Uriah Heep review – after 56 years, progressive heavy rockers bid a blistering live farewell
Formed in London in 1969, progressive heavy rock institution Uriah Heep have survived death threats, a shooting, an attack with a stiletto, and a reviewer stating: “If Uriah Heep are successful, I’ll commit suicide.” They’ve even being spoofed in Spın̈al Tap – the calamitous air force scene was inspired by a real Heep incident. Still, here they are, playing in front of backdrops reading “UH” on what is being called a farewell tour, although they make it clear from the stage that they’re not done making albums.
Guitarist Mick Box is the sole survivor from the lineup that released 1970’s … Very ’Eavy … Very ’Umble, but aged 77, sporting long, grey hair, he still rocks so heroically he should have a preservation order on him. Canadian vocalist Bernie Shaw, who joined in 1986, brings a similar operatic style to the late original vocalist David Byron, and at a relatively youthful 68 hits notes so high you suspect some can only be heard by animals. The whole band are grinning, and when Shaw yells “Let’s have some fun, Birmingham!”, the seated audience rise to their feet and stay there, even if standing all night might be a challenge for a few.
Shaw promises they’ll “hit every decade” and the set list duly stretches from 1970’s Gypsy to 2023’s tuneful Hail the Sunrise without ever straying too far from their early rockers, which were replete with lyrics about demons and wizards. Box has real range: he straps on an acoustic guitar at one point, but when Shaw promises “heavy metal like it used to be”, Box’s playing is truly blistering. When powerhouse drummer Russell Gilbrook, 60, suddenly has to take a short break owing to a cramp, Box quips “this middle-aged stuff really gets us down”, to widespread laughter. Perhaps if they’d had a cultural touchstone hit like Paranoid or Smoke on the Water they’d be as revered as contemporaries Black Sabbath or Deep Purple. Still, the keyboard-drenched July Morning is quite the epic, and as the clock approaches the two-hour mark, it’s hard to disagree when Box insists: “There’s life in the old dog yet!”
