Getting on for
30 years ago, a band called Jason and the Scorchers started playing music that
mixed country with punk, rock and blues. This was, lest we forget before bands
like Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo came along and the Alt. Country genre became
popular, they had a minor hit with their version of their version of the Hank
Williams tune “Lost Highway
Jason from
Jason and the Scorchers, Mr Ringenberg, is opening tonight. He still looks the
part of cowboy chic, with his hat and his rhinestones and he still sings quirky
little country songs. “Lost Highway” gets an airing after a request from the
audience (“I can’t believe this, I am gonna call my mother and tell her they
requested my songs in Wolverhampton ,” he
says.) But much of his set concerns itself with his anti racist beliefs with
one particularly interesting story about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African
Americans who fought in the Second World War. Ringenberg’s set was good, but
you were longing for Warner E Hodges on electric guitar and tracks like “White
Lies.”
But the relaxed
vibe continues when Ian Hunter takes to the stage. Tonight is an acoustic show
for the former Mott The Hoople man too, joined by his producer Andy York (also
John Mellencamp’s guitar player) and David Roe on double bass, Roe is a former
cohort of Johnny Cash.
Hunter is
sipping wine when he sits down, beginning with a laid back rendition of “Just
The Way You Look Tonight” this is pertinent selection, given that it comes from
his most recent CD, the quite brilliant “When I’m President” which by turns is
biting, sardonic and yet still a warm piece of English rock.
This suits
Hunter well, as for every love song there is a tale about Barry Manilow wanting
to use “Ships” but his fans being “idiots” so not understanding it. This is
juxtaposed by “Girl From The Office” a heart-warming tale of chivalry, which
Hunter claims people on message boards don’t like because it’s too “pansy.”
The new album’s
title track is an obvious highlight. A quite fabulous song in which the both
“fat cats” and the apathy of politicians are lambasted, while there is a
smattering of Mott The Hoople songs “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Roll Away The
Stone” are rapturously received.
The audience
has been seated throughout the show, but that changes. “Life” the closing track
on “…President” which reflects on how rock n roll can divert you for a time,
but life always goes on is followed by a singalong of “All The Young Dudes,”
which given that Hunter is now 70 is perhaps slightly incongruous, but it is a
fitting way to end a stellar very near two-hour show.
Acoustic shows
don’t get too much better than this, who needs TV, when we got Ian Hunter. Or
something very similar anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment