Back in March, Judas Priest took to the stage in Dublin’s 3Arena alongside fellow Englishmen Saxon for a barnstorming night of authentic British Heavy Metal. And although Halford and co put in a lively shift, Biff and the boys reigned supreme. Many would say with the classic lineup featuring Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, that would not happen, but any chance of seeing that become a reality again has long since passed.
KK’s Priest – Tailgunner
The Academy Dublin – 21 August 2024
Words: Brian Boyle
In the case of K.K. Downing, it has been thirteen years since his acrimonious split from the band. But forming KK’s Priest has given him a vehicle to once again perform many of the massive anthems he co-wrote. Plus recruiting former Priest bandmate Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens shows that this is far far more than a glorified tribute act. 
The Academy tonight is, as you would expect, generously stocked with denim and leather-clad folk hellbent on giving the legendary Brummie one of those Irish welcomes, something he has not experienced for 15 years.
At 72 years young, Downing still looks Metal as fuck. The legendary blonde locks, the leathers and the smokin’ Flying V are still as iconic as ever. After the chilling intro of Incarnation, he emerges looking ready and willing to do battle.
Hellfire Thunderbolt is unleashed with the force of a relentless wrecking ball, pulverizing us all into submission in the first round.
It was a given we were in for some primo Judas Priest, but the material from KK’s Priest’s two albums to date stands tall against all the big stuff. Searing runouts of Strike Of The Viper and One More Shot At Glory are delivered with gusto and enthusiastically received.
Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens looks like a man having fun. Letting out roars of “What’s my name?” signalled the first JP moment, with The Ripper pacifying the die-hards, as did the menacing Night Crawler, two tracks that turned the clock back but raised the heart rates of the Metal-hungry faithful.
With the mezzanine floor closed and adequate beer-swilling room on the ground floor, The Academy was far from a sell-out tonight, but that only added to the atmosphere. Sermons Of The Sinner was beyond electrifying, with Owens pipes reaching the unreachable and probably breaking every piece of crystal within a 100-mile radius.
A video screen behind Sean Elg’s impressive set of buckets added a sprinkling of an arena production to the night and was impressively adorned with flames during Burn In Hell. This tied in well with Owens looking a lot like The Omen when he surveyed the crowd with a demonic grin.
Mainman Downing does not hog the limelight. His comrade AJ Mills gets a fair portion of solos and is definitely the more extroverted of the pair. But the chemistry between them sizzles. The noise they made on The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) was a forty-four fret attack at its finest.
As for Tony Newton, the guy is a jet-fueled bass-slaying Metal behemoth who took aim at the front row and peppered them with rhythmic bullets all night.
Looking for a highlight is a toughie. But hold a pruning shears to my vitals and I would say Diamonds And Rust. Owens dug deep on this one, and the crowd went even deeper. You don’t get many moments like this on a Wednesday night.
Some lesser spotted JP with Before The Dawn served as the perfect hors d’oeuvre for the motherload that is Breaking The Law. How it went down does not need to be told. But while there were no laws broken, a few teeth may have been, as a mini mosh pit started to get very spicy.
Downing’s extended solo on Sinner was a memorable moment between artist and audience. Bar drummer Sean Elg, the stage was left to the revered guitarist to give us a scintillating masterclass.
We got one more round with Raise Your Fists, where the crowd duly obliged and raised the roof while they were at it. The rugby league type mosh pit was reaching boiling point but quickly simmered down to macho hugs as KK’s Priest took their bows.
No power ballads, acoustic sets or fake bollox about loving a drop of the black stuff. Tonight was just a wonderful celebration of Heavy Metal. 
Tailgunner
The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal may have locked its doors decades ago, but when Tailgunner blasted into action tonight, they looked like they found the spare key under the mat. These folk are as old school as you could get and are a complete breath of fresh air.
Decked out in classic Metal attire, they could’ve been cryogenically frozen since 1982, but when they riddle out opener Guns For Hire, it all makes sense. They wear their love for time-honoured Metal like a badge of honour.
But they are not going out of their way to try and be a retro throwback. This is who they are. Yes, White Death and Warhead are deep-rooted, but they are delivered with the vivacity of a band with the intent of bringing Metal back to the frontline.
Lead singer Craig Cairns is the real deal. He was born to do this. The midwife probably stamped frontman on his backside when he entered the universe.
There are not many support-act lead singers who make a costume change mid-set and wave a sign reading Welcome To The Revolution, which looks like they made it after watching an episode of Blue Peter. But Cairns commands the boards like a seasoned pro, bringing everyone to the party on Revolution Scream.
Even a lengthy guitar duel between Rhea Thompson and Zach Salvini was a brave move. Granted it was not a Crossroads moment between Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio, but it worked pretty well.
For forty-five minutes, this mob just make your head spin. Thomas Hewson ran like the clappers with his bass all night, continuously darting from left to right like he was trying to break the five-minute mile.
Their slot ended on a proper high with a fine rendition of Dio’s Don’t Talk To Strangers, another genuine nod to the music flowing through their DNA.
Tailgunner made their presence known tonight. As I write this, they are probably still struggling to get their leathers or possibly pleathers off. I cannot wait to dig out my old Kerrang magazines later.
