A LEADING musician, who contributed to the sound of Merseyside in the sixties has been given a Member of the British Empire honour.

Mike Pender, 79, vocalist and guitarist of Merseybeat group The Searchers was awarded the honour in this year's New Year's Honours list, for his services to music.

The Searchers were one of a number of bands that defined the music coming out of Liverpool in the sixties, alongside the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers and found fame in the UK and the US including number one hit Needles and Pins, also reaching the top spot with When You Walk in the Room and Love Potion No. 9.

Pender, who now lives in Worthenbury, near Malpas left The Searchers in 1985, to pursue his own project, Mike Pender's Searchers.

Although occasionally hearing about people received honours in the music business in the past, Mike says being named in the New Year's Honours list still comes as a surprise.

"It's definitely a surprise," said Mike. "It's the sort of thing you hear about now and again, but you never thing you'll be up for one.

"When you think about it, people have been listening to the Searchers hits for 50 years now.

"In our heyday in the sixties we were pretty big, had about four years at the top. That's what people think about.

"I haven't met the Queen before, obviously now in the New Year it's a trip down to Buckingham Palace.

"I'm over the moon about it, it hasn't sunk in yet.

"I thought we would be in the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame too as we were quite popular over there.

"I know lots of people in the US think we should be inducted.

"But to receive and MBE is a great honour."