Golden oldies...

THERE comes a time of life when each and every band must hang up their axes, retire the mic and step away from the monitors. Band break-ups and age can often be the cue to look for the pipe, slippers and comfy armchair. Well thankfully UFO have decided that there time has not come yet.

Because for a band that started life in 1969 Phil Mogg, Andy Parker, Paul Raymond and Vinnie Moore still know how to deliver a power-packed set.

A sold-out Spring and Airbrake had its arse well and truly warmed up with Sweet Savage’s first gig of 2012 before a series of summer festival dates across Europe. While many of crowd will only know Killing Time from Metallica’s cover version, title track of the 2012 album Regenerator is immense live.

UFO – well they know how to Let It Roll, and that was precisely how they opened up; sort of easing the crowd into a finely balanced set which included a nice cull of tracks from new platter Seven Deadly and the crowd pleasers which could have been plucked from Strangers in the Night.

Yes – if one was a cynic one could view this type of tour as a pension gig for the band and a nostalgia trip for ageing rockers.

Sod that! Each and every one of the last three gigs in Belfast, including this one has seen the band open a cracking bunch from their current releases. From Monkey Puzzle to The Visitor and now to Seven Deadly UFO are relevant in a world where many bands have stood still, failed to develop, and have released nothing new.

While it is reassuring to hear tracks from Seven Deadly (buy it now if you want to hear how relevant UFO are to the modern ‘classic rock’ genre – and you really got to unpick that phrase to understand exactly it means!) a few from the Visitor and more recent albums might not have appealed to the Phenomenon era fans, but for die-hards would have demonstrated a commitment to their commitment and perhaps opened a few eyes to the dynamism of these bunch of nearly pensioners. Heck I’d even beg for the likes of Profession of Violence.

As to the rest of the set: Too Hot To Handle; yep, Only You Can Rock Me; yep; pointless banter; yep, Shoot Shoot; yep, Vinni Moore, guitar solo; yep, Doctor Doctor; yep, Lights Out; yep etc. If you’re a fan you’ll know the score.

Delivered with aplomb and a backing choir of several hundred increasingly hoarse fans UFO proved that they, on form, really are one of the very veteran bands who can still punch with the best. And on Andy Parker’s birthday…we thought it best not to ask his age because while some may regard them as Golden Oldies they are simply glorious on stage!


As your faithful scribe was not able  to make it in to see Vain, owing to being distracted by Guinness, any reviews of this (preferably in something approximating grammatically correct English) would be appreciated: we can't pay in anything other than our gratitude.

Doctor, Doctor Only a competition can rock me!

WANT to win a pair of tickets to see UFO and Sweet Savage at the Spring & Airbrake on March 21st? Then keep reading! [Or scroll down to the end if you don't need sold on the idea of free UFO tickets!]

First off, why should you bother with UFO and Sweet Savage in the first place?

If you need me to answer that I suggest you hand in your hard rock and metal club membership card, or re-sit your Rocker GCSE right away.

Neither UFO not Sweet Savage have reached the mega-tour status of Maiden or Metallica yet both bands have had a huge influence on not only those two bands, but on a legion of hard rock and metal acts.

UFO kicked off their career in 1969 as a space rock outfit, before successfully pioneering a twin guitar attack that provided power, ranged against the melody and passion of singer Phil Mogg. Classic albums tumbled off the shelves, arguably culminating with the double live Strangers in the Night (the template for basically the majority of live albums throughout the 80s and 90s).

UFO singer par excellence Phil Mogg croons for another stunned set of
Marshall stacks...and a willing audience too!

The hits were plentiful: Doctor, Doctor; Mother Mary, Only You Can Rock Me and so on (those re-sitting their Rocker GCSE are permitted to download these on Spotify or iTunes, but beware, the sudden intake of such heady classic rock may make you a tad dizzy until you become acclimatised!)

But as with many great acts UFO were plagued with fall-outs, drink and drug issues, line-up changes and a largely indifferent media. Did they quit? Well they did for a wee while, but have fought back and fought back in style: this is a band well past middle age, still gigging and still releasing new material that stretches their admitted wrinkled hides that little bit further.

Many a man (or woman) who has reached the age of Phil Mogg, Paul Raymond, or even Vinnie Moore and Andy Parker, would consider taking it a wee bit easy and heading for the cabaret tours. Not so UFO, who have returned - yet again - to Belfast and have -yet again - released another fine album in the shape of Seven Deadly. Tracks such as Angel Station, Burn Your House Down and Fight Night will stand up against many a so-called classic rock artiste of today.

And, as if having UFO returning to Belfast in another display of loyalty to Norn Iron, which many acts could learn from, there is also the small matter of Sweet Savage as support.

If you're a fan of Metallica then you should know that 'Tallica covered Killing Time; if you're a fan of Dio you should know that the ex-Savage guitarist who goes by the surname Campbell strummed a few chords for Ronnie, and went on to Whitesnake, Def Leppard etc. You should also, if you are to achieve an A* in your Rocker GCSE, know that Sweet Savage was at the heart of that heady time of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, when Tommy Vance ruled Friday nights, when Maiden, Diamond Head, White Spirit, Saxon, Tank and a host of others were saving our souls from New Wave and terrible hair-dos.

Like UFO, Sweet Savage are still out there turning in new tracks and great live shows. Last year's Regeneration album showcased a band that could bridge the 80s with more contemporary metal, without "selling out".

Okay - you get it why you should go? What? You only want to see UFO play Shoot Shoot and Lights Out and Savage play Killing Time - boy are you in for a night to delight your innocent wee cotton socks.

And - Belfastmetalheadsreunited have teamed up with the ever-generous folks at CDC Leisure to offer you two pairws of tickets to UFO and Sweet Savage on March 21st at the Spring & Airbrake. For clarity that means two winners will get a set of two tickets each - or in simpler terms, if you win you can bring a mate/partner/spouse/live-in lover/random long-haired dude or dudette you met on the bus. A pair of tickets means two, and we have two pair on offer!

To win - just answer this simple question:
What is the name of UFO's new album?

Send your answers here by Saturday 23.59 17th March.