Pics by John Dowell here

At last. Andy Scott and the boys playing close enough to my abode to enable a trip to see them. And a chance to meet Woody and the Hat! Not many can say that they have encountered three legends in one evening!

So what can I say? Another Sweet gig, another power packed, energy filled, enthusiastic, pulsating, nostalgic, ear busting performance of the highest quality by Andy and the boys. Yep, that about sums it up!

But now to the detail. Finding Plinston Hall in Letchworth was a breeze thanks to the excellent maps available on the website, and parking was available in the street outside or in a nearby car park. The venue itself was fairly small – probably no bigger than my daughter’s primary school hall (now – there’s a thought) – with a small bar area at the side. When I arrived at 7.55 the doors were open and about 30 people were already taking up positions close to the all-important area, which at that time was the bar rather than the stage. No sign of Woody or the Hat. Several tables of memorabilia set out for the discerning fan’s attention – a wide selection of rare t-shirts, videos, CD’s, cassettes and the like. My money soon burnt a hole in my pocket and I rushed back to the car to place my new video in the safety of the locked car boot. Somebody who clearly did not have to support a wife, two children, two guinea pigs and a rabbit calmly stacked up a tower of purchases as I watched then handed over in excess of £130, leaving me stunned and incredibly jealous.

There was a lively atmosphere and an air of anticipation as the venue filled up over the next hour. Still no sign of Woody or the Hat.

First up was the support band, Kiss This. They were a hard working and capable team of four who played a 12 number set plus encore including their own compositions and favourites like "Can’t get enough of your love", "Brown Sugar" (complete with an amusing Mick Jagger impression), Rock’n me, Feel Like Makin’ Love, Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. I’m not sure whether the lead singer had an inferiority complex (which he needn’t have had) or he was just aware of the reputation and stature of Sweet, but he must have said at least four times "just a few more then we’ll hand over to the professionals". Have confidence, boys, you’re good!

Expectations rose as the Kiss This kit was removed and what was left for Sweet to use was tested, adjusted and tuned. There must have been 300 to 400 present by the time Sweet appeared at 10.15. And then, the legend appeared! I saw the Hat with its owner securely wedged underneath striding towards a small group by the front of the stage. I rushed over to introduce myself and said "Hi" to Woody as well. I was then hijacked to take a photo of the group (including Woody) and then hijacked to take part in a group photo of "Old Hammersmithonians". All in the best possible taste.

After the traditional "Stripper" intro, the band took up their positions to play a standard "hits" set with a couple of nice surprises (well, they surprised me, but I don’t get out to Sweet gigs much). The full list was Hell Raiser, Burn on the Flame, The Six Teens, Turn it Down, Set me Free, Co-Co/Funny Funny/Poppa Joe, Wig Wam Bam/Little Willy, Teenage Rampage, AC/DC, Love is Like Oxygen, Action, Blockbuster, Fox on the Run and the inevitable encore Ballroom Blitz.

In the middle of Burn on the Flame, Woody slipped unobtrusively through the audience (well, not that unobtrusively as I noticed) to position himself for a few photos – of the band, I mean. After The Six Teens, several members of the audience were shouting for Set Me Free. As the random shouts of "Set Me Free" went up, Jeff said, "OK, if you say it together". Immediately a unison chorus of "SET ME FREE" rang out, and the band responded immediately – by playing Turn it Down. All right, they did play Set Me Free next, but I thought it was a nice touch of humour. Just before they played it, Andy piped up "We want to play "Set Me Free", but can we remember it?" Well, yes they could, apart from Jeff who got all the right words but not necessarily the right number of times in the right place. But who cares about that, when a blistering wall of noise of the most enjoyable kind is flattening you? Apart from hearing Set Me Free, the other surprise for me was a great keyboard solo from Steve in the middle of AC/DC.

The lighting set is excellent and added sparkle and verve to the show. Bruce worked tirelessly at the back to provide a solid beat with the right touch. Jeff’s fingers flew artistically across the strings. Steve switched between keyboard and guitar seamlessly. Finally, Andy played superbly he just seems to get better and better. But then, I’m not the most impartial observer.

The crowd obviously enjoyed themselves and it was great to see a number of younger people enjoying this classic music and discovering it. At the end, Woody and Mogs appeared, with Woody thrusting a £20 note to Andy to sign. Andy playfully made to pocket it, then obliged with his signature. Woody mumbled something about a wheeze to save up for a juke box involving said £20 note, but I’m not sure how that is going to work.

Ah well, at least it was a great evening, with great company, in a great venue. You could say, "Great Scott".

Steve Goldspink

17.2.01