Born Crusaders
Saxon were part of heavy metal royalty back in the 80s and although they've dropped under the mainstream radar in recent years they've kept recording and those in the know hail their recent work as being amongst their best.
Live they have always been a class act and tonight is no different, it's hard, heavy, tight & impressive. The crowd chant their name before they come on and give a rousing reaction to every song. He might be starting to look his age but singer Bill Byford has lost none of his stage craft and turns in a meticulous performance, he's just the classic metal front man and works both stage and crowd expertly. Some of the material sounds a little dated but by & large it's a reminder of just why Saxon were so big first time round.
The set list is something of a greatest hits collection with 'Motorcycle Man', '747', the classic 'Wheels of Steel', 'Crusader' and 'Dogs of War' all proving to be perennial crowd pleasers. Guitarists Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn play off each other expertly and as you'd expect there is plenty of posturing to the crowd. I'm not a huge Saxon fan but every time I see them live they never fail to impress and tonight is no exception, they put on a good show and do it with ease yet still give it their all even after 30 years. The crowd clearly appreciate the effort and they get the biggest reaction of any band at the festival so far this weekend.