Saxon
Shepherd’s Bush Empire
April 23, 2008
London, UK

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer

Comments: English hard rock vets Saxon launched their world tour on St. George's Day at Shepherd's Bush Empire, one of the best theatre venues in London with quite a bang. The fact that the first show of the tour coincided with England’s national day, plus this being the band’s first London gig this year, put the variegated crowd in a doubly festive mood. The audience was, indeed, surprisingly varied - metalheads, young musicians, teenage rock fans, goths, and those who have been following the band since its beginnings in the mid-Seventies, have all gathered to mark the day with a celebration of traditional English hard-rock. Red and white England flags could be spotted practically everywhere - from being wrapped around shoulders of underage fans to hanging from balconies. Support act Sweet Savage put up an amiable performance full of old-school hard rock grit, and Girlschool who followed showed that to this day they remain elegantly poised eye candy, their simplistic tunes rolling smoothly along the time-tested lines and, thankfully, not contradicting the visual allure of their set.

The crowd grew restless at around nine, demanding to see the headliners, spurred on by the unveiling of Saxon’s imposing drum set. Saxon let the crowd simmer before finally hitting the stage twenty minutes later, opening the show with a riff-heavy rendition of “Princess of the Night”, this aural bluster instantly showing that they remain a dramatic, vivid band, with truth of feeling still at the root of what they do. The stage being set low and the front rows packed with recently recruited excited teenage fans, as well as more staid but no less enthusiastic first-generation supporters, instantly created a buzzing, keyed up atmosphere, the band and the audience connecting with each other immediately.

The current disorientation of canonical English hard rock seemed a very remote, if not imaginary a notion to a crowd which from the word go began cheering the opener's granite-block power chords, gritty guitar leads and Biff Byford’s blaring vocals. Doug Scarratt’s simple but decisive approach to his guitar parts and strong, functional rhythm section all supported the vocal leads with focused precision, allowing Biff to deliver his message loud and clear, unhindered by any unnecessary refinements and showcasing brilliantly the trademark anti-clutter style Saxon have always taken pride in.

Given that the set list for the show has largely been chosen by the fans, it was good to see that it included songs from the band’s latest album “The Inner Sanctum”. Released last year, this record became the band’s turning-point album for the 21st century, tonight proving that it managed to hit all the marks, the new material holding up smashingly on par with all the old hits. "Let Me Feel Your Power" which came on after the opener, was a raucous hard rock banger, its gritty stark riff ringing out crisp and bright in support of Byford’s perfectly modulated voice. If anything, it showed that Saxon have only gotten sleeker and more determined as they have entered the new millennium, their strong sense of melody, inescapable gift for hooks and Byford’s dynamic, convincing voice coinciding in a persuasive version of the style they have now perfected.

The old hits, of course, were drawing equally enthusiastic roar from the crowd, "Never Surrender" becoming a magnificent showstopper that the crowd sang along to, giving everyone a sense of connection with the past, as well as dropping heavy hits about the struggles faced both by hard rock and the nation, Saxon surely being far from indifferent to the fate of both. This clear-cut message of perseverance and resolve was reinforced by another oldie standout “English Man O’War” which became the mid-show highlight, coming at the audience loud and clear, instantly recognised and vigorously cheered. No matter how simplistic and blunt the imagery Saxon are projecting may be, during this show song after song they have managed to take the audience somewhere special, leaving behind mundane day-to-day realities, and at privileged moments going beyond stylistic restrictions of hard rock into the realm of pure grassroots music designed to bring people together.

The band's energy showed no signs of sagging towards the end of the show as they saved some of the biggest highlights of the set for the 5-song encore which started with “State of Grace” and ended with “Crusader”, which received a thunderous reception and concluded the show on a highly keyed, spirited note.

A band completely aware of its purpose and its nature, and with an acute understanding of what must be done to preserve the drama at the heart of hard rock, tonight Saxon put their case forward with amazing vitality and conviction. Amidst changing fashions and uncertainties of today’s music industry, they still manage to persist and remain an honest act that supports the tradition making sure that it not only survives into the future, but truly flourishes.

Photos provided by Alissa Ordabai