Greetings from Australia.

When we started this tour I was six foot two. I am now five foot four and shrinking daily from the torrential rain that has bombarded almost unceasingly since we landed at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney

I have never known rain like it and thank goodness I actually like rain otherwise my view of this trip so far would be somewhat more jaded. As it is nothing can dim my joy at being in Oz once again. And I`m sure there will be plenty of sun-filled days before we start out on the homeward journey. Sydney received the whole rainfall that would normally be expected for February in just two days and I got caught in it so often without warning that I gave up trying to hide from it and simply walked through the downpours and just dried myself out when I got back to my room at the Vibe Hotel in Rushcutters Bay. In a way it`s very liberating. Even having breakfast in the neighbouring park under the kiosk canopy with the rain falling like a curtain in front of me was a strangely soothing and sensual experience,

The receptions at all the venues have been overwhelming with some new ones added on top of the regulars like Rooty Hill, Canterbury/Hurlstone, South Sydney Juniors, the Wests League Club and the rest. Dee Why RSL, just over the bridge north of the City, was a first time for us and the packed club gave us a wonderful welcome. St John`s Park Bowling club was a Sunday afternoon show and naturally a bit more low key but they couldn`t have been more enthusiastic. It is such a shame that the people of the U.K can`t see for themselves the quality and luxury of the clubs here.

While we were domiciled in Sydney I checked out a few of the significant spots from the two package tours we undertook in `64 and `66. I wanted to add some detail to the relevant chapters of the biography I am writing. I found the site in Macleay Street where the old Sheraton once stood. It is now a block of apartments, as is the Chevron Hilton at which the Rolling Stones stayed on the same tour in `66. The Sheraton has been replaced by the Azure apartments. On the `64 tour we used the Town House in Elizabeth Bay Road, now an apartment block called Encore.

Does anyone out there have any old pictures of the Sheraton or the Town House taken round about that time that I could use? I would be very grateful. And there is also a fact I would like cleared up. On the 1964 tour we performed (unless I am mistaken) at the old Sydney Stadium, the 'tin shack', while I was led to believe that the venue for the 1966 shows was the Hordern Pavilion. But the other night I was informed by someone who attended the show that it was in fact the Centennial Pavilion. Can anyone confirm without a shadow of a doubt which is correct? Apparently at the Pavilion the revolving stage refused to turn. Anyone remember what happened? Chris Curtis actually fell off the stage during one of the shows. Maybe you have memories of that too or perhaps from any of the other concerts across the continent during either of those tours.

In fact if anyone who was a teenager at the time and came to the concerts has any significant memories then please jot them don and get them to me via Wendy Burton. And of course any photos I can use would be particularly welcome. I am nearing completion of the final draft of the book but there is still time to add any reminiscences that might be amusing or interesting. I would also like any scans or hard copies of the programmes, in particular the 1966 shows. As I had just joined the group prior to the Starlift `64 tour the photograph still featured Tony Jackson although the biography inside included my details. I have still not seen a copy of the programme for the Stones/Searchers tour two years later and I would dearly like to do so. That of course goes for memories or pictures from any other dates on either tour too.

Canberra is a city that we haven`t visited since the seventies in the days when Mike Pender was still with us. It was good to see the old place again although my memories are so vague I don't really know if it has changed. Its still a fairly laid back modern city with the kind of easy-going traffic that we would dearly love to see in gridlocked London. We were lucky enough to be there on a historic occasion when the place was packed to capacity with Australians there to witness the government`s official apology to the 'lost generation' of the indigenous people. To say sorry for the sins that were perpetrated on the aboriginals, when children were forcibly removed from their parents and placed in institutions and with foster parents, in an attempt to raise a future population which would be more acceptable to the standards of the white folk. It was a very emotional time for many as they watched the Prime Minister deliver his speech of contrition.

While we were there we had a bit of a drama at the Vikings Club where we were performing to a packed audience in the auditorium attached to the rugby ground. In the middle of Da Doo Ron Ron my bass packed up totally and it was obviously a fault that had no immediate remedy. The only thing to do was to grovel a bit to the understanding crowd and try to make it to the end of the first half when we would have time to figure out what we could do.

