Heavy metal icon, multi-platinum songwriter and pioneering guitarist K.K. Downing has announced a long-awaited U.K. tour with his band KK’S PRIEST.
A founding member of British hard rock and metal titans JUDAS PRIEST, Downing helped bring harmonized lead guitars into the mainstream and co-wrote timeless hits like “Living After Midnight,” “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” and “Breaking The Law.”
MTV declared JUDAS PRIEST the second “Greatest Metal Band” of all time (only behind BLACK SABBATH). During Downing‘s 40-year tenure, PRIEST sold more than 50 million albums, with his aggressive musicality and distinctive Flying V guitar influencing generations of guitarists to this day.
Now Downing returns with an October U.K. headlining tour. The “Priests, Killers & Witches” tour starts at the O2 Institute in Birmingham on Saturday, October 7, and visits London, Glasgow, Manchester and Nottingham.
After their much-awaited first performance at KK‘s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton in July, KK’S PRIEST is now set to headline several major European festivals including Alcatraz in Belgium, Time to Rock in Sweden, and Leyendas Del Rock in Spain. Their production tour will feature a setlist that includes songs from their debut album Sermons of the Sinner, as well as new music and classic tracks from JUDAS PRIEST.
Downing says: “It was frustrating not being able to play live during Covid, so it’s very exciting to finally be going out on tour. We have also recorded a new KK’S PRIEST record, so now we have the opportunity to pick and play songs from both our albums and also from my legendary catalog.”
Joining them for every show will be the legendary Paul Di’Anno, the original IRON MAIDEN singer who will rock the stage with a full set of songs from the first two MAIDEN albums. And kicking off the night will be the amazing BURNING WITCHES, a Swiss all-female band that is making waves in the metal scene.
“It’s killer to have Paul Di’Anno on the bill with us,” K.K. continued. “This tour becomes a somewhat historical event, with two major players in PRIEST and MAIDEN in years past. We also look forward to having BURNING WITCHES joining us on these dates.”
Tour dates are as follows:
Oct. 07 – Birmingham – O2 Institute
Oct. 08 – Glasgow – Swg3
Oct. 10 – Nottingham – Rock City
Oct. 11 – Manchester – O2 Ritz
Oct. 12 – London – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
