IT was like a Remembrance Day hit parade for the children of the Sixties.

And The Concorde audience were word perfect as they joined in with tunes that provided the soundtrack to their teenage lives.

Leading the chorus were one of the mega groups from the golden age of pop. The Searchers’ return to the Stoneham Lane club was later rewarded with a standing ovation.

It is nearly 60 years ago that a Liverpool teenager got together with his mates and formed a skiffle group.

Little did John McNally think that it would sow the seeds for one of the biggest pop bands of the sixties, second to The Beatles.

Today the very youthful 72 year-old John is still in the line-up and Frank Allen (bass guitar and vocals) will in a few weeks time mark his 50th anniversary with the legendary Merseyside group.

With a total record sales of more than 50 million the secret of The Searchers’ Sixties success was turning covers of American songs into instant hits.

The band’s glittering back catalogue of chart toppers includes remakes of The Drifters’ 1961 hit Sweets for My Sweet, Jackie DeShannon’s Needles and Pins and When You Walk In The Room.

They threw into this entertaining mix other classics like Sugar and Spice, Don’t Throw Your Love Away and Love Potion Number 9 as their fans were treated to a feast of rock ‘n roll, which soon had them hand clapping and foot tapping.

In between the hits Allen, who is also the band’s historian, delivered some witty one-liners as he took the audience on a rock ’n roll trip down memory lane.

It stretched back to The Star Club in Hamburg, which became a spiritual home for a wave of British bands.

Allen spoke of how much they enjoyed playing at The Concorde, adding: “There are very few cabaret places like this left and we must make sure that we keep live music venues like this open.”

McNally diverted from the Searchers’ script with his own rendition of Buddy Holly’s Peggy Sue. And John demonstrated his well-honed skills on his unique 12 string guitar.

There were some impressive solos from lead singer and guitarist Spencer James and Scott Ottaway’s fine drumming was a driving force in this sizzling Sixties package.

As England were crashing out of the World Cup The Searchers rounded off the night with a famous football anthem from the songbook of another legendary Mersey band, Gerry & The Pacemakers.

You’ll Never Walk Alone was the cue for a forest of swaying arms.