THERE can't be too many 58-year-old men who have long, blond hair, wear leather trousers, and sing about slaying wild beasts to audiences of thousands. But then, not everyone is Biff Byford.
Frontman and mainstay of British heavy metal band, Saxon, the Yorkshire rock vocalist has come a long way since he worked as a miner (which cost him part of a finger) and toured in a tripe van.
With almost 20 studio albums under his studded belt,
Byford has seen and done it all since forming the band in 1976. So all begs the question: How does a man nearing 60 manage to keep in such good shape?
"Simple. Rest and antibiotics," he laughs. "That's all you need. I've had a few rough ups and downs, but I'm still in good nick. Just."
Initially called Son Of A Bitch, Saxon formed in Barnsley, before going on to become part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal alongside, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, armed with classic rock tunes such as Wheels of Steels, 747 (Strangers In The Night) and The Strong Arm Of The Law.
While Maiden and Leppard went on to achieve mainstream success – and, despite being a major influence among fans and bands alike (Metallica and Megadeth are huge supporters) – Saxon never quite became the major force they could have been. The reason, Byford explains, is simple, "Too many different managers, different record companies – it's best to keep the same people. I guess we've been quite lucky because we've written several classic rock anthems which has put us in good stead."
Like most heavy metal bands, changing music fashions ensured that the popularity of old-school head-banging dipped during the 90s. However, a combination of factors has resulted in a new resurgence of interest in all things Saxon related. Cult movie Spinal Tap (a mockumentary about an ageing English heavy metal band, who, it is believed, took much of their inspiration from hanging around Saxon), the return to form with 2007 album The Inner Sanctum and an appearance on Harvey Goldsmith's Get Your Act Together programme on Channel 4, all contributed to raising the band's profile again.
"The resurgence of the genre certainly has helped," says Byford. "It kind of sneaks up on you – I am now doing a BBC documentary called Metal Britannia. I guess it shows that sticking together as a band, and still making records helps, and we don't have to try too hard anymore. Things are happening. We have all the people who followed us in the 80s coming to our gigs, but now they take their kids. It's very healthy.
"One of our songs, Wheels Of Steel, is on the new Grand Theft Auto game, so we were invited to play The Picture House the very night the game was finished."
Saxon, HMV Picture House, tonight, 7pm, £17.50, 0844-847 1740