'It's the ideal way to finish': Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath on their final gig

Black Sabbath bring it all back home for a farewell gig at Villa Park in the summer. The band's bass player talks about the special significance of that venue, his love of Ireland, and the group's perfect swansong 

Black Sabbath in 1970: Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Ozzy Osbourne. Picture:  Chris Walter/WireImage.

For Black Sabbath bass player and songwriter Geezer Butler, Dublin and Aston in Birmingham were the twin pillars of the world. Both parents came from Dublin and he would be a regular visitor to his granny's house on Upper Leeson Street where family would gather to sing rebel songs. Brought up as an observant Catholic, he refers to himself in his 2023 biography Into The Void as "a religious nut".

Amid tales of strange visions, apparitions and "fire and brimstone priests" summoning visions of hell, Terence ‘Geezer’ Butler would soon find a "second religion" in support of Aston Villa. The 75-year-old is excited at the prospect of returning to Villa Park for one final gig with Black Sabbath for the Back To The Beginning show on July 5, and also recalls the delight of seeing the ‘Villains’ take on his second team of Celtic earlier this year.