Who
The Searchers
Where
Dudley Town Hall
When
13th June 2024
Price
£32.00 (FREE for me!)
Who with
Dad
Position
Seated, towards the back
Comments
As far as I recall this was my third time watching The Searchers after viewings in 2005 and 2009, plus I'd also seen Mike Penders Searchers in 2006. It also was my first concert at Dudley Town Hall or in Dudley at all, although I had seen David Baddiel, Nish Kumar, The Horne Section and Harry Hill here previously. It was a decent mid-sized venue, and I found myself attending what could have been the last ever Searchers concert to make up for my Dad's botched attempt to see them in Chester which he had planned a holiday around and then had the show ruined due to illness and couldn't make it. So offering to take him seemed the right thing to do, and I do wonder if this actually is the end for The Searchers? They'd made a big deal of finishing in 2019 before doing a "farewell" reunion tour in 2023 and now they were embarking on this "thank you" tour. Last time they'd finished with a landmark show at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall but this time they decided to let the booking agent and the roll of the dice decide where the tour would finish, and strangely enough that led to this show in Dudley on a Thursday night being touted as their last ever. Considering their origins go back to 1957 and that they had remained together after falling out of fashion in 1965, it feels pretty shameless that they couldn't put a sock in it after so many years together, but they seem to have missed performing and were still capable of doing it, and as I found out later their longevity was record-breaking! My Dad got tickets with the deal that I'd do the driving, with £32 tickets costing almost double the £17 cost back in 2009. It was five days after seeing the Pet Shop Boys and this gig was closely followed by a visit to Mill Meece Pumping Station and the 40th anniversary re-release on Star Trek III - The Search For Spock, so I certainly was keeping my Dad occupied this week.

I was sufficiently busy that I didn't listen to any music beforehand, and I also hadn't written up the Pet Shop Boys review as originally intended. After putting off the task I dedicated the weekend after all this action to try and force myself to write up both reviews on consecutive days, as well as seeing Twelfth Night in Stafford and heading into Birmingham the following day to finally visit the Back To Backs and check out the latest exhibitions at the Ikon Gallery. I was also trying to polish off my 2023 photos before my Vienna/Budapest holiday, so I was making the most of my time. It was a drab and rainy evening, aligned with a pretty terrible summer so far, but at the time of writing it finally is starting to warm up. In a logistical effort I'd lent my car to my Dad so he could drive to me for 5pm and I asked to finish work early, to save the backtracking and allow for a faster arrival. I didn't have the spare days to ask for holiday and despite this effort I knew we wouldn't have time for a proper sit-down meal, but given all the other nights out we had planned it really was no problem. I'd had a busy day but did well tying everything up for a fast departure, also enjoying smooth traffic to Dudley apart from a couple of slower junctions. Some fuckwit dangerously undertook me and beeped at me in Dudley when I stopped for a red light so he could jump it, and I really do believe people like this should just be shot. Driving can be depressing as it exposes you to the most twattish and selfish elements of humanity and can really damage your faith in the human race and make you realise how toxic England has become. But anyway, despite this twat we arrived in good time to park up at a McDonald's close to Dudley centre, and I just couldn't resist the new chicken box, which included 6 chicken selects and 12 chicken nuggets. I also shared a few cheeky mozzarella bites with my Dad, but I obviously had to try this box and attempted to offset the greed by not having fries.

Naturally I wasn't going to skip the Skittles McFlurry, and I was able to quickly answer a debate on the history of Skittles by establishing that they had come out in 1974. It's great being able to whip out your phone and answer these questions immediately, and I really don't remember how I managed before doing this was possible. Time was catching up with us a little and clearly we just had not had time for a more proper meal, so we drove on and I parked at a space on the street which just presented itself conveniently next to the intended car park. Dudley surprised me a little with some unexpected views and buildings, making me realise that I don't know it as well as I could. I seem to visit quite often but usually have a fixed itinerary and don't just wander around and explore. On the walk to the venue I noted a different perspective on Top Church, which was better for a pic as we were far enough away to see the whole church comfortably. We quickly arrived at the Town Hall and the rain had eased on the short walk, and we felt relaxed enough for me to take a picture of Dad outside the venue in front of The Searchers poster. We were let into the stalls area after a brief look at our Etickets and just glanced at the merchandise store, and I was a little disappointed to see just how far back we were sitting. I hadn't chosen the seats but I thought there were more choices, or maybe I'd underestimated the size of the venue? We had timed it nicely and didn't have to wait long at all for the 7.30pm start, and there would be no support band - The Searchers were by themselves tonight! Some intro music was played and the lights darkened, before lifting to show that the band had somehow appeared onstage amid the darkness. That sure seems rather a dangerous move for pensioners! They started predictably with Sweets For My Sweet, but it's such a lovely song I can't mind too much. To be honest if they started with anything else you'd just be thinking that it wasn't as good a choice.

