IF you’re planning on going to see former Mott the Hoople frontman Ian Hunter playing the Newcastle Academy next month, I’ve got a top tip for you . . . get there early and check out the support act. Jesse Malin is his name, and the last time I saw him I overheard one guy say that it was the best gig he’d seen in the last three years. Now, either that guy doesn’t get out much or Jesse Malin really is something special, and I’d go for the latter. When I talked to Ian Hunter recently, I had to congratulate him on his choice of tour support and asked him how such an inspired pairing had come about. He told me: “I did a gig in New York and he came down. He’s a nice guy. He was in a band called D Generation . . . they wanted me to produce them at one point. So we had a chat about the tour after the gig, and he decided that he wanted to do it.” Mott the Hoople are one of those rare bands who have never re-formed after their initial split. I asked Ian if he’d ever been tempted to resurrect Mott at any point in the last three decades. He admitted: “We were tempted in the early 90s, yeah. But whenever it came up somebody was always busy. I never really said ‘never’ on it but obviously, as the years go by, the chances get slimmer and slimmer that we’ll ever do it. “I don’t think it would be a great thing anyway. I think that memories are better than reality, especially with a band like Mott, who were based on desperation, youth, vitality and a lot of excitement and wild energy. “And, you know, as you get older, I think you lose some of that. You might be better musically, but you won’t have that same excitement.” That excitement was orchestrated by the band’s manic producer, the late Guy Stevens, who also produced the Clash’s seminal London Calling album. His recording techniques with the Clash were unorthodox, to say the least. He would burst into the studio while the band was playing and hurl chairs around, in a bid to “vibe them up”. I asked Ian whether the footage I’d seen was similar to his own experiences with Stevens? He told me: “There were times when stuff would go haywire. We had a couple of fires, things like that. But that’s how Guy worked. He wanted something out of you that you didn’t even know you had.” V Ian Hunter and Jesse Malin play at Newcastle Academy on October 21. Tickets are £18.50 from the box office or at www.ticketweb.co.uk | 
