Judas Priest/Saxon/Uriah Heep - OVO Hydro, Glasgow Monday 11th March 2024

So, there was great anticipation amongst UK metal fans when the three bands were announced on the Metal Masters Tour 2024, with Judas Priest headlining with support from their “very metal guests”, Saxon and Uriah Heep. With each of the bands either well into their sixth decade (or fast approaching it) and many of the band members now septuagenarians, there was perhaps a feeling that this could be one of the last occasions to see three legendary British metal bands touring together and for music fans of a certain vintage (as well as younger metalheads brought up in the faith!), It was too good an opportunity to miss. That was evident by the queues outside Glasgow’s spaceship-like arena from doors opening, with t-shirts from various eras of each band’s career worn proudly by many in attendance. With doors opening at 1800hrs and the first band due on stage at 1840hrs, relatively early for a weekday when many people were working, there was perhaps a bit of apprehension that the initial crowd would be unfairly light for the opening band. The fact that the venue was inexplicably all-seated for this show also had the potential to kill the atmosphere a bit. But there was no need to worry, with the Glaswegian faithful in their seats and in full voice in plenty of time for the lights to dim for what was the opening show of the tour.

Uriah Heep have had a rich vein of form in the latter part of their long career since being revitalised with the release of ‘Wake the Sleeper’ in 2008. Last year’s ‘Chaos & Colour’ album was well received by fans and critics alike, so it’s no surprise that vocalist Bernie Shaw, guitarist Mick Box, keyboard player Phil Lanzon, bassist Dave Rimmer and drummer extraordinaire Russell Gilbrook were keen to show the Scottish crowd that they still have a lot to offer almost 55 years since they formed in late-60s London. Unfortunately, their arrival onstage was delayed for unknown reasons, cutting their set to only 5 songs. But as Bernie Shaw himself acknowledged from the stage, it gave more people the opportunity to park their cars, meaning the crowd was probably fuller than it would have been if they’d started on time. Arriving onstage to some atmospheric music, they wasted no time in kicking into ‘Save Me Tonight’, the opening track from ‘Chaos & Colour’ before quickly moving into the frantic ‘Grazed by Heaven’ from 2018’s ‘Living the Dream’ album. “There’s around 150 years of music in here tonight” exclaimed Shaw, a nod to the combined longevity of the Judas Priest, Saxon and Uriah Heep, before playing new track ‘Hurricane’. With time not on their side due to the aforementioned late start, they finished with crowd-pleasers from their 1970s heyday, ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Easy Livin’’. It was a short but sweet set, mixing the old with the new and if there’s any criticism at all, it would be that Phil Lanzon’s keyboards appeared quite low in the mix and were inaudible at times (certainly from where I was sitting) and that’s not ideal when the whole Hammond organ sound has been a key component of the band’s sound from the outset of their career. But that’s a minor gripe in what was an otherwise flawless set. Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble, indeed!

Next up was Saxon, the Yorkshire band that has consistently released albums every few years since their self-titled debut in 1979. But like Uriah Heep, the have hit a very rich vein of form in the latter stages of their career, particularly since the release of ‘The Inner Sanctum’ in 2007. That period didn’t seem to start particularly well, when someone suggested it would be a great idea for them to appear in the TV programme ‘Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith’, during which there was an ill-advised and cringeworthy attempt at breaking the world record for “mass air guitaring” at Sheffield Wednesday’s football ground… during a game! It didn’t go too well but it did put them back into the limelight and gave exposure to the lead single from the album, allowing them to push on with a run of excellent albums with a more modern, heavier sound. New album ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ continued that trend and as the lights dimmed, the Glasgow was clearly ready to rock with their New Wave of British Heavy Metal heroes!

Arriving onstage to the doom-laden intro-tape of ‘The Prophecy’, the line-up of Biff Byford (vocals), Doug Scarratt (guitar), Timothy ‘Nibbs’ Carter (bass) and Nigel Glockler (drums) were joined by latest recruit, guitarist Brian Tatler of Diamond Head fame (who has replaced the recently retired Paul Quinn). It was a heavy set from start to finish, starting with the title track of the new album, before the crowd-pleasing 1980 classic ‘Motorcycle Man’ and the title track from 2013’s ‘Sacrifice’ really started to whet the appetite. Saxon are rightly proud of the heavy yet melodic music on their latest release, so it was to be expected that songs from the album would appear sporadically throughout their set. But such songs were cleverly spaced between stone-cold classics, with ‘There’s Something in Roswell’ giving way to ‘And the Bands Played On’ from 1981 (although I think one of the guitarists inadvertently played the intro to ‘747 (Strangers in the Night)’) and the Mary Antoinette-inspired ‘Madame Guillotine’ segueing into ‘Power and the Glory’. Saxon look like a genuinely revitalised band, with Carter in particular loving every moment of his time on the large Hydro stage, running, kicking and headbanging from one side to the other. “It’s a bit bigger than the Barrowlands” remarked Byford, as he surveyed the crowd from the floor level right up to the tiered seating in the arena before new song ‘Fire and Steel’ made its live debut. “We can’t play all of our songs, so you’ve got a choice of Crusader or Dallas 1pm”. The latter won the battle, and the JFK assassination-themed song caused fists to be pumped in the air throughout the venue.

