It's 39 years and 8 months since my last Mott show - that was at St George's Hall in Bradford back in 1974 and I had just left school! So, here I am again ready for a reunion performance of what I sometimes think, in my madder moments, is the greatest rock n roll band ever. It certainly can seem that way when you are in a crowded bar on a sweaty Saturday night and 'All the Young Dudes' cuts through the clamour with those ringing chords.
Here I am though in the City Hall with a rowdy and eager crowd welcoming this much loved band back to Newcastle for the first time in nearly four decades! The sound isn’t brilliant but that matters little as Mott take the stage to the strains of Holt's "Jupiter" with loud cheers echoing around the hall. They crash straight into "Rock n Roll Queen" with front man Ian Hunter, his trademark shades in place, prowling the stage with his old Maltese-Cross shaped guitar. Hunter looks fitter, happier and healthier than any other 74 year old rocker I can think of whilst Mick Ralphs, resplendent in Hawaiian shirt, throws off his cutting solos and chopping chords. The splendidly named Overend Watts grins along as he locks his bass into a solid groove for the night. With nary a pause for breathe between songs Mott rip straight into a tumultuous "One of the Boys" to whoops from the already delirious crowd.
The set is really well paced and is very much aimed at hard core fans with a spread of songs from right across their short, but spectacular, career. This includes a romp through a terrific 'Sucker' followed by 'Soft Ground' and 'Waterflow'. The pace slows slightly for a poignant 'Hymn for the Dudes' with Verden Allen's piano prominent and the pace slackening slightly.
Overend Watts clearly enjoys the love of these hard core fans and, as Hunter straps on a bass, Watts picks up his electric guitar and knocks off a gruff but lively vocal on 'Born Late '58' that features some tasty slide playing. Truth be told though the words are a little on the dodgy side and there is a touch of Spinal Tap around. We can forgive him though - it's from the 70's and deserves its place on the classic album 'Mott'. Overend grins from ear-to-ear as the song ends and with a shout of "Not bad, eh?!" he straps the bass back on.
We hit a mid set highlight with 'The Ballad of Mott the Hoople' a song that charts the ups and downs of an everyday rock stars life in the 70's. Hunter is on acoustic guitar and this bitter sweet take is obviously a well loved fan favourite as the crowd roar with laughter after Hunter sings the line 'and Mick lost his guitar' and Ralphs flips his guitar to reveal "I Found it!" Sign cello taped to the back.
The band quickly slip back into that furious rock n roll groove with a frantic 'Violence' also from the superb 'Mott' album, supported, on backing vocals, by Hunters son and daughter and Ralph's son. After a romp through the piano based medley of 'When My Mind's Gone / No Wheels to Ride / The Journey' that has the crowds rapt attention, Hunter rips out the familiar intro into the best dance song ever - the mighty 'Honaloochie Boogie' which thunders along with loud support from the crowd.
Mott are in free fall towards the end of the show now and stack up all their hits as if they were playing a Wurlitzer jukebox thundering into an electrifying 'The Golden Age of rock n Roll' quickly followed by the familiar Jerry Lee Lewis style piano introduction of 'All the Way From Memphis' - the only hit song to mention Memphis and Bradford. Then, following this cacophonous climax, the band saunter off-stage leaving the crowd roaring for more.
Of course they know, and we know, that there is still at LEAST one more song that MUST be played. Sure enough, after the obligatory five minutes of stamping and cheering, Mott stroll back on stage grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cats and the familiar opening chords of 'All the Young Dudes' ring out across the assembled masses who deliriously sing along - word prefect. A barely noticed Joe Elliott, from Def Leppard, also arrives on stage and strums along on acoustic guitar adding nothing much but he looks happy to be onstage with some real legendary rockers.
We're not quite done though as Hunter takes us through a rampaging 'Roll Away the Stone' with his gorgeous daughter taking centre stage for the "there's a rockabilly party on Saturday night – are you gonna be there?" section to further hollering from the crowd. We end, of course, with a glorious and entirely fitting 'Saturday Gigs' which wraps up the night with the whole of the audience standing and singing, a-cappella, with the band on the refrain 'Goodbye, Goodbye'. We are left with all our voices echoing around the hall surely bringing a tear to many an eye coupled with thoughts that we probably won't see the mighty Mott the Hoople back on stage anytime soon. Sadly, tonight feels like the end of an era as bands like Mott certainly aren’t getting any younger.
Words and photo: Greg Johnson
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