Ian Hunter: O2 Academy Bristol

IT'S a classic moment for your rock'n'roll scrapbook: Ian Hunter in full flight at the Academy belting out All the Young Dudes with old Mott the Hoople mucker Mick Ralphs by his side.

Of course, this David Bowie-penned gem has been a pivotal moment in both men's lives. Those three minutes saved Mott from an early demise and resurrected a band who'd decided to call it quits before the Thin White Duke intervened.

But once the record-buying hordes had finally caught up, it was Hunter's songwriting skills that kept the band going for several more years before he eventually launched his own solo career.

Looking two decades younger than the 71 it says on his passport, Hunter remains an iconic rock'n'roller from the old school, all cascading blonde curls and trademark sunglasses. In the dark.

With a vast amount of cracking songs in his armoury, this was a set which confidently swanned through his 35-year solo career and kept the Mott greatest hits cannily tucked away for the two encores.

The evening opened with Sea Diver, a thoughtful track which ebbed and flowed beautifully.

The dramatic Life After Death was a beefy rocker which featured some slick double-tracked solos from his two guitarists. With Hunter switching between keyboards and guitar, his five-piece backing band were as tight as two coats of paint.

We then rushed headlong into Cleveland Rocks (he missed the opportunity for renaming it Clevedon Rocks here, but never mind) as the band ripped into the Stonesy boogie of Dancing on the Moon.

His latest solo record, 2009's Man Overboard stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of his back catalogue and it was liberally dipped into here.

Strapping on an acoustic guitar and harmonica, Hunter waded into the Dylanesque River of Tears and the gently insistent lament of the new record's title track.

Responding to a request from the crowd, we also got an impromptu version of the rather cute Girl From The Office before a powerhouse cover of The Velvet Underground's Sweet Jane.

And how about this for a send-off? Original Mott member Mick Ralphs arrived for an encore which included All The Way From Memphis, Roll Away The Stone, the misty-eyed nostalgia of Saturday Gigs and a supreme All The Young Dudes.

This was timeless stuff. Smart, self-mythologising, anthemic and very, very good.

Hunter's an under-rated national treasure.

8/10

STEVE HARNELL