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REVIEW: Sensational 60s Experience, Lighthouse, Poole

Mike Pender <i>(Image: UGC)</i>
Mike Pender (Image: UGC)

What to make of the Sensational 60s Experience, headlined by Mike Pender, who founded The Searchers as a skiffle band in Liverpool in 1959 and out-Beatled the Fab Four for a while?

It’s a multi-group line-up just like those 1960s tours, it features five well-known bands from yesteryear and a good time is had by all with everyone doing about half an hour on stage.

However, tempus fugit and not even pop stars can be seen to be holding back the years – even with the use of copious amounts of hair dye – and we are now 60 years on from when most of this action first took place.

With every year that passes there is less chance of seeing original artistes performing, so they must be celebrated while there is a chance. There were a few here.

Step forward then the diminutive and dapper Mike Pender, now 81 and said to be on his farewell tour, for a hit-packed six song set.

You can’t really go wrong with Needles And Pins, Don’t Throw Your Love Away, Sweets For My Sweet, Sugar and Spice, Love Potion Number 9 and When You Walk In The Room.

He looks like he could go on for a while yet, but perfectly entitled to call it a day after 64 years in the trade. Pender was backed by Vanity Fare, the band who immediately preceded him with their own set.

Featuring no original members but including guitarist and vocalist Eddie Wheeler who joined in 1970 and bassist Bernie Hagley, from the mid-70s, they turned in a good set including I Live For The Sun, Early In The Morning, Better By Far and bizarrely, Spirit In The Sky, before culminating with the million-seller tune Hitchin’ A Ride.

This evening of pure nostalgia’s liveliest combo was Salisbury’s Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich – sadly, Dave Dee is long gone (the original band split in 1972 anyway) and the original Dozy died in 2015, and the others retired but, hooray, the original Beaky was in the room.

John Dymond first became Beaky in 1961 and is still going strong at 78. Along with the singing drummer Mick III (John Hatchman), he leads the four-piece through the hits Hard To Love You, Okay, Bend It, Zabadak, The Legend Of Xanadu and Hold Tight.

First up were Birmingham’s Fortunes, whose predecessors (no original members here) had hits with Storm In A Teacup, You’ve Got Your Troubles and Freedom Come Freedom Go, as well as coming up with the theme tune for Radio Caroline. This group, now led by bassist Eddie Mooney and guitarist Michael Smitham, opened the show well.

And then there was The Trems, with a loose connection to touring versions of The Tremeloes and churning out songs such as Here Comes My Baby, Helule Helule, Even The Bad Times Are Good, Do You Love Me and Silence Is Golden without ever capturing the essence of the originals.