PUT SIMPLY, IAN HUNTER IS A MAN WHO’S BEEN THERE, SEEN IT, DONE IT – AND GOT THE OBLIGATORY BEEN THERE, SEEN IT, DONE IT T-SHIRT. PROBABLY A DRAWER FULL OF THEM.

As frontman for much loved Mott The Hoople between 1969 and 1974, Shrewsbury-born Hunter has come to be regarded as one of the most influential figures in rock – one of the few who needs very little introduction. Preparing to tour the UK, he continues to defy his 75 years.
Solo since 1974, his most recent album (2012’s WHEN I’M PRESIDENT) is as fiery and funny as his first – no mean feat for a septuagenarian. The title track, written from the point of view of a jaded “guy in a bar”, takes scathing pot-shots at the American political system and the shady fat cat billionaire figures who control it. In these strange times it seems particularly apposite for anyone in a western country. In this warm new edition of The Mouthcast, with Hunter speaking on the telephone from his home in Connecticut, he discusses the song and gives an overview of his fifty years in music.

Fri 19 Sept    PORTSMOUTH    Pyramids    BUY
Sat 20 Sept    LEAMINGTON SPA    Assembly Hall    BUY
Sun 21 Sept    LINCOLN    Drill Hall    BUY
Tues 23 Sept    ABERDEEN    Lemon Tree    BUY
Weds 24 Sept    GLASGOW    The Garage    BUY
Fri 26 Sept    HOLMFIRTH    Picturedrome    BUY
Sat 27 Sept    MANCHESTER    RCNM    BUY
Sun 28 Sept    GATESHEAD    The Sage    BUY
Tues 30 Sept    MILTON KEYNES    The Stables    BUY
Thurs 2 Oct    SHEFFIELD   City Hall    BUY
Fri 3 Oct    BRIGHTON    Concorde 2    BUY
Sat 4 Oct    LONDON    Shepherds Bush Empire    BUY