Gig review: The Searchers

Published on Monday 19 October 2009 19:10

THE SEARCHERS *** QUEENS HALL, EDINBURGH

ONCE you've lived the pop-star dream, it must be unavoidably strange to find yourself reading out audience dedications for 60th birthdays, retirements and newborn grandchildren, but Liverpool's second most famous 1960s band, The Searchers, continue to regale their grey-haired fans with both graciousness and gusto, more than 45 years after their first No 1 single.

With one original member, John McNally, remaining on guitar and backing vocals, plus nearly-original bassist and chief spokesman Frank Allan, who joined in 1964, they gave every impression of a band who are still enjoying themselves, delivering their hits with impressive force and polish.

While little of their material was ever original to the band, their crisp, melodious reprises here of such classics as Needles and Pins, Don't Throw Your Love Away and When You Walk in the Room were a vivid reminder of why they made such an impact, complete with the chiming guitars and sweetly aligned harmonies. The show contained its share of forgettable later songs and scrappier ensemble work, while lead singer Spencer James's voice, commanding though it was, at times proved a blunt instrument, notably in Roy Orbison's Running Scared.

There was something uncomfortable, too, about men of this age covering Gary Puckett's problematic hit Young Girl, expressing feelings that were way out of line even when voiced by a 26-year-old in 1968.