Mike Hurst bows out with star-studded farewell at The Kenton

Record producer and musician Mike Hurst brought seven decades of music-making to The Kenton last weekend as he performed two emotional and entertaining farewell shows surrounded by family, friends and musicians he has worked with throughout his remarkable career.

The shows raised money for Parkinson’s UK, following Mike’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s in 2020. Mike celebrated his 84th birthday on Saturday and although he mainly performed seated on a stool and took a few short breaks, he remained at the heart of the action throughout the evening, delighting the audience with stories, songs and plenty of his trademark humour.

Mike’s career began in 1962 when his mother answered an advertisement in The Stage on his behalf for a singer for a pop and folk group. He won the audition and joined Dusty Springfield and Tom Springfield in The Springfields.

Seven decades later, the farewell shows brought together an impressive line-up of musicians and performers, including Cat Stevens, Mike d’Abo of Manfred Mann, Chris Farlowe and Bruce Woolley.

The evening was a real family affair – hosted by Mike’s son Adam, his granddaughter Amelie singing with Andy Marlow as the New Springfields, Jonas on vocals and keyboard, while Bryony, Muffin and Lexie joined Mike on stage to sing Under the Moon of Love with Malcolm Allured from Showaddywaddy.

The relaxed camaraderie between the performers was evident throughout, with the musicians a couple of times stopping to decide which key they should play a song in – adding to the feeling that this was a group of old friends simply enjoying making music together.

The show opened with Young Blood by The Coasters before Chris Farlowe took to the stage for Handbags and Gladrags and Build Me Up Buttercup. He also delighted the audience with his other hit – Finger of Fudge! prompting plenty of singing along. After Handbags and Gladrags, Chris revealed that Mike had offered him the song before Rod Stewart recorded it, joking: “One up on Rod Stewart which is unusual.”

Seth Lakeman, the acclaimed violinist, had originally only been due to perform on the Saturday, but when his instrument became locked inside the theatre, he stayed on for another show to perform two incredible solos.

Bruce Woolley, formerly of The Camera Club, performed Get It On by Marc Bolan and Video Killed the Radio Star, which he co-wrote with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes.

There was also a tribute to Dolly Parton with 9 to 5, while Mike shared stories from his own extraordinary musical journey with renowned lyricist and broadcaster Sir Tim Rice.

Asked how he became a record producer, Mike replied: “By accident, my wife told me to be one!”

He recalled his early musical influences, particularly country music, and his childhood spent playing with his self-taught pianist mother in pubs around London. He later joined a band called The Thunderbirds and remembered playing virtually every club in 1964.

One story saw Mike and the band travel all the way to Newcastle for a gig, only to discover after deducting their petrol costs that they had earned just £1.18 each!

He also recalled learning guitar at the age of 15 and an early encounter with the Elvis Presley fan club. After meeting the club secretary at a talent show, Mike was invited to perform Jailhouse Rock at the premiere of the film in the foyer at the Empire Leicester Square.  “I played it seven times,” he recalled. “I learnt how to die on stage!”

One of the evening’s most poignant moments came when Cat Stevens joined Mike on stage. Stevens, who had travelled from Dubai for the farewell shows, told the audience: “Mike was the only person who believed in me.”

The pair performed I Love My Dog together, followed by Wild World, with Cat joking afterwards: “I earnt a lot of money from that.”

Paying tribute to Mike, he added: “Mike is a beautiful man – he was my island of dreams (referencing The Springfields hit) and he was the guy that took me there.”

The evening included songs Oh Boy, Bird Dog and Summertime Blues before the performers returned to the stage for a rousing finale.

Before the encore, Mike paid tribute to his wife Marjorie, saying he “couldn’t be without her for the last 84 years” and thanking the audience. He added, “Henley is always good to me,” before adding with a smile: “If I’m still standing next year – you never know.” The comment was met with loud cheers from the audience.

The evening ended with everyone back on stage for Johnny B. Goode, Great Balls of Fire and I Saw Her Standing There – an energetic and fitting finale to a remarkable musical career with the whole audience up on their feet.

For a man who has spent more than 60 years behind some of the biggest names in music, Mike Hurst’s farewell was less about saying goodbye and more about celebrating a lifetime of music, friendship and memories.