Three out of three sold-out gigs among those we saw this week of January, ending with URIAH HEEP on January 25th, 2026, at Kulttuuritalo (even though downgraded from the original Ice Hall location) feels like a jump into the past, or at least a good dose of nostalgia. The fourth and last of a streak of Finnish shows (the band enjoyed performing quite a bit in Finland over the last several years), it also marks a stark contrast in the audience’s demographics compared to what we witnessed in the previous nights, for obvious reasons. Luckily, though, there were still some young faces, and pretty enthusiastic at that.
The Magician’s Farewell tour marks the beginning of the retirement for the British band, after over 50 years of existence, despite Bernie Shaw mentioning that they not only are going to have new music coming out but also that we might see them again – one can never really know anymore when a farewell is actually meant to stay so, these days… and then again the tour itself will last a couple of years – but that wouldn’t be so bad, considering the only truly original member of the band, namely Mick Box, had to sit down from this Finno-Scandinavian leg of the tour due to illness (we wish him all the best and a speedy recovery!).
To replace him at the guitar was Sam Wood (WAYWARD SONS, BLACK STAR RIDERS), who also was a stand-in for SAXON a few years back, and did a truly honest job for the task at hand. It’s never really easy to come in and fill some big shoes with very little heads-up, nonetheless, he held his ground quite nicely.
Before the main course, however, we were greeted by another old-school band from the UK, a bit farther north though. Scottish NWOBHM act HEAVY PETTIN’ spawned from the same generation of bands as their fellow countrymen SAXON and DEF LEPPARD, although arguably they haven’t enjoyed the same level of success. Still, they have 40+ years of career under their belt, and a recent album “Rock Generation” that came out last autumn, after just 36 years from the previous one. The band led by Steve Hayman delivered exactly what one would have expected, with focus mostly on the new material as well as some of their old classics, evoking a strong ’80s nostalgic feeling among the seasoned audience. Their relatively short set lit up the match to ignite the atmosphere and get everyone warmed up in wait for the main event, although I couldn’t help but wonder how many managed to get back in time to their seat when quickly glancing at the toilet queues.
Those who did manage to get back in time were greeted by a cheerful Bernie Shaw on the notes of “Grazed By Heaven.” Almost immediately, the vocalist urged the audience to stand up despite the venue only having seated spaces, which seems like some sort of unwanted consequence from the change in venue. The band appeared surprisingly good in shape and spirit, despite the defection of Mick Box as mentioned (we did get an update on his health by the singer during the show, which also introduced Sam Wood on guitar), and that also affected the crowd, which seemed very much engaged from start to finish.
A note of appreciation goes to the anecdotes/comments introducing songs such as “The Wizard,” “Sweet Lorraine,” “The Magician’s Birthday,” from a quite chatty vocalist, and we did get some spotlight also for guitar solos, nicely executed by Sam. In a good-feel, somehow relaxed atmosphere, the evening went by rather fast, so that eventually we landed already at the encore and everyone was raising their many phones one last time (the only thing that somewhat bothered me throughout the show), before going to queue their way out. Kulttuuritalo is not the nicest of places in terms of queueing when full, but still manageable if you plan things ahead, like leaving just a little before everyone else to avoid being stuck in line. Nonetheless, this was a pleasant evening, and the band did an honest job in delivering those classics that their fans came to grow up with and love so much. What else would you need?
HEAVY PETTIN’
URIAH HEEP
