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The Searchers in Concert (Australia: 22/1/99)Feb 16 '01 (Updated May 05 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line If you are into the Merseybeat sound or mid-sixties rock laced with near perfect harmonies, then a concert by these Liverpool veterans is a must-see.
More than 35 years after they helped pioneer the Merseybeat sounds of the sixties, the Searchers are still performing their hits and singing up a storm. Although not quite as popular in the US, the Searchers in their heyday clocked up six top 5 hits in the UK including three #1’s. I caught their act at the Twin Towns Services Club auditorium, Australia, on 22 January 1999 and got an experience I will never forget - the chance to sing in front of 4000 people with a legendary Mersey beat group as my support band. The Searchers differed from many other beat groups of the sixties in that they were more into harmonies. Further, unlike their sixties peers Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas and Herman’s Hermits where the focus was very much on their lead vocalist, the Searchers tended to project a more group emphasis. In view of this, it is comforting to know when attending a Searchers concert that all but one of the current line-up has been with the group since the sixties. The Searchers have no shortage of back catalogue hits to chose from when performing a live set. Interestingly, most of their sixties hits were covers of material written or performed by popular American artists of the time or from the late fifties. Their first major hit “Sweets for My Sweet” (1963: UK #1), for example, was originally a single release by the Drifters in 1961. Similarly, “Needles and Pins” (1964: US #13; UK #1), “Love Potion Number 9” (1964: US #3), and “Don’t Throw Your Love Away” (1964: US #16; UK #1) were previously recorded by Jackie DeShannon, the Clovers and the Orlons, respectively. In terms of their physical appearance, the Searchers have aged well. They still dress smartly and their stage look is straight out of the sixties. Further, like many artists of their generation they know how to work an audience and are not reluctant to encourage crowd participation when the song is right. Most importantly, the Searchers do not short change when it comes to singing their hits. Indeed, their sixties classics are enthusiastically performed with due regard to the affection that the audience has for these numbers. For me the standout performances of sixties material at the concert were the group’s renditions of their own hit “When You Walk into the Room” (1964: UK #3) and the classic “Young Girl”. The first was characterized by perfect harmonies and the second soaring vocals, all of course to a classic Mersey rock beat. Unlike other British beat groups still (thankfully) doing the rounds, the Searchers include a substantive amount of new material in their repertoire (about 25%). The new numbers tend to lean toward dramatic ballads that showcase the quite amazing vocal capabilities and range of the group. At the subject concert, these performances included a cover of Bette Middler’s “The Rose”, “Somebody Told Me You Were Crying”, and their own compositions “Does it Hurt” and “Till I Met You”. One can only hope that the group will one day get back into the studio and put these and their other new songs on disc. As mentioned above, the Searchers also had the good taste to call on my own natural vocal talents during the concert. In the middle of particularly rollicking version of the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On”, group leader John Mcnally stepped off the stage and invited me to do a solo on the chorus of this number. Being fully conversant with the deep and meaningful lyrics and having some thirty years singing in the shower experience, I happily obliged. My date (our first one at that) looked both relieved (because she was not picked) and also stunned at the same time. Fortunately, no fruit was thrown and I got an enthusiastic clap - of course the clapping could have been because I finally stopped. (For those wondering whether I got a second date, please note we ultimately married - although I did received a cool response from my suggestion that I should sing at the wedding). For anyone who enjoys the Merseybeat sound, a Searchers concert is a must-see. There are plenty of well known sixties hits and some great new material for good measure. For those who want to relive former glories and also those too young to have been part of the sixties music scene, a Searchers concert offers a unique time capsule to a time when Liverpool bands ruled the music world.  |
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