THEY say that if you were actually there in the Sixties, you won’t remember them. So perhaps that’s why I couldn’t recall hearing The Hollies in concert.

But when they bounded onto stage this week for the first night of their latest tour, the memories came flooding back.

Of course I’d seen them – just not heard much, due to the screaming fans. This time, the fans were a lot more sedate, not so much a gaggle of hysterical teenagers as a sea of bald and grey heads nodding in time to all their favourite Hollies’ hits.

The line-up’s different too, with only guitarist Tony Hicks and drummer Bobby Elliot left from the originals. It must have been a huge pair of boots for Peter Howarth to fill when he took the place of lead singer Allan Clarke, but he fits like a comfy pair of slippers now, blending in brilliantly to reproduce pop classics such as Bus Stop, Jennifer Eccles and Carrie Ann.

Many of the arrangements have been freshened up, giving Hicks the chance to showcase the guitar and banjo skills he has honed over the past six decades. But he’s still happy to play a more minor part as far as the vocals are concerned.

One of my fears was that the band would not be able to recreate the distinctive harmonies of former member Graham Nash. Goodness knows how, but they have managed it, though this time round the sound is richer and fuller. Perhaps the raw energy of youth has gone, although it is more than compensated for by their enduring appeal.

Few but the most ardent fans realise how many hits they have produced – more than the Beatles apparently – and this was a fantastic showcase for their work, from Stop Stop Stop and Here I Go Again to The Air That I Breathe and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.

A brilliant evening. It was well worth waiting 45 years or so for the privilege of hearing them.