The sound quality was a bit muted all evening unfortunately, and the vocals seemed too quiet. I commented how small the speakers were but the overall sound was loud, so I guess that the small speakers was just technological progress? Unusually the bassist Frank operates as their frontman and does almost all the banter, and it's quite difficult to tell how much of his singing was audible. Maybe that's a good sign that they could sing together, but I couldn't really work out how much he was actually doing beyond being the personality of the band. Frank praised their new drummer Richie Burns and said that if they were staying together they'd certainly be keeping him, and Richie was playing at the back on an elevated stand. The drum kit had The Searchers logo on it in a minimalist black and white logo similar to The Specials, and my Dad said that the drummer seemed tighter and generally better than last time he'd seen him. Frank presumably is short sighted as he was squinting a lot, and he claimed to have turned 80 but his dark hair certainly makes you doubt that. John with his white hair definitely looked every inch his 82 years of age, but he was smiling magnetically and he showed later that he could sing and perform brilliantly. Spencer is their lead singer, replacing Mike Pender in 1985, but he said almost nothing, and despite being totally bald he still looked far younger than his two longstanding band mates. As usual The Searchers were wearing their traditional black and white formal suits, but as spotlights were on them throughout the show they were exceptionally hard to take good photos of, as you can see in my best attempt above. Besides a few coloured lights, there was no video screen and it was a show totally devoid of gimmicks and tricks. Frank later said that they are proud to play everything live with no backings, as to do otherwise is cheating, and that "they may be crap but at least they are authentic crap!" I've got to take them up on this a bit, their music lends itself naturally to being 100% live anyway, whereas more electronic songs do not. Also if you're talking about authenticity, the fact they don't write their own songs is seriously problematic, and as far as I can see it is the reason why they fell so firmly out of fashion as The Beatles and The Beach Boys demonstrated how it should be done in the mid 1960s.

Second song was Don't Throw Your Love Away, and even though everything is a cover version, at least they've made most of them their own. If it wasn't for The Searchers I do suspect that their tunes would have been forgotten, and that would have been a loss for music. The Searchers talked up The Byrds for what they did to Mr. Tambourine Man before playing their own interpretation, but I've always felt that Bob Dylan's version is utterly superior, similar to how The Ramones version of Needles And Pins kicks the shit out of The Searchers version. Frank joked about seeing Bob Dylan live and how he changes his songs so much that he didn't know what he was even singing. After a few mid-tier Searchers tunes was Hearts in Her Eyes, which they released in their failed push for the charts in 1979. And it's a shame as it's an absolute belter, and I am pleased to note that I have both The Sire Sessions 1978-1980 and Hungry Hearts - their final album from 1988 - on my PC. I'll have to listen to them fully sometime soon. Someday We're Gonna Love Again is a very cute song but Bumble Bee was better, although I was somewhat distracted by its resemblance to Yakety Yak! The first real surprising moment for me was John singing Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly, as his voice was strong and confident and it made me wonder why he didn't get to sing more of the songs. There was an ongoing joke about Frank namechecking people who had died and John pointing to the sky to signify their death, offering two upward fingers when The Everly Brothers were mentioned as well as a cheeky point downwards for an unliked person. John also reminisced about seeing Buddy Holly live but not getting to meet him and was met by Frank with a "don't worry you'll be meeting him soon." It was so biting that it felt unscripted, but knowing The Searchers I'm quite sure that it was a carefully planned bit of banter. When Frank pointed out he was 80 he stated that John was 110, and certainly the chat is likeable and helped to keep us engaged. Plus I'd like to think that they at least write their own jokes, even if they don't write their own songs!

