Saxon - Nottingham Review

After not being able to make a Saxon show since 2013, 2018 has proved to be very fruitful when it comes to opportunities to see the legendary NWOBHM live! It was only back in February that I last saw the band, when they launched their Thunderbolt tour in Cardiff. The Thunderbolt album was very new at the time, and all these months on it has become one of my very favourite releases of the year. I think seeing so many of the album's songs performed live just after its release really helped to cement Thunderbolt as a real favourite album of 2018 - so when a few more UK shows were announced for the end of 2018 I knew that I had to try and make one of them. Luckily the Nottingham show fitted into my busy November schedule perfectly, sandwiching itself between two other concerts that  I already had tickets for which made for an epic three-gig weekend! Weekends of this nature can often be quite full on, but it often makes financial sense to try and daisy chain gigs together in this way as it cuts down on travel costs - especially the pricey CrossCountry line that runs north out of Plymouth. I always enjoy a trip to Nottingham in any case, as it reminds me of when I was at University in Leicester and regularly travelling to Nottingham to see shows. Most of my Nottingham gigs have been at Rock City, but such is Saxon's growing stature at the moment they had booked the larger and more grand Royal Concert Hall. I had only been to the venue once previously, which was to see a rather disappointing Foreigner show a few years ago, but had enjoyed the venue. With the fixed seats however I did wonder how a more full-on heavy metal show would fare, as the seats can often stunt any natural atmosphere being created. There were certainly more people packed into the Royal Concert Hall than would have fitted into Rock City however, so this seemed to justify the band's choice of venue. It is great to see Saxon back playing these kind of venues, as it was not all that long ago that they would have struggled to pull a crowd of a couple of hundred. The popularity of metal music in general has been on the rise again over the past ten years or so, plus the band's recent run of new material must have also contributed to their gradual rise over the past few years. I am not sure or not of the gig was sold out, but there was certainly a big crowd in and - despite the seats - a good atmosphere was created throughout.

Before Saxon took to the stage however, the crowd were treated to a couple of support acts. New up-and-coming hard rockers Wayward Sons were up first first and impressed during their half an hour on stage. Fronted by former Little Angels frontman Toby Jepson (vocals/guitar), Wayward Sons play a fairly basic brand of hard rock, but one that is powerful and catchy. The band's recorded work has never really made an impression on me, but seeing the band live seemed to make everything fall into place. Jepson is a great singer, and the whole set was based around his powerful voice - although Sam Wood (guitar/vocals) did impress with some strong soloing throughout also. Being the first band of a three band bill, naturally the band's live sound mix was not perfect, with everything sounding a little muddy but it was enough to get a good idea of what the band was doing. Dave Kemp's keyboards were often totally lost in the mix however, and it would have been good to hear more of what he was doing as I often find that keyboards can add so much to rock music. Given their limited time the band barely paused for breath, and managed to steam through quite a few songs during their allotted time. I certainly enjoyed the band's set, and will finally now need to pick up a copy of the band's debut album to properly immerse myself in their music.

The main support came from former Warlock frontwoman Doro Pesch and her band, who had slightly longer on stage and put on a performance worthy of all of her experience. Her eight song set was dominated by old Warlock material, but there were a few newer solo cuts thrown in too. Earthshaker Rock and I Rule the Ruins got the show off to a powerful start , but it was Burning the Witches that really impressed me early on. The song was a proper 1980s heavy metal anthem, with a powerful riff and a shout along chorus that some in the crowd helped Pesch out with. Considering the big crowd, and Pesch's status in the metal world, I was a little disappointed with how many in attendance chose to respond to her set however. I thought that the atmosphere throughout her time on stage was a little lacking, and there seemed to be quite a few in the crowd who were not keen on getting involved. Pesch really tried her hardest to get everyone involved, and at times she succeeded, but at others it all felt a little flat - which was a shame. Her and her band were excellent however, and really put on a powerful display. Newer number Blood, Sweat and Rock 'n' Roll was exactly as you would expect it to be, before the old power ballad Für Immer provided a nice change of pace as some of the band members stepped behind keyboards to help create a big soundscape. Pesch still has a great voice, which has barely seemed to age since the 1980s. She sounds the same now as she did on those old Warlock records, and that is no mean feat. Her relatively short set came to an end with a powerful version of her new single All for Metal, and she left the stage to a fairly muted reception. Her performance deserved a better reaction from the crowd, but I certainly enjoyed my time will her and will be revisiting those old Warlock albums again soon! The setlist was:

