Saxon - Bristol Review

After a couple of relatively slower weeks, which still included a couple of local shows and a trip to London, things are starting to pick up again from a gigging perspective. Last night in Bristol and a local show next weekend kickstart this next glut, but the following two long weekend periods contain three gigs each - with trips to Cardiff, Nottingham, and Bristol coming up, as well as another local night out. In fairness, with the exception of a trip to Wolverhampton just before Christmas, these two very busy weekends will essentially see 2025 come to a close as a gigging year - and, up to now, it has been another excellent one. Whilst I have ticket yet more bands off the list throughout the year, and have seen some spectacles, last night in Bristol I went to see an old faithful. Whilst there are some bands that I am happy to see once, or perhaps every few years, some bands I will try and catch on every tour. The NWOBHM band Saxon are one such act, and over the years I have seen them live quite a few times. I first saw them live in Falmouth back in 2011 - and since then I have seen them many more times all over the UK. Despite seeing the band regularly over the years, my last Saxon headline show came back in 2022 when I saw them at the excellent De Montfort Hall in Leicester. I did see the band last year, too, opening for Judas Priest - but the set was shorter than typical for Saxon - so when this latest headline tour was announced I picked up a ticket straight away. Bristol made the most sense given its proximity to home - and the refurbished Beacon is a great place to see bands live. Like the De Montfort Hall, too, it is one of those classic theatre-like venues that bands have been playing for years. Nearly every hard rock and metal tour in the 1970s and 1980s hit the Colston Hall as it was then and, unlike many of its contemporaries like the De Montfort Hall, it seems to remain a popular choice - especially since it reopened following a lengthy refurbishment. I hope the trend continues, as it has become a favourite venue of mine over the past year or so - and when classic acts like Saxon roll through it turns the clock back to the height of the NWOBHM movement when massive UK tours were the norm. This was especially the case last night, as Saxon's current UK tour is celebrating the 45th anniversary of their second, and most famous, album Wheels of Steel - one of two albums the band released in 1980. Considering how seminal Wheels of Steel is, many of its songs had not been featured in the band's setlists for years until this tour. Looking back at the Saxon shows I have been to, only the title track and 747 (Strangers in the Night) were played at every show - with Motorcycle Man also a regular inclusion. That meant that the other six songs from the nine-track album were new to me live. This is likely because Saxon have always been great at heavily featuring their latest album in their setlists, alongside shaking things up generally apart from a handful of staples. Even the big 40th anniversary show I saw in London, also in 2022, only featured the same three cuts despite the setlist largely focusing on 1980s classics. This current tour similarly focused on classics - a rarity for the band. With only three recent cuts in the setlists, this was very much a set for the old-school fan - so it should not have surprised anyone that the Beacon was packed out throughout with a loud crowd who were ready to relive their NWOBHM-era youth.

Wheels of Steel was not the only classic album that the crowd would hear in full, though, as opening the show was former Accept frontman Udo Dirkschneider and his band - who are currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of Accept's legendary fifth album Balls to the Wall. The fact that Balls to the Wall was actually released in 1983, making 2025 its 42nd anniversary should probably be overlooked - as getting an opportunity to hear such a statement album live in full is not something that comes around every day. With no backdrop or any kind of pomp, when the lights went down Dee Dammers (guitar/vocals) took to the stage - immediately launching into the mid-paced groovy riff of the album's title track. It must feel strange for Udo to open a show with a song which is generally reserved for the end - but the crowd was onside from the off as a result. With classic era Accept bassist Peter Baltes in tow, too, the presentation of the full album felt authentic - whilst the younger Dammers, Alen Brentini (guitar/vocals), and Udo's son Sven Dirkschneider (drums/vocals) formed a tight band around the two elder statesmen. Afforded around an hour, Udo and his band had plenty of time to play with - and their set included the full Balls to the Wall album alongside one other Accept favourite. The sound was pretty good from the off, even if Udo himself was a little low in the mix at times - but it was clear that his voice remains strong. His trademark rasp and occasional higher-pitched utterances sounded as good as ever - whilst the many excellent riffs of the album were served up nicely by Dammers and Brentini. Baltes' bass playing and songwriting was always key to Accept's success - and the opening of the grooving London Leatherboys showcased why. As was the case during the opening number, the second song's chorus was packed full of gang vocals from the band - which the crowd also helped out with. There were clearly plenty in attendance familiar with the album - and there was a strong atmosphere throughout Udo's set as a result. As is the case with Wheels of Steel, too, many of the songs on Balls to the Wall have not been regularly played live. As such, it was fun hearing more faster-paced tracks like Fight It Back - whilst Udo called Losing More Than You've Ever Had one of his favourites from the album. He seemed to be having a great time up on stage with his band - even acting as a support on this tour. Accept were never the biggest band here in the UK, hence their and Udo's limited trips here in recent years, but it was clear in the room that there was plenty of love for the music. Perhaps Udo will be persuaded to bring his solo band back for a tour of the UK in the not too distant future - and hearing anthems such as Turn Me On and the snappy Losers and Winners is always going to get the die-hards out for the evening. The format showcased that Accept's sound was always more diverse than perhaps it is often seen as being. The album's closing track Winter Dreams is a fairly delicate ballad which differed from the rollocking riffing found elsewhere - and it acted as a powerful penultimate number, with Udo delivering an emotive vocal and Dammers slowing down his usually speedy soloing style. The rest of the band, save for Sven, then briefly stepped off the stage - and the drummer led the crowd through a rendition of a familiar folk number, which of course led into the set's finale Fast as a Shark. There was plenty more singing from the crowd during this number - and around an hour on stage came to an end in a powerful manner. The setlist was (N.B. all of the songs below are Accept songs):