Frank also warned us that due to their advanced age that they may have unprompted "comfort breaks", although in the end this did not happen. He also joked that they were retiring because of the state of the roads, but they reserve the right to come back again. But also that they genuinely have nothing else in their diaries at the moment. Frank taking the piss out of John was the recurring gag, commenting on his fancy house in the posh part of Liverpool that had had a fire which was so severe that it had burned down his library and that both of John's books had been lost! On a slightly more positive note there was a shout-out to John for celebrating his 60th wedding anniversary and receiving a card from the King (or The Queen, who John helpfully pointed out was dead with another cheeky finger to the sky). The Searchers praised Roy Orbison as being as lovely as they hoped when they met him before playing Running Scared, but John teased at the intro to Pretty Woman and that does bring home the fact that Orbison is a one hit wonder in the eyes of many. Frank also spoke of meeting The Queen, who ignored him so he instigated the chat and forced a handshake anyway, while also warning us that John was in a good mood but that he was liable to "turn on a six pence". This was followed by another story (presumably not true) of John meeting a fan after the show and asking her what she thought of the show. She said "I've had better nights" to which John replied "and you've seen better days!" And anyway, music was being played also, it wasn't just banter, and the first set ended with Seven Nights To Rock, followed by a 20-minute interval for us to recharge and enjoy. Not many bands do intervals, but I think it's actually a decent idea!

I looked at the merch store in more detail, checking out the fridge magnets that had been mentioned by Frank, as well as some fairly expensive clothing on offer. There were jackets, it wasn't just the usual t-shirts! There was a 3CD compilation for £20 but I'm sure that the same thing could be purchased for £3 from Ebay. The days of rip-off CDs and DVDs are behind us now, and now sadly they are often almost given away. It has gone too far the other way. My Dad and I checked out the bar and looked up to see that the balcony looked pretty empty. I had initially thought that the balcony would have been preferable but it looked dead up there, and in reality would probably have made for a much poorer atmosphere offsetting the better panoramic view. I took a photo of my Dad in front of the stage then insisted that we head to the other side to check out the jail cell, which was actually lit up so we could see inside. I've seen it a few times before but never lit up like this, and it's a lovely bit of history and culture to enhance the venue. I'd visited Dudley Town Hall on Heritage Weekend 2023 and seen a few bits and had a quick look around the empty venue, but I still suspect many lovely rooms were off limits and remain to be explored. We also found time to check out the gig listings and were so intrigued by the idea of watching Simon Reeve that we actually agreed and later booked to see him here in late October! We had made the most of the interval and returned to our seats as the lights darkened before coming on abruptly so we could see The Searchers back onstage. And they recommenced cheekily with a reprise of Seven Nights To Rock, which was a literal and effective way to put the momentum back exactly where it had been before the break. After a few tunes was Sugar And Spice, which I was initially very dismissive of as being a pale shadow of Sweets For My Sweet. However I've since noted that the last two times I'd seen The Searchers they had respectively skipped this tune and then minimised it by launching into a random cover version partway through. So this was my first time hearing it live properly.

Also I'd seen the 2003 film Monster since and was surprised to see it quietly had Sugar And Spice on the soundtrack. Perhaps I had been too harsh, as in retrospect I liked it more. But there was only one answer I ever give when asked for the best Searchers song, and it was Love Potion No. 9 all the way! I said during it that it was their best and this opinion was unchanged. This may or may not have been the point that they got a couple of friends to the stage. One guy was announced as John McNally Jr but I doubt that was his name, and another was a young roadie, who supposedly had shaved off his beard earlier that day as "Searchers don't have beards." I never can tell truth from joke with these guys, but this presumably was a true story and it sure felt right for The Searchers to be smartly dressed and clean shaven. If one of them had shown up with a scraggly beard it would have felt very wrong for sure. These two guys led the guitar and singing and energised proceedings a bit, and after pretty ballad Four Strong Winds was Have You Ever Loved Somebody?, which was mentioned as a largely forgotten single from when they were initially falling out of fashion. Next up was ballad The Rose, which is my Mum's favourite song and a chance for Spencer to show off that he can hit the high notes. For most of the evening he was harmonising and was rarely able to explore his vocal palate, so it was nice to give him that opportunity. I also really enjoyed Young Girl, which is an epic song that I'd remembered from before. The band did an excellent a cappella intro and reprised the ending multiple times to make the most of it. It's a tune that has become a mainstay purely from live performance, but it deserves its place in the permanent set for sure.

