Judas Priest will play Botaniska trädgården in Uppsala on Thursday, July 1, 2027, with Saxon as special guest.
Formed in Birmingham in 1969, the headliners built a catalogue that includes “Breaking the Law”, “Living After Midnight”, “Painkiller” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”. Their industry honours include a Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 2010 and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Their wider breakthrough came in the late 1970s, with albums including “Sin After Sin”, “Stained Class” and “Hell Bent for Leather”. They were also among the first metal bands to adopt an all-leather-and-studs look, a style subsequently taken up by fans around the world.
During the 1980s, “British Steel”, “Screaming for Vengeance” and “Defenders of the Faith” accompanied their rise to worldwide arena-headliner status. Major festival appearances included the US Festival in 1983 and Live Aid in 1985.
The band’s later releases brought further chart success. “Firepower”, released in 2018, achieved the highest chart placings of their career, reaching the top five in 17 countries. Their 19th studio album, “Invincible Shield”, followed in 2024, with the subsequent tour selling out shows across the United Kingdom and Europe. “Crown of Horns” earned them their fifth Grammy nomination in 2025.
The evening’s guests are pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Their breakthrough album, “Wheels of Steel”, arrived in 1980, the year both acts appeared at the inaugural Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park. Their catalogue also includes “Princess of the Night”, “Denim and Leather” and “Crusader”, adding another strand of British metal history to the bill.
