Photo by Harrij Stekel
- Heep at Gebouw t may 2 NL
Please find below a quote from Mick
Box and John Lawton ahead of the first of
the short series of Uriah Heep show
today (May 2, in Bergen op Zoom, Holland)
that will feature John standing in for
Bernie Shaw on lead vocals
"John and I are very much
looking forward to sharing the stage again
for a ‘Heep’ show. We did this once before
in South
Africa in
1995 when Bernie had a throat operation, and
John kindly stepped up to the microphone.
There is an air of excitement from both us
and the fans, as we will be playing songs
from the Byron era up to John’s time with
the band, so we will be hitting the
nostalgia button hard. If rehearsals are
anything to go by, it will be the usual
powerful dynamic show the fans have come to
expect. ‘Appy days!" - Mick Box
"It's always a pleasure
to sing with the guys, albeit under
circumstances that none of us would have
wished for... Bernie is a good friend
and a great singer and I know he is
recovering well. I have always said
that once you join the Uriah Heep family as
a fan or as one of the band... 'You can
check in, but you can never check out!'"
John Lawton
Heep talk Blackmore
Uriah
Heep’s classic song ‘Lady in Black’,
has been covered by Ritchie
Blackmore’s ‘Blackmore’s Night’, on
their latest CD titled “Dancer and
the Moon.”
This song was number 1 in the German
Charts for Heep, topping the charts
for six months, and it is mentioned
in the same breath as ‘Stairway to
Heaven’, and ‘Smoke on the Water’,
such is its impact worldwide.
Mick Box says, “It is a real
pleasure to have this song covered
by ‘Blackmore’s Night’, and Ritchie
Blackmore is a guitarist, writer and
performer, that I rate very highly
indeed, and now the “Man in Black,”
is playing ‘Lady in Black’, and that
is so cool!”
A
message from Bernie Shaw
To all the lifelong fans and
followers of Uriah Heep, I’m afraid
I’m being forced to step back from
the position of lead singer of one
of the best damn rock-n-roll bands
on the live circuit today, albeit
for just a couple of weeks
rehabilitation , due to medical
reasons.
In order to fulfil contractual
obligations, we came up with the
idea of contacting John Lawton to
ask if he would do the legacy proud,
so to speak and do the shows that I
won’t be able to do. He’s got the
history, and by God he still has the
voice! John and I will be sharing
the same stage and singing together
in San Javier, Spain later on this
summer.
Till then, I feel I’m leaving you in
very capable hands, and a rare
chance to see John singing songs
from his era in this present line
up. I am most indebted to John and
salute his passion.
LIKE ALL HEEPSTERS, WE WERE INTRIGUED ABOUT
URIAH HEEP JOINING FORCES WITH JOHN LAWTON
ONCE AGAIN, OVER 35 YEARS SINCE JOHN
REPLACED
DAVID BYRON…………. SO…………………. WE
ASKED MICK BOX THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
1.Would you like to say
a few words about John Lawton deputising for
Bernie?
I am delighted to welcome back my old mate
to the band. With Bernie off duty for a
short while, John was the most obvious
choice. Having worked with John on a recent
feature film called
'Love.net,' I knew that
his pipes were in great shape, and that he
would also be accepted readily by the Heep
fans. All credit to John though, as once he
had heard of the problem and was asked, he
re-arranged a lot of his schedule to fit in
with ours, which was really cool!
2. What is the set
structure likely to be?
To be honest it will probably be a nostalgic
set, drawn from the 70s, featuring the Byron
and Lawton period. It would be unfair to ask
John to start learning songs from the last
studio recordings, as they have Bernie's
trademark vocals all over them. This will
make it an extra special concert for the
fans in that regard.
3. Can you share a
special memory of John from the late
seventies?
One of my abiding memories is Heep playing 'Wise
Man' on Top of the Pops. If ever there was a
song which did not give a hint of the band's
hard rock background, this was it, and I was
worried that we would be accused of selling
out to commercialism. I needn't of worried,
as John sang it so powerfully, that he not
only made the song his, hard rock fans loved
it to!.
