Ian Hunter (credit – Ross Halfin)
Ian Hunter and The Rant Band are due to hit Liverpool’s Hangar 34 for a fiery night of classic rock & roll and Getintothis’ Peter Goodbody has the low down.
As leader of ‘70’s British rock legends Mott The Hoople and a hugely influential solo artist, Ian Hunter is widely revered as one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most compelling performers, as well as one of it’s most articulate songwriters.
As author of such immortal anthems as, All The Way From Memphis, Once Bitten, Twice Shy and Cleveland Rocks and the voice of such landmark albums as, All The Young Dudes, Mott, Ian Hunter and You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic, he remains a hero to fellow musicians and fans around the world.
So it is, we’re excited for his upcoming Liverpool gig at Hangar 34. Hunter has never been one to coast on past glories and in the past dozen years, he’s made a series of riveting albums that stand with his best and most resonant work, while making a decisive return to touring, delivering incendiary live performances that show his fire to be burning as brightly as ever.
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Since his Mott The Hoople days, Hunter has produced what many critics feel to be his best work to date, The Artful Dodger, Rant, Shrunken Heads, Man Overboard and When I’m President. There are now a new generation of artists name-checking Ian as an influence; Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) to name but three.
And, while proud of his past achievements, Hunter says he would prefer to focus on the future: “To me, music is holy” he asserts, adding “For the first fifteen years of my life, I had no idea what I was here for. But then Elvis came out and it was, “Oh, that’s what I am here for”. Rock ‘n’ roll got me out and gave me a great life and I don’t know what I would have done without it. It’s all I know and my identity is all tied up with it”.
Ian Hunter and The Rant Band play Liverpool’s Hangar 34 on Tuesday June 20
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