The Searchers are to stop touring after 68 years.
The ‘Sweets For My Sweet’ hitmakers, who are known as the “longest-running band in pop history”, are to go out on the road on their ‘Final Farewell Tour’, which will conclude with their first and only performance at the legendary Glastonbury Festival on 27 June.
John McNally – who co-founded the group with Mike Pender in 1957 when he was 16 years old and has performed with various line-ups over the years – told The Guardian newspaper: “A Glastonbury debut at 83, can anyone top that? I don’t think life gets any better, does it?
“There will be a few nerves, but in a good way, and we’ll be nicely warmed up from our shows in June. We can’t wait to see our fans again for this incredible final farewell.”
Bassist and singer Frank Allen, who joined the group in 1964, added: “I have played shows across the world with The Searchers for over 60 years; Glastonbury has always been an ambition that has eluded us – until now.
“The Searchers are finally performing at the greatest music festival of them all.
“What a way to round off a tour and a career. I can’t wait to get up on stage and give our fans one final blast.”
The Merseybeats group have decided to call it a day partly because of their age but also because of long travel taking a toll.
Frank, 81, said: “Age slows you down a bit. We did between 180 and 200 shows a year. But driving up and down the motorways is the hard part because the traffic is so much heavier than it ever was … There was never a problem with recovering from a show because that’s the thing that brings you to life. We were always fit to do a show. It’s just the driving up and down motorways.”
John, 83, added: “The traffic is now an absolute nightmare.”
The ‘Sugar And Spice’ group believe so many musicians keep performing into their old age because there is more money to be made now than when they started out.
John said: “In the 1960s, no one had a rulebook to follow, no person to look after them. We just went through the motions and got ripped off.
“You think: hang on, where’s the money going? We did our first tour of America in 1964 and, when we got back, it was like: ‘tuppence for you and tuppence for you and tuppence for you …’. What? We were paying for everything. We didn’t make any money on that tour.”