Earthshaker Rock [Warlock material]
I Rule the Ruins [Warlock material]
Burning the Witches [Warlock material]
Raise Your Fist in the Air
Blood, Sweat and Rock 'n' Roll
Für Immer [Warlock material]
All We Are [Warlock material]
All for Metal

Luckily Saxon fared better atmosphere-wise, and from the moment the band hit the stage at 9pm there was a good energy throughout the Royal Concert Hall. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the setlist here was similar to the one that was played in Cardiff earlier in the year, but there were a couple of changes to make things interesting. Three newer songs got things off to a strong start, with the anthemic title track from the new album standing out the most. The song has a big chorus, and most of those in attendance helped frontman Biff Byford sing the lyrics. As is often the case with Saxon, lots of the band's new material was featured throughout the set with six songs from Thunderbolt making the cut as well as a handful from other more recent albums. While these songs were well received, it was the older material that really got everyone going. Motorcycle Man did this early on, and when Nibbs Carter (bass guitar/vocals) started to play the iconic bassline for Strong Arm of the Law the place erupted. What was clearly throughout the show was how happy the band were to be headlining a venue of this size again. Byford spoke to the crowd quite a lot throughout the show and regularly made reference to how he felt like he was back in the 1980s. Saxon were a big band once upon a time, and it is great seeing them on this second wind that is taking them somewhere back to those heights once again. Another crowd favourite was the fast-paced Power and the Glory, which saw guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt nailing the harmony guitar riff and drummer Nigel Glockler (despite recently having his nose bitten by a dog) laying into his double bass drums. It has never been a particular favourite of mine, but this time the song really came alive for me. Another strong moment was Solid Ball of Rock, a song and album which I am not too familiar with, but it proved to be another Saxon classic with a big chorus. As the set moved towards the end more and more classics where wheeled out. I feel that They Played Rock and Roll will be a future classic, and this was followed by And the Bands Played On which has always been a favourite of mine. Another real favourite 747 (Strangers in the Night) was up next and by this point the band were really cruising. The crowd had opened up as well, and the atmosphere was excellent. This was clear during the epic Crusader and the closing stomper Princess of the Night which were both met with huge cheers. There was time for not one but two encores which raised the energy to an even higher level. While I have never been a huge fan of the song on record, The Eagle Has Landed is an epic live song. The crushing riff filled the hall, and Byford sung the haunting vocals with the right level of eeriness. The three songs left were all ever-present classics, with Wheels of Steel inciting a large crowd sing along before the metal anthem Demin and Leather brought the show to a close. The setlist was:

Olympus Rising
Thunderbolt
Sacrifice
Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)
Motorcycle Man
Predator
Strong Arm of the Law
Battering Ram
Power and the Glory
Solid Ball of Rock
The Secret of Flight
Dallas 1pm
They Played Rock and Roll
And the Bands Played On
747 (Strangers in the Night)
Sons of Odin
Crusader
Princess of the Night
-
The Eagle Has Landed
Heavy Metal Thunder
-
Wheels of Steel
Denim and Leather

Saxon never disappoint live and this show in Nottingham was no exception. As said previously it was fantastic to see the band filling such a large venue, and hopefully this trend continues. It is the band's fortieth anniversary next year, and it seems that something special is in the works for 2019 - so I am looking forward to seeing what that is.