Ian Hunter & the Rant Band at City Winery

Ian Hunter Patterson, better known as Ian Hunter, was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. At the onset of World War II, his immediate family moved to Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, where Hunter was raised until age six. As a youth in the 1950s, Hunter left his home in Shrewsbury, England, and relocated to Northampton to play rhythm guitar with his first real band, the Apex Group, in clubs and at military bases. In 1963, Hunter played bass in Hurricane Henry and the Shriekers until he moved to London in 1963 to play in several other bands while working as a journalist, staff songwriter, and road-digger. Finally he became the vocalist for the Silence, which in 1969 renamed itself after Willard Manus' 1966 novel, Mott the Hoople. Just as Mott the Hoople was to disband in 1972, David Bowie offered the band "Suffragette City," which the band refused in favor of his "All the Young Dudes." Bowie's involvement launched a successful rebirth for Mott the Hoople. Hunter left in 1974 for a solo career, frequently collaborating with Bowie's guitarist, Mick Ronson, until Ronson's death in 1993. In 2001, Hunter formed Ian Hunter & the Rant Band (Hunter on vocals, acoustic guitar and piano, with guitarists Mark Bosch and James Mastro, keyboardist Dennis Debrizzi, bassist Paul Page, drummer Steve Holley). Hunter's 20th and most recent solo studio album is 2016's Fingers Crossed. He is based in Connecticut.

Riding on the success of the recent Mott the Hoople '74 reunion tour, the Ian Hunter & the Rant Band shows at City Winery saw a boost in public anticipation, especially since they would celebrate Hunter's 80th birthday and also draw on songs written for Mott the Hoople. This was perhaps an easy task for the Rant band since Mott the Hoople '74 consisted of three members of the final incarnation of Mott the Hoople accompanied by the Rant Band. As a greatest hits show, tonight's performance including rousing takes on "Honaloochie Boogie", "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll", "All The Way from Memphis", "Sweet Jane", "One of the Boys ", "Roll Away the Stone," and "All The Young Dudes," but much of the rest of the 21-song set was comprised of deep cuts. The Rant Band charged forcefully, owning the songs and injecting bright guitar and keyboard flourishes not found on the original recordings. Hunter, in spry voice and spirit, remained the focal point, but between vocals stepped back to allow the band to shine. The universe of aging rockers would wish to perform half this well at age 80.

Setlist:

1. The Moon Upstairs (Mott the Hoople song)
2. Lounge Lizard (Ian Hunter song)
3. Sweet Angeline (Mott the Hoople song)
4. Alice (Mott the Hoople song)
5. The Original Mixed Up Kid (Mott the Hoople song, with Tommy Mandell on keyboards)
6. Honaloochie Boogie (Mott the Hoople song)
7. Laugh at Me (Sonny Bono cover)
8. Sea Diver (Mott the Hoople song)
9. The Golden Age of Rock 'N' Roll (Mott the Hoople song)
10. All the Way from Memphis (Mott the Hoople song)
11. Rest in Peace (Mott the Hoople song)
12. I Wish I Was Your Mother (Mott the Hoople song)
13. Pearl 'n' Roy (England) (Mott the Hoople song)
14. Trudi’s Song (Mott the Hoople song)
15. Sweet Jane (The Velvet Underground cover)
16. One of the Boys (Mott the Hoople song)
17. Sucker (Mott the Hoople song)
18. Roll Away the Stone (Mott the Hoople song)

Encore:

1. (Do You Remember) The Saturday Gigs (Mott the Hoople song, with Tommy Mandell on keyboards)
2. All the Young Dudes (David Bowie cover, with Tommy Mandell on keyboards)
3. Goodnight, Irene (Lead Belly cover, with Tommy Mandell on keyboards)