Saxon & Dirkschneider: A Night of Metal History in Glasgow
The O2 Academy in Glasgow, whilst not having the character or, thankfully, the smell of the famous Apollo was the perfect spot for tonights show of heavy metal royalty.
Dedicated to celebrating the sound SAXON and the amazing German band DIRKSCHNEIDER, the packed out crowd on the floor and in the balcony at the Academy was absolutely buzzing.
There was an unmistakable mix of pure excitement from young and old alike and the smell of well-worn demin and leather jackets worn by the sea of long-time fans who were there to hear those legendary classics live again.
Dirkschneider (Accept’s Balls to the Wall in Full)
The evening kicked off with a masterclass in metal courtesy of DIRKSCHNEIDER, fronted by the one and only Udo Dirkschneider, former vocalist of the band ACCEPT.
The band, also featuring original ACCEPT band member Peter Baltes, were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the legendary Accept album, Balls to the Wall, and the set was a welcome relentless full on assault with the album in its entirety.
Udo’s trademark rasp is completely intact and it reached the fans present as if it was back in the heyday of ACCEPT. Young ands old alike sang back every word and were clear in their absolute enjoyment of the bands set.
The band are a very tight outfit and delivered flawlessly.
It was delightful to hear once again such classics as “Balls to the Wall” and “London Leatherboys” played live with many present never having had the opportunity to see them prior to tonight.
With very large black balloons filling the crowd from the start, emblazoned with the bands name, no-one could fail to be aware of the absolute lesson in live perforce they were witnessing.
Saxon – Hell Fire and Steel tour
The anticipation was through the roof before the curtain dropped and SAXON hit the stage.
With frontman Biff Byford diagnosed with bowel cancer early in 2025 he looked exactly like the heavy metal general he is with no signs of slowing down.
Powering the entire show with an unbelievable energy and a voice that remains as strong as it has always been, Byford, along with Doug Scarratt and Brian Tatler on guitars, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums, sounds as if they have not aged a day.
With a setlist that proved they’re still relevant today whilst also celebrating their history, Saxon completely owned the new tracks from their latest album, Hell, Fire and Damnation and blended them with their legendary older material. This proved to any doubters, not that there were any, that Saxon are not just some old nostalgia act.
The absolute major highlight of the evening was amazing performance of their 1980 classic, Wheels of Steel, album played in its entirety.
With Glasgow rocking out to tracks such as “Motorcycle Man”, “747 (Strangers in the Night)” and “Wheels of Steel” it was clear to anyone watching that Saxon were at the absolute top of their game on this tour.
Biff’s crowd interaction was on form as he teased with a good-natured joke before the next classic hit began and the inevitable encores only proved this even further, as if any proof was needed.
Denim jackets rained onto the stage from fans as the band played the legendary “Denim and Leather” with Biff signing as many as possible and bassist Nibbs Carter even trying one on, before returning them to their rightful owners.
The entire crowd left the Academy buzzing and Saxon had proven once and for all that they are still an absolutely vital force in heavy metal.
Review & Photographs by Gavin Ross
