SOMETIMES you can never get enough of a good thing, and that's certainly true for Frank Allen, who has enjoyed almost 50 years of being in The Searchers.
It was back in the summer of 1964 when Frank joined the popular band, regarded as the second biggest thing to come out of Liverpool after The Beatles.
Along with the Fab Four and Gerry and the Pacemakers, they turned pop music on its head.
Bassist and frontman Frank has been with the band from its glory days to current line-up. Touring is still at the heart of the band, and the current anniversary show stops off at Exeter Corn Exchange on Wednesday, June 5.
And in true The Searchers style, there will be no support acts.
"As we don't get to play in Exeter often it's lovely that we are coming down," said Frank. "Quite often we rewrite the show. We did it a few weeks ago as we wanted to include more of our older catalogue.
"There are also B-sides in the set and a couple of smaller hits we put in every now and again. The other week we put in the song Have You Ever Loved Somebody? It only got to number 48 in 1966. It's our smallest hit and it's a great song. We do about 20 of our own songs and seven by other people."
The hard-working band are renowned for their busy touring schedule, but this year sees a welcome change.
"It's relentless and incredibly hectic, but June and July are quiet which is extremely unusual and a rare treat," said Frank.
"The first part of the year was insane. We toured Australia and New Zealand, and then had one-and-a-half days off before the next lot of concerts, which is more or less three or four nights a week.
"We can't say no, but if you're a self-touring band you've got to keep going. It's also the only way I'd have it. I get quite disconcerted when it's quiet!
"It's hard going, especially the travelling, and I'm no spring chicken! But once you get used to it and you get in the mind set, it just becomes part of your routine."
Frank puts his strong work ethic down to his 50s upbringing which has never left him. He turned professional when he was 17, and joined The Searchers a year after the band was formed.
"The previous band I was in (Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers) was fantastic," recalls Frank. "It was a musicians band but we never had a sniff of success until I left, then they had a hit.
"As soon as I saw The Searchers I wanted to be in the band and I talked my way in."
Frank brought a distinctive sound to the group playing his bass with his fingers and slapping the strings to help keep time.
At that time no one else in Britain was playing like that, but it was a technique he has spotted in America, and became natural to him.
The Searchers went on to enjoy record sales in excess of 40m, and are now celebrating the 50th anniversary of their first number one single, Sweets for my Sweet.
The Searchers' recording career finally faded in 1968, but the band remain a favourite of audiences around the world. Frank, along with guitarist John McNally, are the only two remaining originals from the era.
"Our changes have tended to be in the drums department," said Frank. "We've had five over the years. I'm not putting drummers down, but at least they are easier to replace than a singer."
Going on to reveal what he considers to be the best line-up, Frank says: "There's nothing like those glory days of 1964 to 1966. We were all happy, everything was going well and it was a great line-up. I was one of the new boys then and it was the ideal line-up. It was wonderful and great fun and it was successful.
"When changes come though you have to deal with it, and today's line-up is the best one since those glory days."
The memories Frank has of those days are remembered with great fondness, but are also tinged with some regrets.
"I enjoyed it at the time, but I was not mature enough to take advantage of it," said Frank. "I just wish I would have been a lot looser in my attitude. I was teetotal and I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I'd had a drink.
"I was only 20 got a bit homesick and couldn't wait to get home. If I could go back I would take more notice of what was happening.
"I missed out because of my youth. As the saying goes, 'youth is wasted on the young'.
"I would have hung around The Beatles a bit more and stored away things to keep me in my retirement such as Paul McCartney's old guitar strings!
"Being successful in the music business is enough, but we have managed to play and socialise with our idols and heroes such as Cliff Richard, Marvin Gaye, all the Motown people. That's the kind of memories which are exciting for us as musicians. We even got to perform to the Queen in the 1981 Royal Variety Show."
The one thing Frank has always enjoyed is performing and he is certainly showing no signs of wanting to stop now or in the future.
"The buzz of going on stage and getting the applause at the end of the song is the reason I do it," he says. "It doesn't seem like 49 years ago I joined The Searchers.
"If our health, audience and energy is there it won't stop. I get the odd moment when I think, 'Do I want to do this forever?'. Then I think, 'What would I do?'. Even if I have a week off I'm bored. I never go away on holiday for more than 10 days because I get listless. It's got to end some time but I've always wanted to do it and I still enjoy it."
For now the focus is on the current tour, which Frank describes as a history of the band with chat, humorous banter and music.
Fans old and new alike can expect an evening full of hits, but when it comes to picking his personal favourite, Frank doesn't choose their most commercially successful.
"It's When You Walk in the Room because it was my first record with the band," said Frank. "It has lots of special memories but it's also my favourite because it's the most perfect pop song.
"It has all those ingredients a pop song should have – a direct impact on the audience, great tune and great lyrics. It's also been covered by more people than any other of our songs."
When it comes to acknowledgement from their peers, The Searchers can proudly claim to have influenced many of today's great artists.
"We don't get as much airplay as we used to, and we have gradually got left behind over the decades, but I think the 60s was still the most influential time in pop music and so many people have endorsed that," says Frank. "The likes of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty have said we had an impact on them, which is nice to know."
Tickets for the show, starting at 7.30pm, cost £19. Call 013932 665938 or visit www.exeter.gov.uk/corn exchange