Mott The Hoople Class of ‘74
with support from Tax The Heat
Mott The Hoople have announced a UK tour for April 2019. With a set based around the 1974 albums The Hoople and Live, plus the non-album greatest hits, ladies and gentle-men, please welcome the “Golden Age Of Rock ’n’ Roll”, as Ian Hunter, Ariel Bender and Morgan Fisher, regroup once more for seven shows across the UK.
From 1969 to 1973, Mott The Hoople were a two-headed beast, with songwriting duties split between Ian Hunter and Mick Ralphs, as well as the odd notable exception from Verden Allen. By the end of 1973, Mick and Verden had both left the band to see what else was out there for them. This left Ian Hunter as the sole songwriter, with the notable exception of Overend Watts fan favourite, ‘Born Late ’58’.
With Hunter now given free reign, 1974’s “The Hoople” explored ideas and concepts that are now widely credited as having influenced everyone from the punk movement to Queen, with the latter supporting the band and cited by Brian May as the only band that Queen ever supported. 1974 was also arguably Mott’s most intensely creative period with the studio album, four hit singles – ‘Roll Away The Stone’, ‘The Golden Age Of Rock ’n’ Roll’, ‘Foxy Foxy’ and ‘Saturday Gigs’ – plus a live album, half of which was tak-en from their week long stint at the Uris Theatre, Broadway.
The live album highlighted the talents of Mick and Verden’s replacements – Ariel Bender and Morgan Fisher respectively, who breathed new life into classics and crowd favorites alike, ‘All The Young Dudes’, ‘All The Way From Memphis’, ‘Honaloochie Boogie’, ‘Rose’, ‘Rest In Peace’ and ‘Walking With A Mountain’ forming the core of the live al-bum.
In 2009 and 2013, the 1969 / 1973 line up completed two highly successful reunion tours. At the time, many fans asked whether it would ever be possible to see the “Class Of ’74” – Ian Hunter, Ariel Bender and Morgan Fisher – back together again.
As it would have been impossible to try and replace Mott’s rhythm section, Overend Watts and Dale “Buffin” Griffin, who are both now sadly deceased and with Mick Ralphs having suffered health issues which would preclude him appearing, the time seemed right to try something a little different.
In 2018, the trio of Hunter, Bender and Fisher, augmented by Ian’s long-term backing band, The Rant Band, played three festivals, their first live shows since 2013. It’s fair to say that the festival performances took people by surprise, the band showing a renewed energy and spirit and the press claiming their songs to be “the soundtrack to a genera-tion” and still sounding “as fresh as they did back in the day” , whilst describing Ian Hunter as “the epitome of rock and roll cool, and one of the great singer-songwriters of our time.” (National Rock Review, 2018)
Tickets for Mott The Hoople’s shows go on sale Friday 16 November at 10am.
Full tour dates – Mott The Hoople Class of ‘74
APRIL 2019
Wed 17 – Assembly, LEAMINGTON SPA
Fri 19 – Academy, MANCHESTER
Sat 20 – Barrowland Ballroom, GLASGOW
Sun 21 – Symphony Hall, BIRMINGHAM
Tues 23 – Sage, GATESHEAD
Fri 26 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, LONDON
Sat 27 – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, LONDON