Saxon JB's Dudley Monday October 17

"B****y hell, how many tribute bands do they have here?" asks Saxon frontman Biff Byford as he stares at the 'forthcoming' posters and ruefully shakes his lank locks.

"You're getting the real thing tonight though," he bellows as the crowd in JBs in Dudley roar their approval.

Saxon should be as big as Iron Maiden after early 80s albums such as Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, and Denim and Leather and playing to thousands, not hundreds, of fans.

But anthems like Dallas 1pm dried up and the band failed to 'grow' and instead churned out album after album in a scatter-gun approach that yielded barely a song worth mentioning in the annals of Metal.

A legal dispute with former band members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson over the use of the band name did not help their cause either.

Only their live shows and impressive early back-catalogue, with songs like show-opener Motorcycle Man sounding good more than 25 years on, have helped them keep a loyal following.

Now, however, the legal wranglings are resolved and Byford is back in charge of Saxon, where he belongs. On this evidence the fans still appreciate seeing him up close and personal.

Material from their new studio album Lionheart is better than most of their 90s back catalogue (which isn't saying a lot) and on Monday night 'Witchfinder General' and 'Lionheart' were delivered with drive and went down surprisingly well.

At least the band didn't try to 'force' the new songs on the fans as most of the show was reserved for their greatest hits.

Strong Arm of the Law, Strangers in the Night, Wheels of Steel and second encore Heavy Metal Thunder rained down in a crowd-pleasing two-hour set that showed off the fret-board talents of guitarists Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn.

Energetic bassist Nibbs Carter and powerful drummer Jrg Michael keep things together but Byford is like a rock star running on empty, 'prowling' the stage like a middle-aged man in need of a good sit down!

Thankfully his voice is still strong and he has a laugh with the crowd; I suppose you can hardly expect him to be throwing himself around like a teenager anymore!

The Yorkshireman certainly needed his characteristic sense of humour when the fire alarm went off mid song. This after the support band failed to show! At least there was no confusion over the stage set, yet such 'Spinal Tap' moments only contributed to an enjoyable gig.

Scott Faulkner