February 21st sees the long awaited release of legendary Saxon frontman Biff Byford’s first solo album ‘School Of Hard Knocks’, with a Ten Date UK Tour announced starting in April.
‘School Of Hard Knocks’ fulfils Biff Byford’s long-standing wish to explore rock ‘n’ roll a little more. The album is a personal journey highlighting his life and his passionate interests, from the history of the Middle Ages to growing up in the industrial North. A classic old-school British hard rock album, ‘School Of Hard Knocks’ embraces a variety of musical genres and includes the Yorkshire folk classic ‘Scarborough Fair’, famously covered by Simon and Garfunkel – Byford and Fredrik Åkesson’s arrangement breathes new life into the legendary song.
The album features Biff Byford on vocals (and a spot of four string thunder) along with Fredrik Åkesson (Opeth) on guitars, drummer Christian Lundqvist and bass player Gus Macricostas. The album also features guest appearances by Phil Campbell (Motörhead/Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons), Alex Holzwarth (Rhapsody of Fire and Turilli / Lione Rhapsody), Nick Barker (Voices), Dave Kemp (Wayward Sons) and Nibbs Carter (Saxon).
The tour begins in the UK in April and continues to Europe in May.
The shows, in the form of ‘An evening with…’, will be split into two halves. The first features Biff in conversation with Don Jamieson (American comedian and star of VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show) on all aspects of his life and career. After the break Biff and his band will play some new songs, some covers and, probably, a Saxon song or two.
Biff told MetalTalk “It’s a show I’ve wanted to do for a long time and one which I don’t think has been done in hard rock before. It’ll be something different and a lot of fun.”
Tour Dates
17th April – Gateshead Sage 2
18th April – Birmingham Town Hall
20th April – Glasgow St. Lukes
21st April – Leeds City Varieties
22nd April – Bath Komedia
24th April – Liverpool Arts Club
25th April – Aberdare Coliseum Theatre
27th April – Milton Keynes Stables
28th April – London Islington Assembly Hall
29th April – Brighton Old Market
