The latest on shopping, restaurant news and more Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

IT was the news rock fans worldwide had dreaded. Black Sabbath are finally calling it quits.

Birmingham’s most famous band, inventors of heavy metal, once unstoppable, have announced that this time it really is the end.

And, says, band founder Tony Iommi, the reason is simple.

“I can’t actually do this anymore,” admits the guitar hero. “My body won’t take it much more.”

Iommi, who battled lymphoma, has tests in two weeks’ time to ensure the cancer has not returned.

“I don’t want that creeping back again,” he says. “And all the travelling involved in Sabbath tours increasingly takes its toll.

“That’s why we’re going out on one last tour, to say our farewells.

“And then it very definitely is the end. We won’t be doing it again.”

The first leg of a world tour, which will run for a year under the banner ‘The End’, was announced on Thursday last week.

Gigs have been confirmed across the US, Australia and New Zealand, sparking dismay that no UK shows were announced.

That, says Iommi, is premature.

“There will be UK dates,” he pledges. “And, of course, we’ll be playing Birmingham.

“This is where it all began for us; this is where family and friends live; this is where our longest-standing fans are.

“It would be unimaginable for the Sabbath farewell tour not to include Birmingham.

“But you’ll have to bear with us. The logistics are still being worked out. Even we don’t know all the dates yet.”

What they do know, however, is that all good things must come to an end.

“We’ve been doing this for getting on for 50 years now,” says the guitarist whose innovative technique has influenced countless others.

“It’s about time we draw the line, don’t you think? It’s been great but it’s time to stop now.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still love gigging. It’s all the travelling and the exhaustion that goes with it that’s the problem.

“That side of things has a big impact on me.

“Yes, we may fly in luxury, stay in the very best hotels, ride in the most comfortable limos but there’s still a physical cost to touring.

“Even when we build in rest breaks – I have to have blood tests every six weeks – I find it tough going.

“You take a long haul flight, arrive somewhere at five in the morning and book into a hotel.

“There’s the soundcheck, the promotional work, the gig itself, then you’re back at the hotel to collapse into bed.

“Then next day you get to do it all over again.

“I love being up there onstage, playing with Sabbath. What I don’t love is all the other stuff necessary to enable that to happen.

“None of us are getting any younger, you know.”

He is, in fact, 67 years old, although his trademark looks belie the fact.

“Aside from my lymphoma, I’ve been back in hospital again recently because of back problems,” he admits.

“The funny thing is, while you’re out on tour it’s a full-on thing, you’re busy all the time.

“It’s when you come off tour that the side-effects kick in. While you’re at home, just when you think you got away with it!”

Doctors have warned there is a chance that Iommi’s cancer could return – and he is not keen to shorten the odds.

“I have finished my courses of treatment,” he says. “Now it’s a case of keeping tabs on things.

“I have the blood tests every six weeks, and then there’s a bigger check-up every now and then to make sure that all is still well.,

“I have my next one in a couple of weeks, and hopefully everything will be fine.

“Every day I feel around for lumps and bumps,” he told the Sunday Mercury earlier this year. “Every time I get a pain in my stomach I think ‘Oh God, it’s cancer’.

“It’s horrible. I even dream about it. But that’s my life now.

“The surgeon told me he doesn’t expect the cancer to go away. There’s a 30 per cent chance that it could, but more than likely it will come back and it could be any time.

“I could be here another 10 years or just one year – I don’t know.”

His health regime means no more late-night drinking binges. When he goes for dinner with friends such as Jasper Carrott and ELO drummer Bev Bevan, they eat a bit earlier.

“I don’t have the energy to eat late and go out drinking until 2am,” he grins. “I need to go to bed early. It’s not very rock ’n’ roll, but it works for me.

“So, yes, the next tour will be the last one. Absolutely the last one.”

And what might that last night in Birmingham be like, when the band take their final bow to an adoring crowd?

“It’s certainly going to be very emotional,” admits the musician dubbed ‘the real Iron Man’ by bandmate Ozzy Osbourne.

“After a year on the road together, after all these years making music together, after everything we’ve been through together?

“There may be tears...”

The farewell tour is going to be on a grand scale befitting the band’s place in rock and roll’s pantheon.

“We expect it to be around a year long, including the rest breaks,” says Iommi. “Maybe a little longer.

“It’ll be a big production and we’ll be putting together a setlist that traces the band’s career from our eary days in Birmingham.

“All the fan favourites will be in there, and we’re looking to include some songs we’ve rarely performed live, too.

“All the material will be from albums on which Ozzy is the singer. There won’t be any Ronnie James Dio-era material in there.”

Speaking of classic line-ups, might there be a place for original drummer Bill Ward, estranged in a wrangle over rights and royalties?

“That depends on Bill,” says Iommi. “We met up again six weeks ago and we got on great – but it’s down to Bill.

“Our plans as they stand are to tour with Ozzy, Geezer Butler, myself and Ozzy’s drummer Tommy Clufetos, who did so well on the last tour.

“He can do things with drums that still amaze me. His solos last time out were mind-boggling.”

Fans can expect some of the songs from reunion album ‘13’ too – but the jury is still out on the inclusion of any new material.

“I’ve been busy writing songs ever since the ‘13’ sessions,” says Iommi. “At that point we thought there might be another Sabbath album.

“But that’s up in the air now so I don’t know when or where they might appear. The tracks are ready, though.”

Neither will he rule out occasional one-off gigs in the future, even if they are not Black Sabbath projects.

“Like I said, I love playing live,” he says. “So it’s a case of never say never.

“If the right opportunity comes up, for the right reasons, and I’m fit and healthy, let’s see.”

He has, he says, enjoyed working as a mentor for Sky Arts TV show Guitar Star, passing on the tricks of the trade to young players.

“There were some fantastic guitarists on the show,” he says. “I was mentoring the rock players.

“But some of the performances by jazz, acoustic and classical guitarists took my breath away.

“I’d like to think that I’ve learned a thing or two over the years, and it’s a privilege to help others on their way.”