Hermits come out to play

“We were originally called The Wailers and had taken the gamble of giving up our day jobs,” explains drummer and sole remaining founder member Barry Whitwam.

“But our records weren’t successful and we split up.”

“Then myself, Derek Leckenby and Ian Waller desided to rejoin on the proviso that we changes the name of the band.”

Thus was Herman’s Hermits born, with ex-Coronation Street actor Peter Noone fronting the band.

“He looked like a character from an American comic book called Sherman,” says Barry.

“Next, we got Mickie Most to come and see us play at The Beachcomber Club in Bolton, and he signed us up!

Things quickly got into motion for Barry and the boys.

“That’s right,"” he tells me from his Manchester home. “The next week, we were performing in Manchester and learnt I’m Into Something Good. We drove overnight to London and got to the EMI Studios in London’s Manchester Square at 9.30. We were set up by ten o’clock and out at noon, having recorded that song and the flip side.”

But it nearly wasn’t released. “No, Mickie wasn’t keen, it was his wife who really liked it.”

That was in April 1964, and in September it was at Number One in the charts.

That was just one of the highlights for Barry in the 50-year career of Herman’s Hermits, who are headlining the Sensational 60s Experience tour touring the country from October to next spring.

“There have been so many ups. We’d just done an American tour in 1965 and had finished up in Hawaii and we got a call from Colonel Tom Parker saying that Elvis Presley wanted to meet us. (Elvis was filming the movie Paradise Hawaiian Style at the time). So me and Peter Noone spent two hours with him one afternoon.”

Barry laughs: “He wanted to know why five lads from Manchester were selling more records than he was.”

At the time, the band was actually selling more records in the US than The Beatles at the time. Among their 23 Top 20 singles were There’s a Kind of Hush, Something is Happening and Silhouettes.

Peter Noone went solo in 1971, but the rest played on. “We can’t wait to get out on the tour and play,” says Barry. “We have three singers in the band, so we have tremendous harmonies and we are still getting the 60s sound — it’s important to have that sound.”

Also on the bill for the tour are The Swinging Blue Jeans (Hippy Hippy Shake, You’re No Good), The Ivy League (Tossing and Turning, Funny How Love Can Be), Dave Berry (The Crying Game, Mama, Little Things) and Union Gap UK (performing the hit of The Union Gap, such as Young Girl and Lady Willpower'.

Also, this is the only 60s package tour doing the rounds boasting its own compere in the form of Alan Mosca of Freddie and The Dreamers, whose anecdotes are becoming legendary.

“There’s a lot of travelling, but it’s great fun,” says Barry of the tour.

“In fact, we enjoy it so much that we will be on the next tour, which will take us into 2017.”

As to the continued popularity, he sums it up simply. “The songs were very popular and luckily we still look good. We play the songs well and the people really enjoy it.”

The Sensational 60s Experience, featuring Herman’s Hermits, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Ivy League, Dave Berry, Union Gap UK and hosted by Alan Mosca, appeared