"Beating Ipswich was good but this is better!" was Joe Elliott s opinion several numbers into Ian Hunter s set at Leeds Irish Centre on May 15th. For such a committed Sheffield United fan to voice that preference to me shows just how good the gig was shaping up. When I first heard that Ian had a new album out and was touring it I was as surprised as I was pleased. I saw him at the Irish Centre a few years ago and I thought that was probably the last time I was going to catch him live.

The Irish Centre is a good venue, a friendly sort of place with plenty of access to the beer via three separate bars, one of which is by the side of the stage! Suits me Sir.

The new album performs well live, and sounds really good (I didn t get the CD till the day after the gig so I was hearing it all for the first time). Ian managed to work his way through most of the album s eleven tracks, highlights being "23A, Swan Hill", "Resurrection Mary", "Now Is The Time", and the new single and title track "The Artful Dodger".

Although the tour s obviously to promote the new album, the old days aren t forgotten, with such numbers as "All The Way From Memphis", "Irene Wilde" (marvelous), "Roll Away The Stone" (featuring Joe Elliott s falsetto "Ooh, will do!"), a much appreciated "I Wish I Was Your Mother" and of course, the inevitable "Dudes" a song so much associated with Hunter I find it hard now to remember that some thin white bloke wrote it.

Other highlights of the gig for me were, Ian introducing a song as being "back from an album called Mad Shadows and then doing a rousing "Walking With A Mountain", you could see by the faces on the people in the audience that they knew all the old stuff. Just before the end Ian did "Michael Picasso", and that was me done, I still can t listen to this without crying (silly sod that I am), so I wandered off to the side of the stage and sat down. I think it s a brilliant song, Ian never overstates in his lyrics yet manages to get it all in there.

To me, he seems to have mellowed somewhat on stage, coming over friendlier displaying less of the "mock arrogance" of old (although it popped up at the end, after Joe Elliott had surfaced again to provide backing vocals on "Dudes" as he looked across the stage and announced, "I can t stand amateurs").

The band play together well, acheiving a nice tight sound (loud too!), band members are detailed elsewhere on the 'net.

Listen, to anybody who s reading this, if you re any kind of a fan, you ve got to try and catch this tour, or try and make Hull in August. See ya there, Dudes!!

P.S. I asked Joe Elliott why Bowie didn t do the Ronson Tribute gig after he d been so high profile at the Freddie Mercury show. Joe told me "I honestly don t know, I have no idea", so, no clues there, eh!

Terry Battersby
Sheffield, UK.

Last update 12th September 1998 ©1998 Half Moon Bay