Mark Taylor bows down before at Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock

The hurricane that is Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock blew into Oxford and whipped up such a storm that it nearly took the roof off the 02 Academy.

Too many guitarists use gigs to preen and show off deep sides of their personalities, grimacing and pouting like the instrument is causing them pain.

UFO legend Schenker was a joy to behold as he made his Flying V howl.

It appeared wildly out of control in his hands as he did all he could to contain it through Armed And Ready and Into The Arena.

With his ex-Scorpions band-mates Herman ‘ze German’ Rarebell pounding away at the drums and Francis Buchholz rock solid on bass, they raided the band’s back catalogue for favourites Rock You Like A Hurricane and Another Piece Of Meat.

Wayne Findlay was superb on keyboards and guitar, his face a picture throughout a storming rendition of Too Hot To Handle which had the venue screaming out the chorus. He might not be the tallest but Scottish singer Doogie White, formerly of Rainbow, loomed large on stage as he showboated a pitch perfect vocal masterclass on irritatingly catchy Only You Can Rock Me and Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead.

White’s joyously ebullient style, joking with the crowd and his band-mates, washed through the room and even those at the back were tapping their feet and shaking heads.

Supreme showman Schenker put axemen half his age to shame with a glorious show of infectious exuberance.

The solos were crisp, with the blistering fretwork bordering on the ridiculous at times.

He broke the extended live version of Rock Bottom down into a jazz-laden odyssey that left blues fanatics drooling.

It was sandwiched between two genuine rock classics, UFO’s signature tunes Lights Out and Doctor Doctor, drilling riffs into our heads, which we’ll mindlessly hum days after the show ends.

The night sparkled with gems but despite almost 40 years passing since their creation both sounded as fresh and vibrant as their first outing.