"The Eagle Has Landed" for the fourth time in 37 years. Not only this demonstrates the continuing popularity and quality of Saxon as a live act, because the records under the Adlermotto are by far not the only live albums of the band, which is one of the most important representatives of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. eclipsed talked with frontman Peter "Biff" Byford and drummer Nigel Glockler about Saxon's early days and the upcoming concert in Düsseldorf for the 40th anniversary of the band's founding in autumn.
The Yorkshire slang Byfords often makes interviews unintentionally funny - for example when he pronounces his favourite band Rush with a clear "u". But woe betide you to imitate him - then the 68-year-old pretends not to know what he is talking about. The 40th anniversary of Saxon falls just in the year in which the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) washed up the first new Hard'n'Heavy acts. And although the band's history began a few years earlier with Son Of A Bitch, it naturally celebrates 1979, the year of the renaming and release of the first album under a new name, as their founding year.
eclipsed: Already around 1976/1977 Graham Oliver, Steve Dawson and Pete Gill as well as Paul Quinn and you from the band Coast got together to Son Of A Bitch. There were some tours in this line-up, and even in the first Saxon years until 1981 it did not change. So I'm surprised you don't celebrate 1977, at least, as your founding year.
Peter "Biff" Byford: From 1979 we were called Saxon. We're celebrating 40 years of Saxon and not 43 years of Son Of A Bitch. Besides, there was Son Of A Bitch before Paul and I joined.
Nigel Glockler: (laughs) I'm out of the number. I was only there since 1981 and occasionally not for a few years.
eclipsed: You joined a hard rock band as the ex-drummer of the new wave siren Toyah. Wasn't that a culture shock?
Glockler: The fans of Saxon were much more civilized. Toyah started off with a lot of fans from the punk scene, and since we played in small clubs and it was common for the audience to spit at the bands, I was happy to be in the back row as a drummer. Saxon on the other hand were already an established band at that time and played on big, high stages.
eclipsed: In 1980 at the first Monsters-of-Rock festival you were at, some people in the audience made fun of throwing plastic containers at bands they had pissed into before.
Byford: But only bands they thought sucked.
