Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. December 5th 2010.
For the best part of the last 40 years U.F.O. have been one of definitive names of the British Rock and Heavy Metal. They are consistent in their approach to studio albums and the energy they thrive upon is all laid out before them whenever they do a tour or show.
The band opened up a night of pulsating, ear drum splitting music with Saving Me from 2009’s The Visitation. This was the bands 20th studio album and on the evidence of the night’s performance, they show no sign of slowing down and calling it a day.
Of course with 20 albums under their recording belt there are going to be songs that people will have travelled many miles to hopefully hear that will have been cut from the set list, however Liverpool audiences are forgiving beasts and any band that rocks as hard as U.F.O is allowed to play what they want and hang the consequences.
Permanent member and vocalist of the band Phil Mogg showed time and time again during the evening why he is much loved as the grandees of the genre, his determination and voice giving the Liverpool audience something that seemed to have been missing from an old school band for a while, the desire to show that the past may have been covered in glory for them but they still were very much viable as a band of note.
For the purist there was much to take from this gig with the band performing old favourites such as Cherry and Only You Can Rock Me from the 1978 album Obsession and the powerful Lights Out from the 1977 album of the same name.
U.F.O. finished off an exhilarating night of unforgettable rock classics with tracks such as Doctor Doctor, the radio favourite of Rock Bottom and Shoot Shoot. These last three songs showing exactly why the Phil Mogg/ Michael Schenker song writing combination worked so well in the bands golden period.
Ian D. Hall