Well, isn’t this snug? The last two times Judas Priest played the capital, they topped the bill at Wembley Arena and co-headlined the O2 with Alice Cooper. The final date of their Faithkeepers tour at the 5,300-cap Hammersmith Apollo is pokey by comparison. Maybe the self-anointed metal gods want to treat the true believers, or maybe, having headlined Bloodstock six weeks ago, they’re scared of saturating the market. Either way, tonight is sold out, and West London is strewn with enough vintage rock t-shirts to overstuff a warehouse.
A hearty “NEVERMORE!” chant breaks out and the building is already full for the opener. Reactivated following a 15-year hiatus, the prog/power metal beloveds initially wrestle tech troubles and a muddy mix. However, once they hit their stride, you’d never guess that three-fifths of their lineup is brand-new. Singer Berzan Önen has the particularly unenviable job of filling in for late powerhouse Warrel Dane, but he holds his own with a majestic set of pipes.
JUDAS PRIEST are promoting a recent best-of compilation, so they waste no time in unleashing the hits. Opening with You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, then continuing through Metal Gods, Breaking The Law, The Ripper and The Sentinel, they reiterate how they became defenders of the true metal faith. The guitars scream constantly, while 75-year-old frontman Rob Halford still has the mercurial voice which rocketed them through the 70s and 80s. He’s also retained the same, genre-defining wardrobe, going full leather grandaddy with an added splash of Father Christmas: probably as bearded, easily as adored.
Although this isn’t the same Priest who released those classic tracks, as founding bassist Ian Hill has sustained an arm injury and been temporarily replaced by Uriah Heep’s Davey Rimmer, each of the lineup understands their assignments. Much like Hill, Rimmer stays near drummer Scott Travis and locks the fuck in. ‘New’ guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap are far more animated, matching the material’s flamboyance with their wide smiles and broad stances. Their shimmying alongside Halford during Breaking The Law is unabashedly joyous.
Of course, London knows almost all the words all night, even as the odd deep cut and newer song permeate the show. Lightning Strike and No Surrender, from 2018’s Firepower, demonstrate that the band have still got it as songwriters as well as performers. Panic Attack is the only offering from latest album Invincible Shield, pushing Halford to the limit of his glass-shattering falsetto.
Things end with Priest once again going all in on the classics. The drum fill of Painkiller lands like a meteor strike, before Electric Eye flaunts one of their loudest riffs and catchiest choruses. Halford rides out on his Harley-Davison, riding crop in hand, for the triumphant salvo of Hell Bent For Leather and Living After Midnight. ‘Living after midnight! Rocking till the dawn! Lovin’ till the morning! Then I’m gone!’ the singer cries during the chorus, thousands of Londoners joining in. It’s one last declaration of the band’s heavy metal ethos – which, based on tonight, is the same now as it was in 1980.
Judas Priest setlist: Eventim Apollo, London – September 21, 2026
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’Metal GodsBreaking The LawThe RipperThe SentinelDesert PlainsLightning StrikeTurbo LoverSteelerDelivering The GoodsPanic AttackVictim Of ChangesNo SurrenderPainkillerElectric EyeHell Bent For LeatherLiving After Midnight
(LouderSound)
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