Saxon

What do you get when you cross heavy metal stalwarts Saxon with good time rock ‘n’ rollers The Quireboys? A killer concert, like the one at Shepherds Bush Empire a week ago!

Admittedly, the concept of Britain’s favorite ragamuffin rockers supporting Britain’s favorite metal crusaders must seem a little odd even to the more open-minded devotees of either tribe… rest assured, the formula paid off big time.
As Quireboys frontman Spike revealed: “The Quireboys and Saxon's paths have crossed so many times at European festivals, we are thrilled to be sharing the stage every night with them on the UK tour. It's gonna be a tour to remember!”

Well I can’t speak for the tour of course, but the concert certainly was a night to remember. The warming-up was provided by Birmingham hard rockers Redline, and after a tight, half hour set is was on to The Quireboys, who wowed everyone (and even won over die-hard head-bangers) with their infectious, bourbon-soaked blues rock. On this occasion though, they seemed to play harder than usual, though perhaps that was due to the general vibe of the evening, or perhaps my intoxicated imagination. Despite a foot injury (apparently as a result from a football game with the Saxon team), Spike managed to throw one hell of show, displaying his usual swagger, and belting out crowd pleasers like ‘Tramps And Thieves’, ‘There She Goes Again’ and ‘Misled’, as well as some tasters from their new material (which sounded damn good to me).
Working the mic stand just as much as the fans, and with the rest of the gang equally giving it their all, it was clear from the outset that this was never going to be a mere support slot. Them boys are a topnotch act in their own right, and delivered accordingly. Despite a seemingly never-ending touring schedule, the band’s performances are always sizzling with energy, and never come across as routine. It was only after ‘Too Much Of A Good Thing’ that things briefly slowed down for the passionate and emotional ‘Mona Lisa Smiled’. But the heat was immediately up again during next number ‘This Is Rock N Roll’. No Quireboys set would be complete without two of their greatest hits: the catchy ‘Hey You’, and the stonking ‘7 O Clock’, which was the final song. It was indeed time for a party, and the crowd merrily joined in the chorus.
Ex-Quireboy and founder member Guy Bailey was amongst the audience, and must have felt proud.

After a brief break, the lights went dark, then went on again with the stage dipped into icy blue. Finally, the headlining Saxon made their grand entrance, and with opener ‘Sacrifice’ (from the new album) the stage was set for a show that would last a whopping two hours, and which has to count amongst the most impressive live acts I’ve seen in ages. Saxon leader Biff Byford, clad in black and with long blonde mane flowing, held command over his disciples from the outset. Flanked by Paul Quinn (guitar), Doug Scarratt (guitar), Nibbs Carter (bass), and Nigel Glockner on drum-kit, the band didn’t waste any time with banter and went straight into ‘Wheels Of Terror’ – a fierce and eardrum-pounding experience for sure! Ultra professional and with mighty exquisite riff work, courtesy of Saxon’s bona fide axe grinders, the set continued with ‘Power & Glory’, which saw Biff blazing across stage, and Quinn and Scarratt unleashing all sorts of trickery while working their instruments (even a twin lead guitar). The result: hellish riffs, devilish teamwork and devilish solos! And well, let’s not forget Biff’s distinctive vocals!
Biff greeted the crowd and announced it’s great to be back playing the venue, then went on: "It's good to play with our mates The Quireboys… should be a great package with their unique style of rock 'n' roll. Get ready to party into the early hours!" He wasn’t kidding.

The set was a mixture of old and new material, and some specially selected gems. ‘Made In Belfast’ was another song from the new Sacrifice album, and went down a storm. Things went on relentless, with ‘Rock N Roll Gypsy’, ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’, ‘I’ve Got To Rock’ and ‘Night Of The Wolf’ in the repertoire. Biff explained the meaning of one of the songs, ‘To Hell And Back’, which is about a guy on death row.

The show was executed in such seamless and fast paced manner, there was no time for any screw-ups, in fact, there was barely time to catch breath!
No rest for the wicked, and Biff and Co. continued with ‘Conquistador’ - the perfect vehicle for Nigel Glockner to astonish with one hell of an epic drum solo!
Alas, even a band like Saxon have their slower moments, and it came with, I kid you not, and acoustic number! ‘Requiem’ – a heartfelt tribute to all those rock n rollers who are no longer with us.

The centre stage was graced with the St. George flag (with Saxon written on it), and the spectacle continued with ‘Guardians Of The Tomb’ and ‘Never Surrender’. Suffice to say, the crowd just loved to sing along to the latter, familiar with every word of the lyrics. Really, Biff is a fantastic showman and had his fans singing and chanting along at his every raise of the arm and pointing of his finger.

Then it was time for a surprise, and boy, was it ever! Fantastic showman Biff was joined by fantastic showman Spike, declaring, “Ladies and gentleman, give it up for my friend Spike from the brilliant, uncrushable Quireboys!” Cue for the duet ‘Ride Like The Wind’, a fusion of heavier sounds and, well, good time rock ‘n’ roll. The two frontmen sure had fun with this one, kicking the mic stand to and fro and goofing around. After some roaring applause, Biff joked, “That was great, I think we should do this every night, what d’ya reckon, Spike?” Spike replied, “Our duet is gonna be a sensation on YouTube, with millions of hits.” Would be nice, though I’m sorry to announce that at the time of writing this, the hits for Biff and Spike’s YouTube footage have yet to reach the 200 mark…

‘Dallas 1 PM’ saw Paul Quinn churning out a killer solo on his guitar, while crowd favourite ‘Denim and Leather’ was a cheeky reminder of what brought Saxon fans together.
After ‘Wheels Of Steele’, Biff thanked his fans for coming along, for their loyalty, and for voting Saxon as the best band. “See you next time”, he shouted, but fans knew that said next time was only some minutes away… after all, you can’t let a band like Saxon go without an encore! It well and duly followed, and for the ear-shattering and crowning finale, Biff and band delivered another three numbers, ‘Strong Arm Of The Law, ‘747’ and ‘Princess Of The Night’.
A fantastic night, and allround kickass performances! Shame about the sodding rain to and from the venue!