The night before this, the Palladium had been packed to the rafters for Fish’s last London show. Tonight, another sold-out sign hung outside the door for this show, which also marked the end of an era. Billed as The Magician’s Farewell, unlike the former Marillion frontman, venerable rockers Uriah Heep are not saying goodbye to the world of music more this marks a cessation of massive and exhaustive touring.
Uriah Heep
The London Palladium – 26 February 2025
Words: Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Robert Sutton
After fifty-six years on the road you can certainly understand their desire to take things a little easier, main man Mick Box having turned seventy-seven last year. But this is nothing short of a full-blooded performance that pays tribute to their enviable legacy.
Whilst the night was a career-spanning stroll, their mighty career, Uriah Heep’s choice of opening with Grazed By Heaven and Save Me Tonight from their two latest albums, Living The Dream and Chaos & Colour, displays their faith in their newer material and that they are not a heritage act, despite their storied past.
If ever a Mount Rushmore of British hard rock was to be chiselled, there is no doubt that this outfit would be featured there, Box’s face alongside that of Plant, Blackmore and Iommi, their twenty-five albums ensuring their legacy remains forever.
Whilst the band themselves have seen quite a few line-ups throughout the decades, both singer Bernie Shaw and keys player Phil Lanzon have been with the band for thirty-nine years. Drummer Russell Gilbrook joined in 2007, and bass player Dave Rimmer in 2013, and the chemistry between them all is obvious.
With their relentless touring schedule honing them into a razor-sharp unit there is still an utter joy in what they do, any whiff of doing things by rote notably missing.
From the vampiric goth atmosphere of Shadows Of Grief with its teeth bared, old favourite and singalong Stealin’ and tough as nails Hurricane, there is something for everyone here. The acoustic folk rock of The Wizard is particularly magical.
As always, Box seems to tease out the big, hard rocking riffs from his fretboard with some sort of strange magic whilst the ever-kinetic Shaw blends his distinctive vocals with a tongue-in-cheek showmanship and constant humorous asides as befits these hallowed showbiz halls.
As everyone is here to have a good time, this schtick is taken in the manner to which it is meant. But nothing gets in the way of the music and its power to thrill even after all these years. A good song, after all, is a good song.
Introducing it as “old school Heavy Metal”, Free’ n’ Easy gets heads nodding vigorously, its drive still a foot to the floor rush. Gypsy continues to pack a mighty wallop, but a colossal The Magicians Birthday and the goosebump-inducing July Morning reign as the night’s most transcending moments.
As the last notes of Easy Living ring out and the band take a much-warranted bow, we are reassured that this is not the end of Uriah Heep, and the hopes of getting another album or two out of them is still very much on the table.
Whatever they decide and the future holds, few bands can touch them. The London Palladium has seen more than its fair share of legends but few as ‘eavy, ‘umble and loud as the mighty Uriah Heep. Magnificent.
