Michael Schenker Group at Rockhal

Michael Schenker started playing at nine on his elder brother Rudolf’s Gibson Flying V. Rudolf co-founded Scorpions, Michael was on their debut album at 16, and he made his name with UFO on songs such as “Doctor Doctor” before starting his own group in 1979.

Michael Schenker Group play the Rockhal Club on Thursday 18 March 2027. Doors at 19:00.

Schenker joined the Scorpions as a teenager, then UFO, and has spent the fifty years since as one of the guitarists other guitarists talk about. The Don’t Sell Your Soul tour keeps the band format he has worked in on and off since the late 1970s.

Standing, in the Club.

Who are the Michael Schenker Group?

The Michael Schenker Group is the band of German guitarist Michael Schenker, born in Sarstedt in 1955. His elder brother Rudolf co-founded Scorpions, and it was Rudolf’s Gibson Flying V that got Michael playing at the age of nine. At 16 he was already on the Scorpions’ debut album, Lonesome Crow.

He then made his name in the 1970s with the British band UFO, on songs such as “Doctor Doctor” and “Rock Bottom”, before starting his own group in 1979. The first album followed in 1980. The sound is melodic hard rock built around his lead guitar: sharp riffs, big melodies and expressive solos. Look out for the V-shaped guitar: a Gibson Flying V for most of his career, and since 2004 his own black and white Dean V.

The records

• The Michael Schenker Group (1980): the debut.
• MSG (1981)
• Assault Attack (1982)
• Built to Destroy (1983)
• Immortal (2021)
• Universal (2022)
• Don’t Sell Your Soul (2025): eleven songs released by earMUSIC on 3 October 2025, with Erik Grönwall on most lead vocals and guest turns from Robin McAuley and Michael Voss.

Songs to know before the night: “Doctor Doctor”, “Rock Bottom”, “Lovedrive”, “Coast to Coast”, “Don’t Sell Your Soul” and “Eye of the Storm”.

Milestones

• Back with Scorpions in 1978 for Lovedrive (1979), he composed and played lead on “Another Piece of Meat”, “Coast to Coast” and the title track.
• Guitar Player named his tone on “Rock Bottom” among the 50 greatest guitar tones.
• Listed by Guitar World among the 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists.
• Marshall “11” award in London in November 2010, presented by Alice Cooper.

The Don’t Sell Your Soul tour

After a big European run in 2026, the Don’t Sell Your Soul tour comes back for 2027 by popular demand. Expect songs from the 2025 album alongside classics picked from across Schenker’s career.