4. And a message to
the fans.
This will be a special set of dates with
John, as we will be playing some classic
songs in this nostalgic set, that may never
be repeated.. We hope to see you all there
to enjoy this historic 'Heep' moment.
'Appy days! Mick URIAH HEEP
PRESS
RELEASE
URIAH HEEP
Friends,
reunited…
URIAH HEEP
announces
that an old
friend will
be rejoining
the band for
a limited
run of dates
in May 2013
when the
band tour
The
Netherlands,
Germany,
Austria,
Italy and
Switzerland.
John Lawton,
who was lead
vocalist
between 1976
and 1979,
will reunite
with the
band to
cover for
Bernie Shaw
who requires
some time
off for a
routine
medical
procedure.
John had
already been
confirmed to
perform as a
one-off
guest at an
outdoor
amphitheatre
Heep show in
Spain on 12
July.
This show at
San Javier
will now
feature both
singers and
will serve
as an
occasion for
the band to
thank John .
As the shows
will be
recorded for
official
bootlegs, it
promises to
be a real
treat for
the fans.
The sets
will be
skewed to
songs
reflecting
John’s
original
tenure with
the band, a
celebration
of classic
1970s Uriah
Heep, this
will be a
unique
chance to
catch such a
nostalgic
performance,
fronted by
an ex Uriah
Heep legend,
always a
friend of
the band,
who has
returned
while Bernie
Shaw
recuperates.
In true Heep
style, the
gig schedule
is as busy
as ever.
The ‘Nail On
The Head’
tour has
already seen
the band
perform 10
acclaimed
shows across
the UK and
the band
will have
performed
across much
of Europe by
the time
they take
the Download
stage -
helping to
kick things
off in style
with an
appearance
on the
opening
date, 14
June
Originally
founded by
guitarist
Mick Box in
1969, Uriah
Heep is
truly one of
the pivotal
classic acts
that helped
define the
rock sound
and an era.
Part of the
fabled ‘Big
Four’
alongside
Zeppelin,
Sabbath and
Purple, the
Heep story
still has a
long way to
go. With
classic
songs like
‘Lady In
Black’, ‘Gypsy’,
‘Easy Livin’’and
‘Stealin’’
full of
ambition,
sophisticated
writing,
memorable
tunes and,
of course,
the vocals -
the 5 part
harmonies
were a clear
influence on
the
operatics of
Queen.
Uriah Heep
was the
first
Western rock
band to
perform in
Russia, they
have
headlined at
stadiums
worldwide:
truly
they’ve
ensured
their place
at Rock’s
top table.
With Mick
Box always
at the helm,
Uriah Heep
tours all
over the
world and is
one of
music’s most
exciting and
reliable
live acts.
In a
more-than-40-year
career Uriah
Heep has
released 23
studio-albums
and sold
more than 40
million
units; the
most recent
release was
2011’s ‘Into
The Wild’.
Whilst the
band is
thrilled to
welcome back
an old
friend in
John Lawton,
the Heep
story rolls
on, and more
new music is
to come soon.
Uriah Heep –
still “Very
’eavy, very
humble”.
Still
unmissable.
For more
information
or to
request an
interview
please
contact
Chris
Hewlett on
0845 601
2833 or
chris@chrishewlett.com
Good news from Trevor that he is
ahead of schedule and recuperating
well from his surgery. Trev’s target
was to return for Download on June
14, and we are now hopeful he may be
back with the band beforehand.
Meanwhile, joining us on bass for
the next batch of European dates
will be Dave Rimmer, best known for
his work with Zodiac Mindwarp. We
look forward to seeing you all on
the road.
Uriah Heep
Send
Trevor a card or letter:
Trevor Bolder
PO Box 6249
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU7 0WS
U
March
11 - Trevor / Bass Update
