British Lion are excited to announce their return to the stage in 2025, to play a set of European shows this summer, including a one-off date in England. They will then embark on a major headline tour of the UK this winter, which includes a five night residency at London?s legendary Cart & Horses venue in Stratford where Iron Maiden played their first-ever gigs.
British Lion have performed there a number of times in recent years, with sold-out audiences revelling in the chance to see the formidable hard rock quintet in such intimate surroundings. These five shows will be additionally powerful as they come at the end of a year of celebrations for Iron Maiden?s 50th Anniversary, bringing Steve Harris back to what fans revere as the birthplace of Iron Maiden.
He comments “We’re really happy to be doing a number of European shows in the summer as well as a more extensive tour of the UK at the end of the year. It’s great to be able to return to The Booking Hall in Dover, which is our only UK summer show ! It was under threat of closing last year but was saved with the support from British Lion and other music fans around the country! We look forward to seeing you all on the road!”
British Lion will be joined by special guest support acts at the UK and European headline shows. Tony Moore?s Awake will be special guests from Dover through to Newcastle while Stray will be special guests from Bradford through to London.
The upcoming BRITISH LION dates are as follows:
FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE 20th June – Dessel Graspop Metal Meeting, BEL
EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR 3rd Aug – Dover, Booking Hall, UK 4th Aug – Eindhoven, Dynamo, NL 5th Aug – Saarbrücken, Garage, GER 8th Aug – Barcelona, Salamandra, SPA 9th Aug – Murcia, Mamba, SPA 10th Aug ? Seville, Custom, SPA 12th Aug ? Faro, Moto Clube, POR
UK HEADLINE TOURÂ 28th Nov ? Buckley, The Tivoli 29th Nov – Troon Winter Storm Festival 30th Nov – Newcastle The Anarchy Brew 2nd Dec – Bradford Nightrain * 3rd Dec – Manchester, Gorilla * 4th Dec – Nuneaton Queens Hall * 6th Dec – Isle of Wight Strings Bar & Venue * SOLD OUT 7th Dec – Exeter Phoenix * 8th Dec – Frome Cheese and Grain * 10th Dec – Cardiff Tramshed * 11th Dec – Colchester Arts Centre * 12th Dec – Gravesend Leo’s Red Lion * SOLD OUT 13th Dec – Southend Chinnerys * 15th Dec – London Cart & Horses * SOLD OUT 16th Dec – London Cart & Horses * SOLD OUT 17th Dec – London Cart & Horses * SOLD OUT 18th Dec – London Cart & Horses * SOLD OUT 19th Dec – London Cart & Horses * SOLD OUT
Special guests come from Tony Moore?s Awake (Dover to Newcastle) & Stray (Bradford to London)*
Just before the month of March turned with the clocks into April over 30 Truants ? a charity organisation established by Maiden Manager Rod Smallwood some 16 years ago, completed an epic cycling challenge through the neighboring countries of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Battling epic heat, rough terrain and challenging border crossings the group finally, exhaustedly arrived in the lush natural splendour of Victoria Falls, Zambia. More importantly, the group led by Rod but also including FC Eddie-tor ( & President of the Heavy Metal chapter of Truants!) & Phantom Management?s Dave ?Shacky? Shack ? which raises money for Teenage Cancer Trust, Nordoff & Robbins, Childline, and Save The Children ? has already reached its initial, huge fundraising target of a £500,000 for the ride.
To date, through a combination of charity challenges, events, auctions as well as the efforts of its offshoot organisation the Heavy Metal Truants, the Truants Foundation has raised over £6 million for kids and young people.
?The Truants & Heavy Metal Truants is all about people coming together for a common cause to help children and young people,? says Rod. ?It?s a special thing to see people from so many backgrounds and walks of life making the commitment. It?s been a very special but tough ride in a truly spectacular part of the world & will really make a difference to our charities to receive this money when we hand it all over in May at our Gala Dinner.?
If anyone would like to support Rod & the Gang they can do so by clicking here – or if anyone would like to actually join the HM Truants they can sign up for this year’s HMT Ride to Download and pedal to glory! Every single penny donated by you goes equally to the 4 childrens charities – Teenage Cancer Trust, Nordoff & Robbins, Childline, and Save The Children. Each Truant pays 100% for the costs to do the ride.
LOS ANGELES?2024 was the year of Bruce Dickinson, as herocked the world with the release of his seventh solo album, THE MANDRAKE PROJECT, and an accompanying tour across Europe and South America. Never content to simply do the expected, Dickinson also released a companion comic series by the same name as an integral part of The MANDRAKE PROJECT identity. The series, which had been brewing in Dickinson?s head for over a decade, was received to thunderous acclaim.
Now, Z2 is proud to announce the impending release on August 5th 2025 of THE MANDRAKE PROJECT: YEAR ONE, which collects the first four issues in the series, along with the prologue. (Previously only available in the vinyl release of the single for Afterglow of Ragnarok.) Additionally, the oversized 12?x12?, 184 page volume Deluxe Editions include an extensive series of interviews and essays recounting the road Dickinson and the creative team took in bringing the album, tour, and comic series to life. With an introduction by Sons of Anarchycreator Kurt Sutter, the book is housed in an exquisite slipcase with a rotating embossed Mandrake dial, and is bound with a sealing ribbon and gilt paper edging. The case also contains four exclusive foil collectors cards and the cast metal MANDRAKE PROJECT medallion seen in the comic and music videos. This book is the must have item for all lovers of Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, and supernatural tales!
