Like a fine wine Saxon is back even bigger and bolder than before. The band that has been on my playlists for 5 decades and who were a regular gig for a teenage me back in the mid 80’s are on a fine run of form. The last five years have been crazy: not only have they produced two fine studio albums in ‘Carpe Diem’ and ‘Thunderbolt’ but there have been two covers albums and a solo record from Biff Byford. This year’s just released ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ though is something else and may just be their greatest record this side of the millennium. The big news for our North American readers is that they are coming your way on a package made to get those heads banging – joining with Uriah Heep in Spring 2024 to present the ‘Hell, Fire & Chaos: The Best of British Rock & Metal’ Tour. We caught up with main man Biff to find out more…
Biff: Hello!
Mark: Hello Sir, how are you?
Biff: I’m fine thank you Mark.
Mark: Happy belated birthday Biff, we missed you by a couple of days. I hope you have a good one?
Biff: Thank you very much. I had a good one with the family, you know.
Mark: Well, you’ve given us a wonderful present with a wonderful new album ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ which down here in Australia it’s just technically clicked over to release date.
Biff: Oh, that’s great! Cool!
Mark: It’s a wonderful time to be a Saxon fan. I think you’re last two albums have been my favourites in many years, the last record ‘Carpe Diem’ having your highest chart position in the UK since 1983! I have a sneaking suspicion that ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ will do better than that.
Biff: Well, we’re always trying to write the perfect song and make the perfect album. I don’t know if we’ll ever achieve that but it’s something to drive us, we’re always trying to write better songs, you know. And we’re always open to experimenting more with different ways of playing guitar and things. It’s pretty good fun making albums these days.
Mark: Well, it sounds fantastic, and your vocals are the best I think, in years, not only that you’ve done a great job co-producing – it sounds huge. It’s a wonderful album to listen to with the cans on.
Biff: Yeah, it turned our really well, we were hoping it would be a good quality hi-fi album, but I think something magical happened along the way and t turned out pretty great. We worked hard on it with Andy (Sneap) the Producer and everything worked out perfectly for us, so we’re all really happy.
Mark: It starts auspiciously as well – I love the introduction that Brian Blessed has done for you – that booming voice is unmistakable. I know he hails from Mexborough which is probably about as close to Barnsley as you were born.
Biff: Yeah, yeah he’s from the same area. I’ve met him a number of times over the years. I think the fist time we met was in the 90’s doing some charities for some coal mine villages that needed some help. He’s introduced us on stage at a few Festivals up and down, so we do know him. I wanted to go back to the 1980’s a bit and do one of those big beginnings that we used to do back in the day. I think it worked out really well. We were very lucky to get him really as he’s very busy doing voice-overs for adverts and things. It’s a great voice.
Mark: It is. And talking of being busy Saxon is going to keep you busy this year with an absolutely massive tour of Europe with Judas Priest and Uriah Heap followed by an equally huge return to The States for a double header with Uriah Heep!
Biff: Yeah.
Mark: You must be looking forward to that but dreading a little bit the amount of time you will be spending on the road?
Biff: Yeah, it’s gonna be hard being away from home for so long, that’s the downside of touring but it’s great when these opportunities happen. I’ll probably go to America with my wife a few days before we start touring, juts to have a break and a holiday together. But there’s plenty you can do, people can fly out and join us for some of the show, so you’re not totally isolated these days if you know what I mean. Not like being stuck in the back of a van like the old days!
Mark: Sadly it’s been a few years since I last saw you at The Rocklahoma Festival a few years back. It’s always great to get in front of a big crowd isn’t it!
Biff: Yeah, Rocklahoma was great. Is it still going? I’ve not heard of it for some time?
Mark: It is still going but its focus has changed over the years
Biff: That’s great. Festivals do adapt to what they consider to be their audience, it’s the same in the UK and Europe they change a lot, it’s about getting more people through the door really.
Mark: It is. It’s a long time since the first time I saw you on stage which from memory I think was on the Bomber Tour with Motorhead. At least I think you played that?
