SAXON
SALA HEINEKEN MADRID 03/10/09
As I arrived at the venue there was a massive queue snaking its way down the high street. The doors eventually opened after what seemed an eternity and we filed in to find there was going be no support bands tonight. The venue itself was ok and had good views of the stage, but I was shocked when I went to buy a pint and was robbed of 12 Euros for it; needless to say I only had the one drink.
As the lights dimmed and the intro for ‘Battalions of Steel’ came forth the place went mental! it’s been a long time since they last played Madrid and the Spanish fans were hungry for it. After the first five songs as usual Biff tore up the set-list and listened to what was being requested. All the classics were there ‘Dallas 1pm,’ ’20,000ft,’ ’Backs to the Wall,’ ’Never Surrender’ plus many more, but Saxon aren’t just living in the past. The newer material sits perfectly in the setlist alongside the classics and the fans seem to enjoy these just as much as the classics. Usually new songs for such longstanding bands are an excuse to go to the toilet or get a beer, not so here, with ‘Demon Sweeney Todd’ and ‘Valley of the Kings’ being particular highlights of the set.
Biff sounded in fine voice with no hint of the throat infection that has ended the rest of the European tour (dates have been rescheduled for 2010) The twin guitars of Quinn and and Scarrott were crystal clear and sounded awesome. Nibbs banged his head throughout the entire gig and Nigel Glocker the man at the back is just a drumming powerhouse and still showing the youngsters how it’s done. They encored with‘747’and ‘Princess of the Night’ and then they were gone. A great gig didn’t miss support bands at all. Here’s to the UK tour in November with Anvil and Suidakra.
Graham Horne
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