Written by:	Baz Anderson
Published:	December 03, 2011
Event:	Uriah Heep: UK Tour (Website)
Location:	Picturedrome, Holmfirth, United Kingdom
Galleries:	Uriah Heep - Holmfirth, England, 2nd December 2011 by Baz Anderson (25)

To some people; the greatest band that ever lived. Uriah Heep are seen as somewhat of a cult band; even though the band perform to swarms of adoring fans worldwide, the UK never really did learn to fully appreciate one of its own greatest gems.




A surprisingly cold December evening brings us rather randomly to a small and quaint Yorkshire town in the heart of the country. Not the likeliest of towns or venues for a rock show, but faithfully the audience still made an appearance in good numbers. The medium sized, old cinema-turned music venue opened its doors to a predominantly older audience. Uriah Heep were about to give a magic performance to blow away the years and prove that age doesn't necessarily matter.



The magician himself Mick Box and the band burst onto the stage with a song from the latest album, but soon ploughed their way into a set of unadulterated 70's classics. Uriah Heep don't appear to make any fuss about themselves, but the band's debut album is over a whopping forty years old, with the golden era of the band not far behind. There is something genuinely special with this band; their honest performance and pleasure they get from the audiences night after night makes no surprise that this band's followers are real and honest fans.



Tonight Uriah Heep took us back to the 70's with their hammond organ-driven hard rock, a time that if tonight's performance is right to go by was perhaps one of the most fruitful and alive times for rock music. New songs from the latest album Into The Wild were interlaced in the setlist, and worked extremely well with the older material. Uriah Heep are extremely proud of their past however, and are not afraid to give the audience the songs they undoubtedly came for.



The setlist didn't leave much to be desired as even some of the older members of the audience became extremely animate and full of life. Some people in this audience will have bought the vinyls forty years ago and not been able to leave the band since. "Rainbow Demon", "The Wizard", "Gypsy"; fantastic selections from those early and influential albums. "Look At Yourself", "July Morning", "Lady In Black", "Easy Livin'"; the songs that helped define the sound of the 70's and rock music as a whole. This small town was certainly rocking tonight.



Even after the band spent two thirds of the year touring, the band still seemed fresh and vitalised on stage. Humble, the band received a loud reception after each song further feeding their joy to be performing. Perhaps they are right; there's no place like home. The whole audience were invited to join the band on stage to party for "Free & Easy", although only a handful made the effort and brave step to climb onto the stage. The entire venue was rocking for the closing "Easy Livin'", but unfortunately we inevitably had to all return from the fantasy and confront the real world once more.



With their experience and wonderful songs, Uriah Heep made the night pretty special and undoubtedly memorable for a long time to come. They don't make them like they used to.



Setlist: I'm Ready / Return To Fantasy / Stealin' / Rainbow Demon / Money Talk / Drum Solo / Nail On The Head / The Wizard / Into The Wild / Gypsy / Look At Yourself / July Morning / Lady In Black / Free 'N' Easy / Bird Of Prey / Easy Livin'