender left to form a rival combo.

They’re still a quartet with Spencer James (lead vocals and guitar) and Richie Burns (drums).

Loved in the industry, The Searchers’ star fans include Springsteen, Pete Townsend and Roger McGuinn. “The Ramones came to see us at the Bitter End in New York. Marky Ramone played Needles & Pins with us at The Cutting Room,” says Frank.

Before 2019, The Searchers regularly played at least 200 gigs a year in the UK, US, Germany and Australia.

Why return? Frank sees it as therapeutic. “I lost a lot of English language because of lockdown killing the art of conversation. I’m searching for most words…”

John adds, “We owe it to the fans. They’re a lovely loyal bunch who range from very young to fast-approaching death. That goes for the people on stage too.

“I’d like to thank our audience. Some have followed us for sixty years and we’re the only sixties band playing theatres. I hope they enjoy it.”

• The Searchers Thank You Tour runs 13^th April – 17^th June 2023, with 43 dates across England. ‘The Ultimate Collection’ (3CD) is out now on BMG. Tickets, dates and info: the-searchers.co.uk