Balls to the Wall

London Leatherboys

Fight It Back

Head Over Heels

Losing More Than You've Ever Had

Love Child

Turn Me On

Losers and Winners

Guardian of the Night

Winter Dreams

Fast as a Shark

Around half an hour later, the lights went down again and the curtain which had been covering the stage dropped to reveal Saxon - who launched into the muscular Hell, Fire and Damnation right away. I have never been disappointed by Saxon live, and yesterday's show was no different. From the off, the band sounded powerful and as fired up as ever. Frontman Biff Byford was a little low in the mix early on, but this changed as the set progressed. Given his on-going cancer battle, he looked and sounded as good as ever. His voice retains the power of his youth, albeit with more grit now - whilst the rest of the band were as tight and high-octane as ever. I am not sure that I will ever quite get used to see Brian Tatler (guitar) on stage with Saxon, but he has formed a great guitar duo with fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt over the past couple of years - and the classic Saxon guitar sound remains very much intact with Tatler. The main set was split into two, with the first half containing a few newer songs alongside some classics - with Wheels of Steel following. Early on, then, the crowd were treated to plenty of big favourites. There were not too many surprises here - with anthems like Power and the Glory and Never Surrender sitting nicely alongside the thrashy newer number Sacrifice and the still brand-new Madame Guillotine, a creeping number led by Nibbs Carter (bass guitar/vocals). Perhaps the only slight curveball early on was the inclusion of Backs to the Wall from the band's 1979 debut album - largely in tribute to the band's first big tour with Motörhead which brought them to many cities, including Bristol, for the first time. Saxon crowds never let newer numbers dampen their enthusiasm, either, which is great. Sacrifice has been regularly played over the years, so was greeted like an old friend, but even Madame Guillotine kept the energy levels high - despite its creeping, classic rock-esque strut. Anyone needed a kick, though, would soon receive one in the form of Heavy Metal Thunder, which saw headbanging all around the venue - before the first part of the set came to a close with the somewhat more epic Dallas 1pm. Saxon often excel at mini-epics like this, with the song's subject matter and subtle bluesy vibes keeping a groove going. There was no break between the two halves of the set, but Byford spoke to the crowd briefly about the importance of Wheels of Steel - before the sound of motorcycles heralded the speedy Motorcycle Man. The first half of the set had been powerful, but Wheels of Steel in full took things to the never level. Many of the deeper cuts really shone, such as the boogie blues of Stand Up and Be Counted, but it was the evergreen classics 747 (Strangers in the Night) and the title track which got the crowd going the most - with both featuring sing-a-longs conducted by Byford. There was a danger that side two of the album could see the energy levels dropping, but that did not happen. A huge drum barrage from Nigel Glockler introduced the snappy and short Freeway Mad, whilst See the Light Shining felt like the precursor to those mini-epics I was talking about - which later albums would expand on. Byford rarely stopped to speak to the crowd during this portion of the night - but he did introduce a few songs in case anyone was not already familiar with the album. This seemed unnecessary, though, as everyone seemed onboard - with even the smoother Suzie Hold On not seeing a drop in energy levels, despite the song very much being the odd one out on the album. The raucous speed metal of Machine Gun saw the main set come to a fast-paced close, though, and the Bristol crowd could be heard chanting the band's name as they left the stage. A four-song encore followed, with four more classics making an appearance. Denim and Leather and the ode to Donington And the Bands Played On were both lapped up by the crowd, before some pulsing bass injected more bluesiness into the set via Strong Arm of the Law. The evening then came to a close with Princess of the Night, which kicked up the energy levels one last time - with the set overall being another triumph. The setlist was:

The Prophecy

Hell, Fire and Damnation

Power and the Glory

Sacrifice

Backs to the Wall

Never Surrender

Madame Guillotine

Heavy Metal Thunder

Dallas 1pm

Motorcycle Man

Stand Up and Be Counted

747 (Strangers in the Night)
Wheels of Steel

Freeway Mad

See the Light Shining

Street Fighting Gang

Suzie Hold On

Machine Gun

-

Denim and Leather

And the Bands Played On

Strong Arm of the Law

Princess of the Night

As I said earlier in this piece, Saxon never disappoint live. Whether playing a shorter set opening for a bigger band, supporting a new album with a setlist that reflects newer material, or playing tribute to a classic album from their past, the band always seem to get the memo. Their power never seems to waver, and they do not seem to be slowing up either. A new album is being worked on, which is likely due out next year, so that means that there is likely another Saxon tour due at some point in the near future - and I will certainly be there to witness what will be Saxon show number 10 for me.