Biff: We did! 1979. That was our first ever proper tour as a band.
Mark: And that was my first experience of the band as a very young boy, and I’ve been a fan ever since Biff. And having that long history I have to say that I think you’ve rewarded fans certainly over the last few years with some wonderful music. Knew the new record would be great when I heard the ‘Roswell’ song (‘There’s Something in Roswell’) That really is something else! Tell us how that one came together?
Biff: (laughs) Well the song itself – I’ve always wanted to write something about Roswell, and I’m a big fan of and very interested in conspiracy theories. I think it’s all very interesting, and Roswell is a big one, it’s like ground zero for fans of UFOs and people that study that sort of thing. So I sing it as if I’m a believer that there’s something in Roswell. I personally think there probably was something in Roswell, definitely. It’s a bit like the grassy knoll, another I find really interesting. Nibbs our bassist came up with this guitar riff in a quite early 80’s style and I thought “Yeah, that will be a great vehicle for my idea for Roswell” so we all got together and put the song together. The band played it live a couple of times in our rehearsal rooms and it sounded great really.
Mark: I turned out to be a real highlight, but there’s such variety on there. I always look forward to the historical stories that you are going to be telling us. I loved history at school and for me that’s a big part of my enjoyment of Saxon album these days. And there’s some greats on the new record. ‘Kubla Khan and the merchant of Venice’ I absolutely love. You can tell you like to read.
Biff: Yeah I like to read, I read a lot but I read a lot more back in the day because there’s so much more on social media now. Back in the day it was harder to research, you’d have to watch documentaries or read a physical book about it. But I did read a book about Kubla Khan and the Khan family – Kubli, Genghis and the others, and I was intrigued by that dynasty and those people. And I think I watched a documentary a few years ago. But I like the song, it’s quite Prog-Rocky, you’d never get Taylor Swift doing a song called ‘Kubla Khan and the Merchant of Venice’ (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) Well not unless she just broke up with them!
Biff: (laughs)
Mark: Though if she heard it she might just do because it’s a cracking song.
Biff: (laughs) Probably yeah! That would be great!
Mark: I also really loved the riff to ‘1066’ – that one really grabbed me as well.
Biff: Yeah again I was delving into history on the album, I was worried that there was maybe too much history on this one. (laughs) But if you take it each song on its own it all works! I pretty much just went for it lyrically, went for what my gut feeling was telling me and just tried to write some interesting lyrics about interesting things. I thought if I did that everything would be OK.
Mark: It is. I can’t really pick a favourite which is always the sign of a great record. There are some great moments like ‘Fire and Steel’ which is very Motorhead in style for me?
Biff: Yeah, I mean Motorhead did influence us a lot. Especially in those early days. A lot of the songs on ‘Wheels of Steel’ are fast songs which is very ‘Motoheadish’. We shared a lot of influences too. But yeah, pretty much yes there were a big influence on us definitely.
Mark: One of many songs on an album I think I can safely say is my favourite Saxon album this millennium.
Biff: Yeah a lot of people are saying good things. It’s the first album out really this year. I’m hoping that a lot of people are looking at it and thinking “Shit, we have to up our game a little bit.” (Laughs)
Mark: (Laughs)
Biff: There’s a new Priest album out as well and that’s pretty good as well. Obviously I think ours is better.
Mark: (laughs) I’m thinking ‘Album of the Year 2024’ at the moment even though we’re just only out of the starting blocks!
Biff: (Laughs) Well I’m sure it will have a lot of legs (Laughs) We’re touring all year so it should be pretty fresh in people’s minds you know, we’re out there. And we’ll be doing a few more videos to keep people’s interest, you know. That’s what you use videos for these days, they’re like little video singles I suppose.
Mark: I was talking to someone yesterday who is very influenced by your band and he asked me to say hello, Hampus from ‘Bullet’ sends his regards.
Biff: Oh yeah!
