They are the longest-running band in pop history, selling tens of millions of records and filling venues worldwide in a 68-year career. But now the Searchers have decided to take their final bow.
The group, who were contemporaries of the Beatles during “the British invasion” will play their last ever show at this year’s Glastonbury festival, after a “final farewell tour” of Britain.
The band’s guitarist John McNally, 83, and bassist and singer Frank Allen, 81, told the Guardian they have decided to retire, partly because age is catching up with them, but also because the increased traffic on the roads now makes it so hard to travel from one gig to another.
Allen, who joined the Searchers in 1964, 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.”
McNally, who formed the band when he was 16 in 1957, said: “The traffic is now an absolute nightmare.”
The Merseybeat band found fame playing in the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg. Their debut No 1 hit Sweets for My Sweet in 1963 was followed by the chart-toppers Needles and Pins and Don’t Throw Your Love Away, establishing them as a global act by the mid-1960s.
But they have never played Glastonbury until now. “No one’s asked us,” Allen said. “The Searchers are finally performing at the greatest music festival of them all. What a way to round off a tour and a career.”
McNally added: “A Glastonbury debut at 83! Can anyone top that? … We can’t wait to see our fans again for this incredible final farewell.”
Glastonbury has long championed ageing stars, including Paul McCartney, who headlined in 2022 at the age of 80. Those playing this year include Rod Stewart, 80, and Neil Young, 79.
McNally – the son of a Liverpool docker and a barmaid – said some of the veterans keep on playing because there is now money to be made. The Searchers were among many musicians who did not earn much in the past: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Asked whether it was agents, managers and record producers who ripped them off, he said: “Yes, they know all the ins and outs … we were just stupid musicians, so naive.”
Allen spoke of the buzz of being on stage: “There’s something special about it that keeps you young. It’s just very addictive. People are cheering and telling you you’re wonderful.”
The Searchers have made previous attempts to retire, only to be coaxed back by their fans, who were crying on the last tour. In 2023, their 43-date tour sold out. So too their 2024 tour.
• The Searchers’ Final Farewell tour runs from 14 to 27 June. The band will appear on the Acoustic Stage at the Glastonbury festival on 27 June
