THE SEARCHERS – 'Down Under' - 10-02-10

It was September 1964 – when The Searchers first toured Down Under and the reception from the Aussie public was phenomenal. They have always come back to Australia – and due to popular demand their 2010 Australian tour kicked of in Wollongong, NSW.

The band formed in 1959 choosing the name ‘The Searchers’ from the John Wayne movie of the same title. They have been trying to find a name that did justice, and it was stated that Ron Woodridge suggested the name. Their debut single ‘Sweets For My Sweet’ in 1963 eclipsed The Beatles and had stayed at No. 1 on the British Charts for two weeks.

There have been 3 highlights of their career. The first was in 1964, their first tour of America where they performed alongside Dusty Springfield, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and the legend Smokey Robinson. It was an all star event. The second was in 1989 performing at Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 80,000 which the record was repeated the following day. They were guests of Sir Cliff Richards on his 30th Anniversary show. The final highlight was in 1981, a Royal Variety Show, presenting their show to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was an experience to behold; very few entertainers get the opportunity to perform for the Queen.

Whatever this top English group is looking for, they have been searching for years – almost 50 years since The Searchers first made their debut. I caught up with Frank Allen (the group’s front man) just before curtains at a Wollongong Club and found that the guys are down-to-earth kinda people. I’m sure that the young bands of today can learn a lot from these guys.