Thankfully there was a very helpful guy in the front row, a drummer actually, who sprang into action and rushed off to call a friend who could supply a replacement. The spare bass arrived just in time for Seven Nights To Rock, the last tune before the break. In the twenty minutes' interval we took the pickup apart and discovered a broken earth wire which one of the techs managed to re-solder and the day was saved. In the end the show was received rapturously and it`s on the cards that we will be returning next year. We may not have used the instrument for long but we really do want to thank the people who graciously helped us out. I don't know their names but they know who they are and they have our gratitude. But of course Aussies are like that. Always there to give a helping hand if they can. We also have to thank Leighton Archer and the guys at 2CA in Canberra who promoted the concert so well and who undoubtedly made a huge contribution to its success.

At the time of writing we are in the Brisbane area and the weather has improved a little – so far. I`m not taking anything on trust just yet. We have some of the old places still on the itinerary, old favourites like Kedron Wavell, Twin Towns, Toowoomba, Caloundra and Coff`s Harbour before we head back down to Campbelltown and Bankstown after which we leave the East and head over to Perth for the final week. Friends Restaurant, a one night only gig three years ago has stretched to three evenings this time round. We must be doing something right. In fact next year`s tour has now been set for the period January 15th to February 22nd 2009.

On another tack entirely we receive criticism from time, and far from resenting it we mull it over before deciding whether it is warranted and if we need to change things. We have on occasion acted on such criticism if we thought it was valid. But of course just because someone disagrees with our plans does not mean we agree with them or that we will alter our way of thinking. In the end we have to decide what we think is best for us.

Two of the most frequent bones of contention are omitting old Searchers recorded material in favour of either new or 'covered' songs and the inclusion of audience participation which some feel is a bit old hat and reminiscent of the cabaret days. There is no clear-cut answer to these. They are such subjective points and one man`s meat is another man`s Coquilles St Jacques.

With regard to the former point, I have to take you back to the early days to at least partly justify our actions. Back then the band did not have its own material. The stage show consisted of songs covered by current favourites at the time, not necessarily chart material but songs by people the band admired. When the chance came to record for Pye records the songs that were in the stage show at the time became the album and thus eventually came to be regarded as 'Searchers songs'.

In this respect I can argue that we have remained true to ourselves. Our philosophies have not really altered. We do in fact use about two thirds of material from Searchers albums, while we pick up new songs along the way and include them partly because we like them and partly because they contribute to the pattern and the pace of the show. And if we were recording now then some of these songs would form part of an album and thus become 'Searchers material'.

Somebody Told Me, a big favourite of so many, was just such a song before it became 'legitimised' as a track on the Hungry Hearts album. Others that we have yet to record (other than on our live CDs) have become very firm favourites indeed and would be sorely missed if we discarded them in favour of old album tracks. In This Life and Seven Nights To Rock are cases in point. If we were in a recording situation both would be included and I would venture that Seven Nights would be in contention as a single.

Nothing has really changed so much but believe me I do understand that many of you want to hear more of those little rarities from the past. It`s just so hard getting the balance right in the time allowed. And years of experience have shown us which combination will give us the balance throughout and the dramatic ending that our show needs in order to entice an audience back again and again, which of course in its turn strengthens the likely longevity of our career. One thing our old manager Tito Burns used to say was 'Never forget, they remember the end, not the beginning.' There aren`t too many good things I remember about Mr Burns but he was very astute in those particular observations.

You must realise that although there certainly are many diehard Searchers admirers at our shows, two thirds of the audience will probably be fans of the genre in general and not obsessed with every album track we ever laid down. They merely want to enjoy an evening of 'across the board' nostalgia and we try to make sure they leave with the feeling that they can`t wait to come back again and again.