Mark: I asked him “Do you have anything you would like me to ask Biff?” and he said “Yes can you ask him if we can use another one of your whistles on their next album?”
Biff: (Laughs) Of course he can! (Laughs) He can use two of them! There you go!
Mark: (laughs) He said he still has the audio file of the twenty whistles you did for him and he didn’t want them to go to waste!
Biff: Yes I did various whistles for him!
Mark: He said that if I could get your permission that way he could say that you’re guesting on the new album too!
Biff: (laughs) Yeah, get some whistles on there!
Mark: My big question for you with this album is about your voice. Think his is one of your best vocal performances in years. I’ve talked to many people about what they do to protect their voice and seek out any tips. The really lucky ones like Glenn Hughes and John Waite say they don’t do anything, that’s just how it is. But what’s the secret for you?
Biff: I don’t have any secrets, I just sing, I’m just lucky really. No I don’t have any. But there are some things I don’t do, like for instance I don’t pour Jack Daniels down my throat for a start and I don’t do drugs, so I don’t have that going against me. But my voice is pretty natural really, I don’t really do much at all. I do sing a lot, which I think keeps it in good condition. But I just think learn to relax between performances and just go for it really. You do have to be aware when you are singing, especially if you’re doing a lot of shows, you have to be aware what your throat is doing, what your voice is doing and try and keep the power, because I have a very powerful voice, so I donlt overdo it and risk burning it out. But I’ve learnt over the years to control that power really, I think that’s really the only secret I have. I still like to have a drink, a glass or red but stay off the shots and things because that can really burn your vocal chords.
Mark: All things in moderation, except of course Rock and Roll.
Biff: (Laughs)
Mark: It seems like you’ve been just so busy over the last five years with three Saxon albums, two covers albums and a solo album. The stunning thig for me is the quality during that extraordinary bust of creativity. What do you put that down to? Why have the last few years been so fertile and so damned good?
Biff: Well I think a lot of the motivation comes from me, it’s usually me that says “Let’s so this or let’s do that” but I think the boys in the band are up for it really so they don’t need much persuading to go into a room and start to write or play music. I mean the compilation covers albums – the first one came out in the pandemic because we wanted to do something. At the time we had an album almost ready ‘Carpe Diem’ the last album and we didn’t want to put that out in the pandemic because it would just get forgotten because nobody was really buying anything at that point. I think a lot of people were listening to a lot of music but I don’t think they were picking up a lot of new music.
Mark: I think we were all out buying toilet paper at the time.
Biff: (Laughs) we were! And somebody I know has still got all that toilet paper! I think it’s in the shed at the bottom of their garden for next time, or a rainy day. I used to see people coming out with two trolleys full of it thinking what strange people they are. Why not cans of beans or beer? Why toilet roll? Crazy.
Mark: It’s an amazing streak of creativity, it really is. It’s not meant to happen like that though, is it? Aren’t you meant to be talking it easy and putting your feet up?
Biff: I just can’t seem to do that. I’m not sure why.
Mark: We also see a change in the band in that Brian Tatler comes in on guitar. He’ll be touring with you I believe but it sounds like Paul in parts on the album?
Biff: Yeah, Paul played a little bit on the album, but Brian did most of it, though Doug did the majority of the guitar playing. But Brian was very involved, he wrote a couple of songs with me ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ and ‘Madame Guillotine’ – they were Brian’s guitar riffs. He actually got more involved with the album than we expected him to. It was just the circumstances, I asked him if he had a couple of guitar riffs and he did and they were great so I used them! Why wouldn’t you?
Mark: Why not – exactly! And just to tie things in with the European Tour with Judas Priest and Uriah Heep – Andy your producer has joined Priest.
Biff: Yeah, he basically joined Priest between ‘Carpe Diem’ and this album. He’s doing well he enjoys it, he loves that period of British Metal, although of course Priest did a few albums in the 70’s. And of course he’s producing their albums as well – so he’s a bit of a busy bee.
