Saxon have been doing this for nearly forty years, and it shows. Pyro, fog machines, demonic lighting, songs about motorcycles, outlaws and rocking all night: Biff Byford and company make no apologies for the clichés and excesses of heavy metal. They embrace every last one of them. And well they should. This is what people came for: fantasy, escapism, good-natured rebellion and enough face-melting guitar solos to make the outside world disappear for a couple of hours.
The classics come thick and fast: “747 (Strangers in the Night),” “Denim and Leather,” “Strong Arm of the Law,” alongside a healthy selection from the excellent Battering Ram. One new song carries particular weight tonight. “They Played Rock and Roll” was written as a tribute to Motörhead, the band that should have been headlining this very concert, and Lemmy's absence inevitably hangs over its performance.
But mourning Lemmy with solemnity would hardly be appropriate. Saxon honour him the only sensible way: loudly. And there's little doubt that if Lemmy and Ronnie were here, they'd be tapping their feet, banging their heads and shaking what's left of their hair in approval.
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