Ian Hunter & The Rant Band

The Playhouse
Whitley Bay
Tyne & Wear
England

July 3rd 2017

"Rock and Roll doesn't get any better than that, these days", I say to my Good Buddy (Boro Bri) as we meander our way out, to the accompanyment of Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World". "They're a 'Ronseal' band...they do exactly what it sez on the tin", is my sartorial compadre's response. The tin must have "Contents are brilliant - joy guaranteed" written on it.

This was the last night of the UK leg of our Maestro's current tour, and consequently He & The Band were in an especially spirited frame of mind, sipping the occasional glass of bubbly between duties.

Mind, the evening had already got off to a decent start. Katie Spencer opened up - singer songwriter already sporting great guitar technique and tone, despite her relative inexperience. Short set, but enough to have me & Bri queuing up at the concession stall for her debut cd, then hunting her down like two ageing stalkers for a signature.

Local lad Steve Daggett up next, with his own brand of musical reminisences & observations.

Both acts found favour with the audience, which is always nice to see. Often, it seems, audiences just aren't interested in support acts these days. Give them a chance - you might pick up on something!

So, come the time, the combination of a tee'd up audience, buoyed with anticipation, and a band in a somewhat celebratory mood was borderline explosive...or as near as we get these days in the Stella Artois Home for the Permanently Bewildered. Takes yer back, though...

Ian & the Band know how to entertain. Wonderfully paced set, great tunes played with oodles of taste by musicians with real character. They've been around the block. Many times. They know what works.

It's a testament to the Maestro that he's still writing songs that have a real impact, consequently the newer stuff's still welcome alongside...well, some of the soundtrack of our youth.

With such a canon to draw from there'll always be tunes you'd wish were played but weren't. That said, the smiles on the faces suggested everyone went home more than happy. Such a great show...hard to single out highlights. I suppose "The Moon Upstairs" was something I hadn't expected to hear played again, and a tune I'm very fond of.

Whilst it's a pale substitute for actually being there, I hope you enjoy what I got, which was:-

01 Intro (Huun-Huur-Tu - Prayer)
02 That's When The Trouble Starts
03 Once Bitten, Twice Shy
04 Fatally Flawed
05 When I'm President
06 Saint
07 Truth, The Whole Truth, Nothin' But The Truth
08 Morpheus
09 Just Another Night
10 Fingers Crossed
11 All American Alien Boy
12 Standin' In My Light
13 Irene Wilde (Tease)/All The Way From Memphis
14 Ghosts
15 Roll Away The Stone
16 I Wish I Was Your Mother
17 23A Swan Hill
18 Bastard
19 Sweet Jane
20 Encore Break
21 The Moon Upstairs
22 Dandy
23 Long Time
24 Life
25 All The Young Dudes
26 Goodnight Irene

Ian Hunter - vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, harmonica
Mark Bosch - guitar, vocals
Steve Holley - drums, vocals
Paul Page - bass, vocals
James Mastro - guitar, mandolin, vocals
Dennis DiBrizzi - keyboards, vocals


Recorded By Lesterferget
A Rockin� Regimental Recording

Lineage :

SP-CMC-4U >
TASCAM DR-40 >
Sound Forge Pro 10 >
Trader's Little Helper (level 8) >
Torrent Site

Do what you will with it - except sell it :
You got it for nowt, you give it for nowt

Ian & the band's latest album, Fingers Crossed is awesome. Let's support this bastion of "PROPER" Rock and Roll...!!!