And if you need examples of how greater talents than us have trod the same path, the great Elvis himself included an astonishing amount of contemporary material that was available to him during his Las Vegas years. I`m sure there are plenty of his followers who would have wanted him to stick to the Sun Years or at least the RCA recordings but the early seventies gave us some wonderful things from 'The King' that might otherwise have been denied to us. His version of B J Thomas`s I Just Can`t Help Believing is a good example. Bridge Over Troubled Water is another. In the end they became Elvis tracks, which emphasises my point.

Now, after having stressed all the points in favour of the course we take, I have to say that personally I would like to get more of those album tracks or lesser hit singles into the set. John McNally prefers the more contemporary route and we have to find a civilised compromise. Nothing is going to make everyone happy but we do what we think is best for the majority.

And as far as audience participation being a malaise of the 'chicken in a basket' period, I think that image and current validity are the dividing factors here. Any Queen concert was a regular stage for the 'call and response' principle of showmanship which received nothing but praise when utilised by them. Under Pressure is a classic example and is regarded as a fine demonstration of Freddie Mercury's showmanship.

Didn`t I hear Robbie Williams` enormous crowd at Knebworth taking over the vocals in a mass rendition of Angels? I don`t think I was mistaken. Shades of Sweets For My Sweet or When You Walk In The Room.

And have you ever seen a Rod Stewart concert without witnessing a vast crowd swaying with their hands in the air during Sailing? I doubt it. And the same goes for a good many other major artistes of our time. In fact the song Seven Nights To Rock and the accompanying pointing involved we blatantly lifted from Bruce Springsteen.

I somehow think that the difference in such tactics being accepted as cool or derided as old hat depends on your current status and the size of the crowd.

Well, thanks for taking the time to log on and we hope to see our U.K contingent at a show soon when we return. There are only a few shows on home ground before we head to Canada and the U.S in mid April, but before that the Searchers fans in Germany, Sweden and Denmark get their chance which is nice.

All the best

Frank Allen

Question 1: When I watch old TV footage, you're seen slapping the bass – it looks like you're slapping the bass itself, not the strings. What sound was being achieved?  When I tried it with mine, it made a horrible noise!
  Answer: I started using my fingers instead of a plectrum soon after I started playing bass in early `62, mainly because I was always losing picks and couldn`t afford lots of spares. The slapping (it was the strings not the instrument) kept me in time. Yes, it does make a noise, which was more of a problem when recording, but the way it was slapped and the restraint of power limited it to something akin to a drum beat.

At the time there were virtually no other bass players playing with fingers or slapping and the style got copied, particularly by Liverpool bands that had been with us (the Rebel Rousers) in Hamburg. In fact Tony Jackson, my predecessor in the Searchers, very quickly adopted the style and probably became better known for it than me. I was more or less looked on as a follower, which was bit annoying. I do recall Kingsize Taylor (the Liverpool singer) coming up to me after our show at the Star Club saying that I was the most amazing bass player he had seen and how many fingers did I use? Well I only used two fingers but the way they moved and the speed made it look like I was using them all. In fact I was doing nothing that could not be done with a plectrum and any bias either for or against the two styles is for the most part a matter of fashion and elitism. It`s either considered 'cool' or 'uncool' Paul McCartney still uses a pick and he`s as cool as you can get.

In the mid seventies Mike and John wanted me to have a more attacking sound and for me to use a plectrum, which I did. Not long after that most other bassists changed to finger style and I was then deemed to be old fashioned - again quite annoying. In recent years I have gone back to my old slapping finger style for some of our material, using a pick when it demands a more cutting tone.

Question 2: When The Searchers are travelling around the UK do you stay in hotels? Or do you drive home from each venue? Or for example if they are playing near one of the guys' home towns i.e. if near Liverpool, do you stay at Johns?
Answer: Most times we try to travel home when it`s in reasonable driving distance.  When we have to stay out we use Travel Lodges as we know exactly what we are getting and they offer the best deals.  If we are flying abroad from either Heathrow, Stansted or Gatwick, John will usually come to my house the night before, and occasionally Spencer and Eddie will grab a few hours sleep here if it is impractical for them to go home from the previous night`s show.