SAXON frontman Biff Byford will embark on his first-ever solo tour in April 2020. The 10-date trek will kick off on April 17 at Gateshead Sage 2 and will include shows in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Bath, Liverpool, Aberdare, Milton Keynes, London and Brighton. The performaces will be split into two halves, with the first half consisting of a spoken-word portion featuring American comedian Don Jamieson who co-hosted VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show". Don and Biff will discuss the legendary frontman's life and his career. The second half will be a live show featuring Biff and his solo band. Biff explains: "The show will consist of some old songs, some new songs, some cover versions and some songs off the solo album. It's going to be great and I am really looking forward to it. It's going to something a little bit different, but it will be very cool, so I'll see you all there!" Tickets to all dates, except Leeds and Aberdare, go on sale on Friday, December 6 at 10 a.m. Leeds and Aberdare go on sale on Friday, December 13 at 10 a.m. Biff Byford tour dates: April 17 - Gateshead Sage 2 April 18 - Birmingham Town Hall April 20 - Glasgow St Lukes April 21 - Leeds City Varieties April 22 - Bristol St Georges April 24 - Liverpool Arts Club April 25 - Aberdare Coliseum Theatre April 27 - Milton Keynes Stables April 28 - London Islington Assembly Hall April 29 - Brighton Old Market Byford's first-ever solo album, "School Of Hard Knocks", will be released on February 21, 2020. Biff takes on not just tales and stories from his heart and soul, but also investigates the Middle Ages and Medieval history amongst other subjects. "I'm singing about my past of course and about things I like, but mostly I wanted it to reflect me, my personality and my life," said Biff. "Song-wise, it's more diverse and not just focused on heavy metal. I wanted it to be a slice of the music I like, from metal, to rock 'n' roll. I'm a guy who's just as happy listening to METALLICA or Judy Garland, because as long as it's great and entertains me, then what more do I need?" An aural Byford storybook highlighting his life and passionate interests, "School Of Hard Knocks" is in all senses a classic, masterfully constructed old-school British hard rock album. From the spoken-word introduction of "Inquisitor" with its stoic, poetic take on the Spanish Inquisition to the autobiographical, old-school "Wheels Of Steel"-era thrust of "Welcome To The Show" (hear audio below) and "School Of Hard Knocks", you'll get to know Byford supremely well over the 11 tracks which comprise the album. "One of my favorites is 'The Pit And The Pendulum', which is quite 'prog metal' and I love that," said Biff. "I'm a big prog rock fan and was a huge fan of YES back in the day and being a musician-bass-player myself, the musicianship in bands like that really caught me. There's a version of 'Throw Down The Sword' by WISHBONE ASH, and the reason I did that was because it was the first song I ever heard that was anything to do with history in the sense of battles and war, and was really the thing which started me on the road to writing historically driven songs." There is also a wonderful version of the SIMON & GARFUNKEL classic "Scarborough Fair", with Byford and Fredrik Åkesson (from OPETH) creating a new arrangement which gives the legend new life. "It's a traditional medieval song, and the story goes that Paul Simon happened to hear somebody playing it in Whitby, which is just down the road from Scarborough," laughs Biff. "But I wanted something which represented Yorkshire and it is a Yorkshire folk song, so we tried a new arrangement which made it a little heavier, and it works really well." "School Of Hard Knocks" was produced by Biff Byford, recorded by Jacky Lehmann at Brighton Electric Studios in Brighton (U.K.) and mixed at Queen Street Studios in Stockholm (Sweden) by Mats Valentin. The album features guest appearances by Phil Campbell (MOTÖRHEAD, PHIL CAMPBELL & THE BASTARD SONS), Alex Holzwarth (RHAPSODY OF FIRE), Nick Barker (VOICES), Dave Kemp (WAYWARD SONS) and Nibbs Carter (SAXON). On "School Of Hard Knocks", Byford worked with a new band comprising Fredrik Åkesson (OPETH) on guitars, Christian Lundqvist on drums and Gus Macricostas on bass (Biff himself played a spot of four-string thunder too!). "School Of Hard Knocks" not only achieves the goal of providing full bore entertainment, it fulfils a long-standing Biff Byford's wish to explore rock 'n' roll a little more. "It's been great to break new ground, explore new territories and work with some old friends," concluded Biff, "and having waited so long to make this album, I have to say, I am delighted with it! It has a whole range of styles, from the ridiculously heavy to ballads, and it is certainly my album."
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