The new tracks are excellent (in the words of Byford, “it’s fucking mighty”) and I’ve already acknowledged the brilliant music Saxon have released in the last 15 years or so… but it’s the classics that the crowd really wanted to hear; songs that could transport them back to the glory days of the Glasgow Apollo. That’s exactly what they got in the last four songs in the set! ‘747 (Strangers in the Night)’, a rendition of ‘Denim and Leather’ with lots of crowd participation and ‘Wheels of Steel’ really got the blood pumping before the one that most of the crowd were shouting out for, ‘Princess of the Night’, brought proceedings to a close. It was a fantastic set and it was great to see Saxon being given the opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd in an arena. They proved that they have the music and the ability to hold their own in such a setting, producing what is possibly the heaviest and most powerful performance I’ve seen from the band in many years. Truly brilliant stuff!

With two excellent performances from Uriah Heep and Saxon, Judas Priest were going to have to put on a magnificent show to keep the fans onside, particularly as their latest album had only been released a few days earlier and fans perhaps wouldn’t be overly familiar with it yet. Neither Saxon nor Uriah Heep had use of the video screens or the TV camera situated at the rear of the venue, so there was an expectation that their production would be the full works, so to speak.

A slim curtain containing the lyrics of the ‘Invincible Shield’ title track was draped from ceiling to floor, taking centre stage as Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’ intro signalled that the show was about to begin. The atmospheric intro music led to the crunching, opening chords of the new album’s opening song ‘Panic Attack’ and the curtain was quickly hoisted into the air, revealing the legendary vocalist Rob Halford, resplendent in his trademark leather with a shiny, sequined jacket. With Tipton’s well-publicised battle with Parkinson’s Disease restricting his ability to tour, producer Andy Sneap was back on guitar alongside hot-shot Richie Faulkner, drummer Scott Travis and the longest-serving band member, bassist Ian Hill. There was more leather on the Glasgow stage than in a Tanyard and I’m pretty sure that if it wasn’t for the ear-shattering volume of the music, you’d have heard each band member squeaking as they walked. But the image of leather and studs is very much part of the Judas Priest look… and fans wouldn’t have it any other way!

‘Panic Attack’ was the perfect opener and set the tone for what was to come over the next hour and a half. ‘Rapid Fire’ from 1980s ‘British Steel’ album, the magnificently catchy ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’’ and ‘Metal Gods’ allowed Ian Hill the chance to move his guitar from side to side in what has become his signature move, whilst the youngest member of the band, Faulkner, strutted around the stage, posed and played like the true guitar hero he has become! There was a return to more modern day material with 2018’s ‘Lightning Strike’ before a trip back to the 1980s heyday with the menacing ‘Love Bites’, which I’m told is potentially the first time this song has been performed in the UK.

It was a breath-taking and relentless start to the set, with the band preferring older, crowd pleasers over tracks from the new album… but this really didn’t seem to bother anyone, as let’s face it… people want the classics that transport them back to simpler times in their life, when heavy metal ruled! ‘Breaking the Law’ and ‘Saints in Hell’ did just that, forcing people to rise from their seats to sing along in unison. Despite the great nostalgia trip, it had to be remembered that Judas Priest were on tour to promote a new album and we were reminded of this by the pulsating ‘Trial By Fire’ and the title track, separated by another trip back in time with ‘Turbo Lover’. 1978’s ‘Beyond the Realms of Death’ slowed the tempo into what is as near to ballad territory as Judas Priest will get, giving Faulkner the chance to really stretch out his soloing in the outro before upping the tempo again with the bluesy ‘Victim of Changes’. ‘Screaming for Vengeance’, and ‘The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)’ led to drummer Travis addressing the Glasgow audience and asking “what song do you really want to hear?”, as he battered out the drum intro to the ferocious ‘Painkiller’, during which Halford’s voice was so high that it could’ve shattered windows in nearby homes and cars! It’s a song that has worked its way into the hearts (and fists!) of Judas Priest fans and there appears to be an expectation that it’ll appear in the setlist at some point. Great way to end the main set.

Halford and co disappeared behind the curtains at the side of the stage, something that actually happened after almost every song, leaving short periods of at times awkward silence (no idea why it happens!). But when he returned for the encore on the now famous Judas Priest motorbike, the band kicked into the intro to a raucous ‘Hell Bent for Leather’, with most people in the arena on their feet and singing along. There was a real communal atmosphere and Judas Priest used that momentum to take them into the set closer ‘Living After Midnight’. They left the stage to great applause, after delivering a 90-minute set mainly made up of classics, with the occasional newer track thrown in to remind us that they’re still writing brilliant new music. For long-time Judas Priest fans, there was nothing not to like!

As the crowd spilled into the cold Glasgow night air, there was a feeling that we had witnessed something special in the preceding 4 hours or so. There’s a tendency to write-off more nostalgic and classic metal bands such as Judas Priest, Saxon and Uriah Heep and to label them as ‘has beens’ who are irrelevant to modern metal music. But the fact is that these bands helped to define the genre in its heyday. They helped to create a movement and made heavy metal everything that we know and love. They are regularly cited as having inspired modern metal bands and clearly have a place in the lives of younger music fans judging by the number of youngsters in attendance at the show. Along with the brilliant new music all three bands are continuing to release, this makes them as relevant to metal music today as they were in the 1970s and 1980s. These bands are heavy metal! They are the Metal Masters… and long may they reign!

The Metal Masters Tour continues throughout the UK, with shows in Leeds, Dublin, Bournemouth, Birmingham and London before hitting mainland Europe and North America.