Peter Noone comes to Newton Theatre

As the lead singer for Herman’s Hermits, Peter Noone will probably always be associated with the British Invasion of the 1960s.

But consider the fact that one of Noone’s biggest hits with the band – “I’m Henry the Eighth, I Am,” – was actually written in 1911 for a British music hall performer.

Additionally, Noone has always peppered his stage appearances with comic stories. What is more, he has taken on numerous acting jobs, including a turn on Broadway as Frederic in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.”

In that light, Noone is more than just a 1960s icon but an updating of the type of total entertainer – actor, comic, singer – that hearkens back to the late 19th Century.

That is a label that Noone accepts, to a point. “I always thought I was going to be an entertainer,” he says. “I always hoped I’d be an actor and a singer.”

“But I don’t see myself as the music hall type,” he adds. “I’m just being myself on stage. I don’t think I’m telling jokes; I’m telling stories. People think I’m being self-deprecating, but I’m just being honest.”

That honest love of performing will be on display when Noone brings his current line-up of Herman’s Hermits to the Newton Theatre this Saturday, Jan. 16.

The first configuration of the band formed in Manchester, England, in 1962. Noone was only 15, but he was already a seasoned performer, having appeared as a child actor, including the popular British TV show “Coronation Street.”

“Most of the time, I played schoolboys. I wasn’t going to get the Marlon Brando parts,” he says.

At the time, Noone was in a band called the Heartbeats. That group merged with members of another Manchester band, the Wailers, and the result eventually became Herman’s Hermits.

But Noone emphasizes that the success of Herman’s Hermits was definitely a joint effort. “Everyone had a hand in it, down to the woman who made the sandwiches at the recording sessions,” he says. “It was an accumulation.”

Most crucial of all were the songs, beginning with “I’m into Something Good,” co-written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, which became a Number One hit in England and reached Number 13 in the U.S.

That was followed by a string of hits, including “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” “There’s a Kind of Hush,” “Listen People,” “A Must to Avoid,” and such covers as “Wonderful World” and “Silhouettes.”

“That was a period where there were all these great songs lying around waiting to be recorded,” Noone says.

The group benefited from TV appearances, and Noone’s fresh-faced appeal earned him a place on a Time magazine cover. However, he says that he and the other members of Herman’s Hermits always saw themselves as musicians.

“We were a boy band, but it was never just about looks,” he says. “We were famous based on our songs on the radio, before anyone ever saw us.”

After the group disbanded, Noone worked on solo projects in addition to acting. “The 1970s were not kind to a lot of people, but even then and into the 1980s and 1990s, I’ve always kept myself busy,” he says.

Noone finds that audiences still respond to his material. “I do the songs that everyone wants to hear,” he says. “We do all the hits. But in the middle, we might throw in a Monkees song or a Manfred Mann song or a Johnny Cash song.”

Regardless of the song, Noone says he always tries to be believable. “When I did ‘I’m into Something Good,’ I became that kid. I meant that song. I believed it. I know people my age who thought that way. I still try to be that honest.”

“I always felt that I got lucky with Herman’s Hermits,” Noone says. “I’ve got these songs, and I hope when people hear these songs, they think of me.”

HERMAN’S HERMITS STARRING PETER NOONE

WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Newton Theatre, 234 Spring St., Newton

TICKETS: $49 to $74

INFO: 973-383-3700 or www.thenewtontheatre.com