Rockers Saxon on a roll

Saxon singer Biff Byford is looking forward to playing Wolverhampton Civic Hall next month.

"It's a little bit of a get together with the boys," he says - the boys in question being Motorhead, who kick off their UK tour along with fellow British metal legends Saxon and Canadians Danko Jones in the city on November 3.

"We haven't toured together since about 1980, I think," says Byford, who led his band onto the world stage as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal exploded in the late 70s and early 80s.

"We've done a few odd shows together. It's good, a lot of old fans are coming out to see us and a lot of young fans too. It brings back memories. We're both happening bands at the moment."

With 17 studio albums under their collective belts, Saxon's profile is definitely on the up following a leaner time of it in the 90s.

Formed as Son Of A Bitch in Barnsley in 1977, they quickly changed their name to Saxon and joined bands like Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Judas Priest in the charts with classic rock anthems including Wheels of Steels, 747 (Strangers In The Night) and The Strong Arm Of The Law.

While the 90s may have been a barren patch profile-wise, the band continued to record and tour, building a particularly stong following in Europe, and began to see their fortunes turn around with albums like 2004's Lionheart.

But it was 2007 which really marked a watershed for Saxon in the UK, as they released The Inner Sanctum, an album which many consider their best yet, and appeared on Harvey Goldsmith's Get Your Act Together programme on Channel 4, in which the famed promoter tried to use his skills to revive the band's fortunes.

It was a programme which was not without its comic moments and Saxon ran the risk of being made to play the heavy metal fools. So was it a help or a hindrance?

"It hasn't hindered us at all," says Biff.

"It made people aware that we were still around in the UK and there was a bit of tongue-in-cheekness going on there. But it was a fly-on-the-wall documentary, Channel 4 - that's what people should expect.

"We felt we came out of it actually quite well. As you watched the show it got better. I don't think he came out with flying colours but I felt we came out as stalwarts of British metal."

And did Biff himself learn anything from the experience?

"I think it brought home to me how much you have to go out there and meet people more than we probably did in the past. A lot more parties and conventions and things.

"We tend to get invited to them all the time now. That's a lot better, so we're seen more within the business. I don't think I really related to that much before, so it taught me how to do that."

Looking back on nearly 30 years as a recording band, Biff adds: "We're one of the lucky five or six who wrote some great songs in the early days and it helped through the lean times really."

The singer is delighted at the reception Saxon received at this year's Download Festival, the third time the band has played at Castle Donington, having twice appeared at Monsters Of Rock.

Added to the bill fairly late on, they appeared on the third stage but still packed out the 5,000-capacity Gibson Tent, with thousands more fans clamouring outside, and produced one of the most talked about performances of the event.

"It was very good," say Biff. "Actually, more than good. It was a magical moment."

Saxon have just released their new, download-only single, Live To Rock, ahead of the release next January of their 18th album, Into The Labyrinth, also featuring the metal sheen of Demon Sweeney Todd and the epic Valley of The Kings.

Fans on the Motorhead dates may get to hear a couple of the new songs, says Biff, reminiscing for a moment about some of the Midlands venues he's played at over the years.

"We used to play Birmingham Odeon, Wolverhampton, Stafford Bingley Hall, a lot of gigs round there. We played Bingley with Motorhead, funnily enough. Then we did Bingley again, headlining it a couple of years after.

"I always remember Birmingham Odeon being a fantastic atmosphere. These English theatres can be great, when they're jam-packed with your own fans. The Civic's great and the Wulfrun next door is a good gig as well."

Fans who can't make it to the Motorhead dates won't have to wait too long to catch Saxon again, as the band is taking a seven-week break after the tour before heading out again to promote Into the Labyrinth, with British dates pencilled in for around April.

"We've always had a great fan following here," says Biff. "Though I don't think we've been in the press much. But the last two years we've made up for it.

"I'd say we're on a bit of a roll. People are talking about us, people are interested."

And a message to fans ahead of the Civic gig?

"See you in Wolverhampton. Let's get some headbanging done!"

• Motorhead, Saxon and Danko Jones play at Wolverhampton Civic on Monday, November 3. Tickets are £25 plus booking fees.

• See Saxon's official site www.saxon747.com

• For more details and to book tickets click here

By Ian Harvey