The 1980s cast a long, shallow shadow over Wolverhampton Civic Hall tonight.
Biff Byford even says during Saxon’s set: come with us to 1980. No internet, no mobiles, no Amazon – just a stack of vinyl.
To be honest, that sounds good to me.
The nostalgia started early, though, because Dirkschneider were here to revisit Udo’s Accept years by playing the classic album “Balls To The Wall” in full. That means the title track to open, then everything from “London Leatherboys” and “Love Child” to “Losers And Winners”, before “Winterdreams” closes their main set. There’s an authenticity about it: no frills, no modernisation, just pure heavy metal played the way it used to be.
Even bassist Peter Baltes, in his spandex, adds to the feeling that we’ve stepped back in time.
When they return for the encore, the drummer, Sven, Dirkscheider’s son, teases that they’ve still got one more. And they do: “Fast As A Shark”, delivered with the same ferocity it always had. Then Udo asks the question that hangs over the whole night anyway: Accept and Saxon – what more could you want? He’s probably right.
Saxon’s own retro sensibility is different, because before anything else, the truth is that Byford can still sing. There are notes in that voice that younger bands would kill for. The idea that Accept were just the German Saxon feels right. When you’ve got it, you never lose it – and Saxon have always had it.
They open with material from their most recent record “Hell, Fire And Damnation”, before rolling into “Power And The Glory” and the first sweep of classics. Then comes a lovely moment: Biff reminisces about the first time they played the Civic Hall, back in 1979, and it tees up a storming version of “Sacrifice”, which still hits as hard as ever. “Never Surrender” lands even heavier, given Byford’s cancer battle this year. You don’t need convincing he’s grateful to be on that stage.
Brian Tatler’s presence has helped them too. His playing with Doug Scarratt elevates everything. “Heavy Metal Thunder” is a cracker, “Dallas 1pm” is a riot, and Saxon sound utterly alive.
At one point Biff screams into the mic and yells: “that’s not a fucking sample!”
It’s a perfect reminder: no backing tracks here. Just a band playing full-blooded heavy metal.
Then comes the time travel. “Wheels Of Steel” still sounds like a mission statement. “Motorcycle Man” remains razor sharp. “747 (Strangers In The Night)” absolutely soars.
Some of the less regularly played material shines too. “Suzie Hold On is superb, powered by the interplay betweenScarratt and Tatler
And if others haven’t aged quite as well, they finish the main set with “Machine Gun”, but perhaps the moment of the night comes in the encore. During “Denim And Leather”, Saxon ask the crowd to throw their battle jackets onstage – and enough people do that the entire band ends up wearing one. It’s daft, brilliant, and joyful in equal measure.
And when “Long Arm Of The Law” lands, it comes with a thunderous bolt of bass from the shirtless Nibbs Carter that rattles everything
“Princess Of The Night” follows, all rumbling bass and fists in the air. Afterward, Biff drops a little nugget: Saxon head into the studio in the next few weeks to record a new album, and they’ll be back next year.
Tonight may have celebrated the past, but this isn’t a band rooted in it. They’re proud of where they’ve been, but they’re still moving.
This was a gig with no subgenres, no hierarchy, core, no division – no classic vs. modern, no trad vs. thrash.
Just metal.
Metal the way it was supposed to be.
Metal the way it should always be.
And, as long as Saxon are still doing this, metal the way it always will be.
All photos: Rich Ward