Mark: Before we go I have to mention that I’m loving the ‘Red Brick City’ album that you did with your son, I know it was born out of the pandemic and I’ve only just come across it but it turned out very nice!
Biff: Yeah, it’s great writing with my son Seb, he’s a great song writer and guitarist and writes great riffs. And there’s another one out there now too, we have a second Heavy Water album – that’s called ‘Dreams of Yesterday.’ It’s a different sound to Saxon and different sound to his band as well but we found some common ground there. We’re big fans of 60’s and 90’s music so it’s a bit like the 60’s meets Soundgarden! (Laughs) For those with abroad musical tase, a bit like me really! But it’s good fun working with him and he likes to rock pout and we can do different things on those records, there’s close harmonies and it’s quite Folky, but we do some heavy stuff – it’s good fun.
Mark: The U.S. Tour I have to say starts on April 23rd in Fort Lauderdale Florida and goes on all the way to Dallas on May 31st. It’s always great to get back to the U.S. isn’t it?
Biff: It is. We have been trying to get back. We had another tour booked earlier but it didn’t work out because we couldn’t actually get things together in time, it’s complicated these days! But this one’s in place now so we’re looking forward to it. If you want us I think we might come back in November and do a few more on the West Coast. But let’s see what we can put together!
Mark: It’s a busy year for you and I think you’ve put out your finest album in many, many years, and to think in 2024 we’d be saying that is wonderful.
Biff: Yeah it’s great, we’re very excited about the album coming out and feeling good. Maybe we can even manage to get down to Australia – that would be good as well.
Mark: You never know. You almost came down to see us for Soundwave a few years ago.
Biff: I know we’ve had quite a big fan base there growing over the years so I think we should – maybe Japan, Australia and New Zealand? What do you think?
Mark: I think you know what I think Biff. I’ll even put you up!
Biff: (Laughs)
Mark: I have a bet on with a very good mate that this new record will top ‘Carpe Diem’ in the UK charts which got to number 17. I think this one is going to go better!
Biff: Well, let’s keep our fingers crossed! (Laughs)
Mark: I think he’s lost his money!
Biff: I’m so glad you liked that album. Good talking to you Mark.
Mark: Thanks Biff!
Hell, Fire & Chaos USA Tour
Tuesday 23rd April – FortLauderdale, FL – The Parker
Wednesday 24th April – Tampa, FL – Hard Rock Event Center
Thursday 25t April – Orlando, FL – The Plaza Live
Sunday 28th April – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
Tuesday 30th April – Morgantown, WV – The Metropolitan Theatre
Wednesday 1st May – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
Thursday 2nd May – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
Friday 3rd May – Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
Sunday 5th May – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues
Tuesday 7th May – Long Island, NY – Patchogue Theatre
Wednesday 8th May – Glenside, PA – KeswickTheatre
Friday 10th May – Peekskill, NY – Paramount Hudson Valley Arts
Saturday 11th May – Cleveland, OH – TempleLive at the Cleveland Masonic
Sunday 12th May – Elkhart, IN – Lerner Theatre
Monday 13th May – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
Tuesday 14th May – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe
Thursday 16th May – Marietta, OH – People’s Bank Theatre
Friday 17th May – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Saturday 18th May – Joliet, IL – Rialto Square Theatre
Sunday 19th May – St. Charles, IL – Arcada Theatre
Tuesday 21st May – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center
Wednesday 22nd May – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
Friday 24th May – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre
Saturday 25th May – Wichita, KS – TempleLive at Scottish Rite Center
Wednesday 29th May – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
Thursday 30th May – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
Friday 31st May Dallas, TX – Glass Cactus
More Dates to be added!
Tickets are available via general on sale Friday January 12th through all usual ticket outlets.
VIP packages are also available consisting of a pre-show Meet & Greet with both bands together,
Signed Photo of each band, Personal Photo Opportunities,
Exclusive Merchandise Item from each band and a special VIP Tour Laminate.