British Invasion One-Night Show in Manila, Philippines
MANILA, Philippines - For music enthusiasts of any genre and
age, the British Invasion of the ‘60s show is a can’t-miss proposition at the
Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila on May 11 with six bands
performing in a one-night show that’s guaranteed to rock the stage like The
Beatles used to. While the British Invasion started in 1963, it wasn’t until two years later that
the UK bands began to dominate the airwaves, claiming 13 of the 26 chart toppers
of the Billboard Hot 100. Leading the charge were The Beatles with five No. 1
hits in 1965. There were hundreds of bands that emerged from the so-called Beat
Boom era and six are coming to Manila in the last stop of a world tour billed as
the British Invasion’s 50th Anniversary.
In
the show are The Searchers' original lead singer, Mike Pender, Spencer Davis, The
Tremeloes, The Troggs, Marmalade and The Animals. Resorts World is producing the
extravaganza and hooked up with Redstone to promote the event. Redstone has
brought The Zombies, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Village People, Bootleg Beatles
and ABBAmania, among others, to the country so its history of dealing with
classic acts is extensive. "This is a dream come true,” said Redstone’s Rajan
Gidwani. "Six top British Invasion acts will be on the same stage on the same
night. I doubt if this will ever be repeated in the Philippines so it’s a chance
of a lifetime to catch these musicians perform the hits that have endured for
over 50 years."
Pender, 74, was The Searchers’ lead vocalist on the 1964 hits Needles And
Pins and Don’t Throw Your Love Away. In 1966, the Liverpool native came to
Manila to perform at the Araneta Coliseum but hasn’t since been back. Two other
Searchers, John McNally and Frank Allen, have returned here twice but without
Pender. When Pender left The Searchers in 1984, he formed his own band which was
called Mike Pender’s Searchers. Pender is known for his strong vocals and the
jingle-jangle sound of his 12-string Rickenbacker.
Davis,
75, was the leader of the Spencer Davis Group that took the charts by storm from
1963 to 1967 although it was teenaged Steve Winwood who commanded attention with
his soulful vocals and the stirring beat of his Hammond organ. Winwood
eventually split from Davis to form Traffic and later, joined Blind Faith before
embarking on a successful solo career. Davis soldiered on with a reformed band
performing hits like Somebody Help Me, Keep On Running and I’m A Man.
The
Tremeloes started as a back-up group for vocalist Brian Poole in 1958 and came
into their own in 1966 with a string of hits including the Cat Stevens
composition Here Comes My Baby, Suddenly You Love Me and Silence Is
Golden. Original drummer and vocalist Dave Munden, 71, remains with the
group. He’s now backed by bassist Jeff Brown, Mike Gillingham on keyboards and
Ian Twynham on lead guitar.
