URIAH HEEP will tour with former frontman John Lawton at the helm, the band have confirmed.

He’ll stand in for Bernie Shaw, who’s taking time off for a routine medical procedure, for concerts in the Netherlands, Gemrnay, Austria, Italy and Switzerland during May.

It’s the first time Lawton will have hit the road with Heep since 1995. He bowed out of full-time duties in 1979 after a three-year stint. He’d already been booked to make a one-off guest appearance with Mick Box’s outfit in Spain in July.

The band say: “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.”

Lawton appeared on three studio albums with Heep: Firefly and Innocent Victim in 1977 and Fallen Angel in 1978.

He’d previously been with Lucifer’s Friend and returned to that band in the 1980s. He’s released a number of records as a solo artist and leader of the John Lawton Band, and his most recent work was last year’s The Power Of Mind with Diana Express.

Heep bassist Trevor Bolder was sidelined earlier this year through illness, which he later revealed to British Classic Rock magazine  was cancer. He’s determined to return in time for the band’s appearance at this year’s Download festival.