Mott The Hoople bench 'absolutely brilliant'

The sister of a founding member of Mott The Hoople has recalled their lives growing up in Ross-on-Wye, as the town celebrates the band with a two-day festival.

Jane Watts said her brother Pete Overend Watts and the band's co-founder Dale Buffin Griffin, who died in 2017 and 2016, always considered the Herefordshire town their home.

Mottfest takes place over two days on Friday and Saturday, dedicated to the band which was formed in 1969 and is best known for its 1972 hit single All the Young Dudes, written by David Bowie.

A memorial bench will be unveiled for the pair at Rope Walk on Sunday, along with a blue plaque in the town, which Ms Watts said was "absolutely brilliant" and an honour.

Mottfest includes live music, film screenings and spoken word events.

Mott the Hoople: From young dudes to wrinkly rockers

• 1969 - The group form in Herefordshire and release debut album
• 1971 - The behaviour of the band's fans at a concert in July was so enthusiastic, thousands of pounds of damage was caused to the Royal Albert Hall, contributing to the venue's ban on rock and pop concerts in 1972
• 1972 - Poor record sales meant they were on the verge of breaking up, before fan David Bowie stepped in and persuaded them to stay together. All The Young Dudes, written by Bowie, is released, reaching number three
• 1974 - The band split
• 2009 - Mott the Hoople announce they are to reform for five shows at the Hammersmith Apollo

Ms Watts said the family moved to Ross-on-Wye in 1960 and on her brother's 14th birthday, their parents bought him a guitar.

"It all took off from there," she said.

"He'd met Buffin at school already. Buffin was really into music as well.

"I think they both decided that's what they wanted to do, never mind schoolwork or any of that, they just wanted to be in a band.

"That's when it started really. By 1963 they were doing gigs locally and they actually came and did gigs at the Hope and Anchor."

Visiting the bench before the unveiling, Ms Watts said: "It's absolutely brilliant. It's beautiful. It's the best bench ever."

She said her brother had talked about having a bench on the south west coast in Cornwall, where he loved walking, but said: "It's very exciting to have it here. It's a place I know that I will be coming to a lot, just to think and remember. It's a good place."

Laughing, she said her brother would have probably wanted to paint it pink.

She said getting the blue plaque was "incredible", and added: "I used to think blue plaques were only for people that had been dead 100 years.

"It's an honour, an absolute honour."

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