Peter Noone fronts Herman’s Hermits at Historic Everett
Published 1:30 am Friday, December 2, 2016
EVERETT — Historic Everett Theatre manager Curt Shriner wanted to know how Peter Noone of the famed 1960s pop band Herman’s Hermits still looks good at age 69.
So I called Noone to ask.
“I’m in that same Scottish, Irish, Welsh and English gene pool like Mick Jagger,” Noone said with a laugh. “For me, it’s no drugs and no doughnuts. I also am grateful for a job that I love. My grandfather cycled in the dark to a steel factory and back so he could feed his many children. Not me.”
Herman’s Hermits performs Saturday evening at the Historic Everett Theatre.
“We did 138 concerts this year, and we’ve booked 141 for next year,” Noone said. “I am not as happy as I was when I was young about all the traveling, but I love different cultures. So wherever I am, I like to check out what’s happening there. I’ll be a tourist in Everett, too.”
The concert here will feature many of the group’s original hits, including “I’m Into Something Good,” “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” “I’m Henry VIII, I Am,” “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat,” “There’s a Kind of Hush,” “Listen People” and “Dandy.”
“The key to continuing to sing those tunes is that I am still enthusiastic about the music,” Noone said. “I am not jaded. We still enjoy playing these songs, which are good songs.”
In the generation born after World War II, people had it a bit easier, he said. “The songs were about romance and meeting girls. Not politics. Not disco, not psychedelic. We came from our working class neighborhoods, suited up like gentlemen, and we went to work.”
Though Herman’s Hermits has sold more than 60 million recordings, today the money is in live concerts, he said.
On hearing that Everett has a growing new music scene, Noone said he encourages young people to stay true to their music, and get someone who understands that to help them with the business side.
“We drove around in a van for years, playing for free wherever we could and always feeling a bit hungry,” Noone said. “But if you work hard, you build a following. And all these years later, our fans are still coming back to our shows.”
If you go
Herman’s Hermits, starring Peter Noone, 8 p.m. Dec. 3, Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave., Everett. Tickets are $48 to $60. Call 425-258-6766.
