Following their storming performance at this year’s Download festival, SAXON seem to have come back from the dead to be once again, one of the leading lights on the metal scene. Nearly 30 years ago SAXON supported MOTÖRHEAD on their UK tour, and with MOTÖRHEAD still selling out the likes of the 3,500 capacity Manchester Apollo, SAXON were not going to pass up the opportunity to relive past glories.

Nobody is enjoying SAXON’s recent resurgence more than frontman Biff Byford, who remains an awesome showman, leading his troops into battle, storming through metal anthems like ‘Never Surrender’ and ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’. The bone-crunching ‘Wichfinder General’ gave a taster of what SAXON have been up to in recent years, and the excellent ‘Hellcats’ was one of two preview tracks played from the forthcoming ‘Into The Labyrinth’ album, due for release in January. ’747 (Strangers in the Night)’ was preferred to ‘Wheels of Steel’ as the set closer, and in 50 minutes, SAXON had delivered a firm reminder of their tremendous metal credentials.

Without fail, every year MOTÖRHEAD tour the UK, and every year, hoardes of fans go and see them for the umpteenth time. Why? Well, Lemmy just never fails to deliver. MOTÖRHEAD are a well oiled live machine, and their raw, heavy brand of rock’n’ roll, just does the business. From the opening bass riff of ‘Iron Fist’, to the frenetic thrashfest ‘Overkill’ - MOTÖRHEAD were fantastic. Despite all the years of rock excesses, and Jack Daniels on cornflakes every morning, Lemmy manages to plod on regardless. His vocals seem to be slightly rougher as each year goes by, but who the hell listens to MOTÖRHEAD to hear great singing? This is a band you listen to in order to lose control and forget about your stresses…just bang your head and rock!

New song ‘Rock Out’ was a real standout, as was ‘Metropolis’ and a typical cynical delivery of ‘Just ‘Cos You Got The Power’. There’s not a lot you can say about MOTÖRHEAD, but they are certainly just as loud and raucous as they ever have been, and while that remains the case, people like me will just keep on going to see them, even if it does mean a good dose of tinnitus for the next week. Long live rock’n'roll!

SAXON Rating: 4.5/5.0

Photography by Alexander Shaw (click here)