Metal Express Radio's Mick Burgess recently spoke with Andy Scott, guitarist for UK glam rock veterans, Sweet. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

MER: You made your live debut with Sweet in the North East at Redcar in 1970. Do you remember much about that?

Scott: "The band I was in before Sweet, The Elastic Band, used to play the Redcar Jazz Club regularly. We were a support band for bands like Yes, Jethro Tull and quite a few others. Roger, the guy who ran it, liked us. When I started Sweet, I gave him a call and he said that he wouldn`t put us on in the Jazz Club, but would put us in the Ballroom or whatever it was. He put us on in there and our support act was called The Government with one David Coverdale as their lead singer. He said to me after the show that if I was ever looking for a singer to give him a call. I really liked him and really liked his bravado but his voice would never had sat at the front of Sweet."

MER: You`ve influenced a huge amount of rock bands over the years, with bands such as KISS, Mötley Crüe and The Wildhearts all citing you as a major influence. Can you see and hear your influence in those bands?

Scott: "I can certainly see the influence on Mötley Crüe. When I was in Sweden, the guys from Europe played me one of their songs and it sounded exactly like 'Hell Raiser'. I think it was 'Kickstart My Heart' and we went to see them in Stockholm that night. The Europe guys said it took them back to their childhood when they went to see the Sweet. The other thing is, Mötley Crüe's advert said 'Wanted: Brian Connolly Lookalike' and they ended up with Vince Neil in the band."

Check out the complete interview here.