Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Kino Šiška / Slovenia
Concert date: 29.05.2011
Attendance: 550
Ticket price: 22,00€ / 25,00€
After two years, the legendary British heavy metal outfit Saxon came back to Slovenian soil. This year they’re celebrating 34 years since they formed way back in 1977, and on top of that they’ve just released their nineteenth studio album, Call to Arms. We fully expected a proper Heavy Metal Thunder, and we got it in generous helpings.
But first, the warm-up duty fell to freshly baked Dutch band Vanderbuyst, who blend hard rock influences from the likes of Thin Lizzy with plenty of New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands (Saxon among them, obviously). Total strangers on our stages, the Dutchmen started their set in front of a crowd you could count on one hand. But song by song Vanderbuyst’s intensity grew, and so did the energy below the stage as the audience got bigger and bigger. The trio used the Kino Šiška stage with energy and confidence, especially frontman Willem Verbuyst, who on top of colorful, excellent soloing also fired up and worked the crowd. And the guy has an ultra-cool mustache! In forty minutes the lads ran through tracks from the demo and the debut Vanderbuyst, helped along by a punchy, clear sound that gave all three instruments and the vocals enough room. With a properly relaxed vibe, a solid performance and infectious heavy metal (which does eventually get a bit samey and predictable), the band hit its target and surely won a fan or two over here.
But instead of the tension building up even more before the NWOBHM legends hit the stage, the next act, England’s Crimes of Passion, managed to do the exact opposite. The Englishmen from Sheffield, with their soul-crushing, boring, chewed-over heavy metal, had us yawning by the very first song. The off-key vocal wandering didn’t help, and Dale Radcliffe’s voice has an annoying timbre that’s hardly friendly on the ears to begin with; his higher register is pretty pitiful too. The static stance of the other members and the, to put it mildly, dopey, rehearsed crowd banter are just one more minus in a long list this band can boast. There’s nothing passionate about Crimes of Passion, just criminally bad music.
Thank the gods of war, the lights went out again quickly, and Biff and his Saxon horde struck Šiška with the Hammer of the Gods, Hammer of the Gods, the opening track of the new album Call to Arms. The crushing start with its wound-up riffs and the very first notes made it clear that another top-notch show from this legendary heavy metal band was on the way. Saxon didn’t hold back; right from the start they floored the gas pedal and hurled us into the first classic of the night, the immortal anthem Heavy Metal Thunder. The vitality of these gray-haired gentlemen never stops surprising and astonishing; the Byford/Quinn/Carter/Scaratt lineup squeezes more energy out of themselves onstage than plenty of bands that have only just started out. Despite their enviable ages on paper, the blood of twenty-year-olds flows through Saxon’s veins! There was no shortage of jumping around and nonstop dynamics, mostly thanks to bassist Nibbs “the human spinning top” Carter, who kept bouncing back and forth and, with his nonstop, marathon headbanging, proved that even at (almost) fifty (!) there’s no time for rest! Just his presence had to get everyone below the stage moving! There can be no complaints about the instrumental performance with Saxon: every member does their job flawlessly and at the highest level, and there’s simply no room for mistakes or messing around with this lineup. Your eyes get misty at the crystal-clear guitar lines of the band’s core, the Quinn/Scaratt guitar duo; their ever-reliable soloing is a veritable dictionary of heavy metal guitar. In the background, the incredible Nigel Glockler shook the floor, pounding the drums, despite his age, with the energy and enthusiasm of a kid whose parents just bought him his first drum kit. Not for a moment did Carter stop cannon-firing colorful, dynamic fills and torpedoing us with the double bass pedal. The center of attention, clearly and without a doubt, is Mr. Biff Byford, who with his incredible charisma commands every corner of the stage and gives attention to each and every person at the gig. And with a phenomenal vocal form he proves how strong and convincing he is at his no-longer-so-green sixty-odd years! This time Saxon presented the new album with four tracks: the opener Hammer of the Gods, the exceptionally atmospheric, shattering half-ballad Call to Arms, Back in 79 and the heavy metal-wound Afterburner, proving that Saxon are a band that knows no studio misfires. The rest of the night went to the iron-clad classics, which they lined up one after another – Motorcycle Man, Dallas 1PM, Rock n’ Roll Gypsy, And the Bands Played On, the surprise Play It Loud (and Saxon really do play loud!), The Eagle Has Landed and the closing Princess of the Night. The veterans gave us a whole two encores, starting with the crusading anthem Crusader, the everlasting 747 and, to finish, Strong Arm of the Law and Wheels of Steel. An enviable 21 songs, something even bands with half as many years behind them as Saxon don’t attempt!
Šiška answered the call to arms of the British heavy metal gentlemen with great joy. Saxon proved that after thirty years of playing they’re still Heavy Metal Thunder at force 17 on the Beaufort scale!
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
1. Hammer Of The Gods 2. Heavy Metal Thunder 3. Never Surrender 4. Motorcyle Man 5. Back In ’79 6. I Got To Rock (To Stay Alive) 7. Dallas 1 p.m. 8. Call To Arms 9. Rock N’ Roll Gypsy 10. Demon Sweeney Tod 11. And The Bands Played On 12. Man And Machine 13. The Eagle Has Landed 14. Afterburner 15. Play It Loud 16. Denim & Leather 17. Princess Of The Night —Encore I.— 18. Crusader 19. 747 (Strangers In The Night) —Encore II.— 20. Strong Arm Of The Law 21. Wheels Of Steel
Photo Gallery