Next up was Needles And Pins which should be an absolute highlight but - as I've already mentioned - The Ramones version is utterly superior. However When You Walk in the Room is on a different level and The Searchers totally own that song. And this was the moment where the crowd as one rose to our feet, and we stayed standing for the rest of the set. I thought this was a smart place to shoot a shortish video also, capturing low key flashing lights on the black screen and the sound of fans singing along. Although Love Potion No. 9 is my favourite, I couldn't strongly object to anyone who declared the same about Room. After this the band did some introductions, but focused on thanking their crew and the drummer rather than namechecking each other. They also mentioned that they held the world record for the longest lasting band ever, and although their links back to 1957 are tenuous and only involve John, it is certainly an accolade that they have earned. They performed a cover of Twist And Shout, which was nicely done with Spencer then Frank and then John coming in to sing the "aaaahs". They also theatrically removed their ties, although I really despise tie-wearing so for me this wasn't rebellious at all - refusing to wear ties as I have done before is the real protest! The set then finished with a delightful if insanely overly crowd-pleasing medley of their six biggest hits, much as they had done last time I'd watched them. I shot a video of 3 minutes of this, sadly skipping most of Sweets For My Sweet at the outset. This was followed by a snippet of Don't Throw Your Love Away as the two guest stars ran onto the stage to vocalise with the band before running off as the band segued into When You Walk In The Room. They left the chorus of Love Potion No. 9 for us to sing before a cute snippet of Sugar and Space and then wrapping things up with Needles And Pins. My camera helpfully decided to blur the footage during Sugar and Space, and although the eagerness to please was a bit sickly, given my recurring frustrations with self-indulgent bands I've got to remember how preferable crowd-pleasing setlists are for all concerned.

We exited and missed the chance to hang around to meet the band in the foyer and get some merchandise signed, and I had to stop and take some pics of Top Church as it was moderately lit up. Also as it was late June it was not yet fully dark outside. The journey home was smooth apart from random motorway lane closures, which reminded me that when I drove to Scotland everything was so much better once I got further north where the "smart" motorways and these idiotic variable speed limits ended and I could finally drive at 70mph as intended. I dropped my Dad off and got back myself a little after 11pm, which was reasonable in that the show finished by 10pm, but late when you consider that it had kicked off at 7.30pm sharp. Part of me wanted to call it a night but I forced myself to tidy everything away and draft the notes that formed this review, and I also resisted the temptation to set a later alarm for myself the morning after. I was in bed by midnight and all was good. I feel I enjoyed it more but that the sound quality and charisma wasn't quite as high as last time, so the same mark of 7/10 to respect the order of merit seems appropriate. I had found myself listening to quite a few Searchers songs afterwards, so certainly something had seeped in, and if this really was their last ever show then it was great to be a part of it. As was expected for an oldies band, there were barely any omissions beyond Take It Or Leave It, which had been written for The Searchers by The Rolling Stones as a failed attempt to get them another smash hit. It is fascinating that The Beatles had transformed everything and pretty much directly led to The Searchers downfall by simply being better, more forward-looking but also hitting the essential criteria of writing their own songs. And I do suspect that not doing this will diminish their legacy, much as I anticipate that Elvis Presley will be largely forgotten due to his total inability to write his own material, whereas The Beatles, The Kinks and The Beach Boys will continue to grow in stature as time goes on.
Setlist
Sweets For My Sweet
Don't Throw Your Love Away
Mr. Tambourine Man
Take Me For What I'm Worth
What Have They Done To The Rain?
Goodbye My Love
Runaway
Hearts In Her Eyes
Farmer John
Someday We're Gonna Love Again
Bumble Bee
Peggy Sue
All My Love (Oh Boy)
Running Scared
Seven Nights To Rock
Seven Nights To Rock (Reprise)
Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya
All My Sorrows/Where Have All The Flowers Gone
Sugar And Spice
Somebody Told Me You Were Crying
Love Potion No. 9
Four Strong Winds
Have You Ever Loved Somebody?
The Rose
Young Girl
Needles And Pins
When You Walk In The Room
Twist And Shout
Medley - Sweets For My Sweet/Don't Throw Your Love Away/When You Walk In The Room /Love Potion No. 9/Sugar And Spice/Needles And Pins
n.b. This setlist was from another gig, but it's either correct or similar

Mark: 7.0/10