The Solid Silver 60s Show

Dancing in the aisles!

The Solid Silver 60's Show - February 2007

Hundreds of fifty and sixty-somethings were dancing in the aisles on Saturday night as waves of nostalgia came crashing down upon them from the Usher Hall stage.

First up were the Dakotas, who share the same warped logic as Trigger from Only Fools and Horses. Despite the fact it's had 17 new heads and 14 new handles, the simpleton street-sweeper insists he's had the same broom for 20 years.

While they're billed as the same band who enjoyed hits with Billy J Kramer in the early 60s, the longest-serving member of today's Dakotas line-up, lead singer Eddie Mooney, didn't join until the late 1980s.

Still, they were the ideal accompaniment to Wayne Fontana. The charismatic showman had the audience singing along to hits like A Groovy Kind of Love and had them in stitches with his witty banter.

A wishy-washy set from Sven Goran Eriksson lookalike John Walker was followed by The Merseybeats. The highlight of their set was a brilliant version of Bruce Channel's Hey! Baby.

There was a charming innocence about headliners The Searchers. Dressed in matching black suits, their terrific renditions of unforgettable classics such as Needles and Pins and Sweets for My Sweet showed it's still possible to swing in your sixties.

Tom Maxwell

Bringing back memories of the swinging decade

The Solid Silver 60's Show 20th Anniversary - March 2005

One good thing about mid-size venues is that they are perfect arenas for shows such as this – a matinee performance by some of the stars of the sixties (who are of course, now in their sixties themselves!) who despite the advancing years manage to entertain a willing audience with a mix of quick asides and quality musicianship. Four groups all took their turn to bring back memories of the swinging decade that went a long way to influence all that has come since.

Starting with the Swinging Blue Jeans, who ripped through a fun set of their own and others hits including You’re No Good, Hippy Hippy Shake and a beautiful rendition of Don’t Make Me Over. Ray Ennis (guitar & vocals) and bass player Les Braid still remain from the original line-up, now supplemented by lead guitarist Alan Lovell and drummer Phil Thompson who complete a line-up that provides a perfect start to the early evening.

Gerry Marsden still retains a fine voice even if it doesn’t soar quite as it once did, enough feeling and emotion go into his songs to hold the crowd spellbound particularly on old favourites Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying, Ferry Cross The Mersey and of course the epic Rodgers and Hammerstein number You’ll Never Walk Alone. Now backed by a fairly young bunch of Pacemakers, Mitch Oldham (drums), Steve Thompson (guitar), Garth Watt-Roy (bass), Andy Wild (keyboards) and Tony Young (piano), the band brought the curtain down on the first half of the show in fine fashion.

After the break The Merseybeats started with their own Wishin’ and Hopin’ and I Think Of You, they then offered a short if surprisingly powerful package of Johnny B. Goode, Live and Let Die, Sorow and Hi Ho Silver Lining. Tony Crane (lead guitars and lead vocals), his son Adrian (keyboard and lead guitar), Billy Kingsley (rhythm guitar and lead vocals), Bob Packham (bass) and Len Rosenthal (drums) make up a solid band that kept the entertainment value up.

The show closed with a polished performance (as always) by The Searchers, founder member John McNally (lead guitar) was joined by long time cohorts Frank Allen (bass and vocals), Spencer James (guitar and vocals) and Eddie Rothe (drums) who remain an extremely tight outfit delivering a string of their old hits with a delightful relish. It is hard to fail with songs such as Sweets for My Sweet, What Have They Done To The Rain, When You Walk In The Room, Needles and Pins, Love Potion No. 9 and Don’t Throw Your Love Away plus newer, yet equally classy songs such as Somebody Told Me and Seven Nights To Rock and The Searchers didn’t disappoint, bringing a perfect end to proceedings.

Whilst these artists are closer to zimmer frame and bath chair age than their vintage years, the performances here were endearing and energetic throughout – a fun show and one at which, you find yourself singing along to more songs than you dare admit too.

Les Linyard