The Searchers find Israel

Searchers to arrive in Israel this summer for two shows – August 19 at the Haifa Auditorium and August 20 at Hechal Harbut in Tel Aviv.

By DAVID BRINN
Updated: MARCH 8, 2016 20:30
FIVE DECADES on, British pop band The Searchers are still performing to enthusiastic audiences around the world. (photo credit: PAUL THOMPSON)
FIVE DECADES on, British pop band The Searchers are still performing to enthusiastic audiences around the world.
(photo credit: PAUL THOMPSON)
Seminal 1960s rockers The Searchers will be performing their string of jangly British Invasion hits like “Needles and Pins” and “When You Walk In the Room” when they arrive in Israel this summer for two shows – August 19 at the Haifa Auditorium and August 20 at Hechal Harbut in Tel Aviv.
Featuring two original members – John McNally and Frank Allen – the band was a considerable influence on peers like The Byrds and also latter-day artists like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, who used to regularly cover “Needles and Pins.”
Unlike The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Searchers were unable to evolve from their guitar pop roots and they fell by the wayside. However, the punk and new wave revolution of the late 1970s embraced their simplicity and the band enjoyed a short resurrection before reverting to an oldies act.