When asked about the book?s release, BruceDickinson said ?Finally we are at the end of the beginning. I honestly have to pinch myself to believe that Volume 1 of The Mandrake Project is upon us. I sometimes get the feeling that I am not fully in control of the story, and that some other entity is squeezing the blood out of my subconscious and turning it into ink on the page before my very eyes. We are just getting going. We are all? formed? of the dead.?
In May of 2024 Bruce became a patron of the William Blake Cottage Trust, which owns and preserves William Blake?s only surviving house. In homage to the storyline and with total reverence for THE MANDRAKE PROJECT?s inspiration, the Z2 team collected soil from the grave of the legendary English artist and poet, which was mixed into the ink for the printing of THE MANDRAKE PROJECT: YEAR ONE Deluxe Editions.
BruceDickinson added “William Blake has given me so much over the years and I want to repay the debt by helping to restore the Cottage. Despite his impact on the world, there is no center for Blake, nowhere people can visit to see where he actually lived and worked during a key part of his life. I want to change this.”
The oversized 12?x12? Deluxe edition with spinning slipcase and the limited, signed platinum edition will only be available directly from Z2 at Z2Comics.com, while a 9?x9? smaller hardcover edition without slipcase will be available via Z2?s retail partners Amazon and Barnes and Noble in the United States, and at HMV UK (Exclusive HMV Cover + Trading Card), as well as many independent comic and music shops worldwide.
When asked about THE MANDRAKE PROJECT: YEAR ONE, Z2?s Editor-in-Chief, Rantz Hoseley shared ?You pray for collaborators like Bruce Dickinson. While we?ve always taken pride in the presentation and production of our books, Bruce challenged us to exceed our previous best, and we happily took that challenge on. The end result is a design so ambitious and lush it?ll make your jaw drop, and we cannot wait to have you dive into this beautiful beast of a book!?
UNIVERSAL PICTURES CONTENT GROUP ANNOUNCE OFFICIAL UNTITLED IRON MAIDEN FEATURE DOCUMENTARY IN 2025
Featuring exclusive interviews with band members past and present, never seen before footage, and brings their iconic mascot Eddie to life with spectacular animation.
[14 Janurary 2025] ? Universal Pictures Content Group announce it has commenced production on an official untitled Iron Maiden feature documentary. Universal Pictures Content Group hold global rights and Universal Pictures International is set to release in cinemas internationally in Fall 2025, coinciding with the band?s 50th anniversary year. US theatrical distribution is yet to be confirmed.
The long-awaited documentary is an emotive journey through Iron Maiden?s 50 Year history told from the perspective of both the band and some of their most devoted followers – from longstanding superfans to established names from the worlds of film and music such as Javier Bardem, Lars Ulrich and Gene Simmons. The documentary will also feature exclusive interviews with pivotal band members including the final interview with original vocalist, Paul Di’Anno who sadly died last year.
Featuring rare archival footage and all-new animated sequences of the band’s legendary mascot, Eddie, the film offers a unique visual experience that highlights Iron Maiden?s widespread impact and the strong connection between the band and their truly global army of fans. The film also explores the cultural movement Iron Maiden has helped shape and their enduring legacy in both music and fan culture, challenging common perceptions of the wider significance of rock music and heavy metal.
Iron Maiden were formed in east London 50 years ago in 1975 and were seen to pioneer the globally inspiring new wave of British heavy metal movement. They have sold well over 100 million records worldwide, performing more than 2500 concerts in 64 countries across 6 continents. Later this year they will add to this number as they embark on their huge Run For Your Lives Tour starting in Budapest, Hungary in May.
Helen Parker – Executive Vice President, Universal Pictures Content Group and Exec Producer said: ?We?re thrilled Iron Maiden have entrusted us to bring their legacy to cinemas around the world. Working closely with the band and their passionate fans has been an unrivalled experience allowing us to tell their story in a unique way and celebrate their incomparable fearless creativity in their 50th anniversary year.?
Rod Smallwood ? Manager, Iron Maiden said: ?We?re proud Universal Pictures Content Group has chosen to share the unique story of Iron Maiden with the world. We have given them unrestricted access to the band, our fans and musical peers. We trust that they will excite not only music fans but also anyone who loves a story of an underdog beating the odds to become and remain one of Britain?s biggest musical exports since our first record released 45 years ago.?
The official untitled Iron Maiden documentary is directed by Malcolm Venville (Churchill at War) and produced by Dominic Freeman (Spirits in the Forest ? A Depeche Mode Film). EVP Universal Pictures Content Group Helen Parker (Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes) serves as Exec Producer.
Thames & Hudson are delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams – The Official Visual History, to be published globally in hardback in autumn 2025. A magnificent visual celebration of the first 50 years of Iron Maiden, this new book chronicles the evolution of heavy metal?s most prestigious band, with unparalleled input from band members and management.
A truly spectacular and beautiful book, featuring never-before-seen items and photographs, which have been curated with enormous attention to detail over a number of years, it celebrates one of Britain?s most influential and biggest-selling bands, who have become arguably the biggest metal band in the world.
Organized chronologically, Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams tells the story of the band from their first pub gigs in 1975 and their first record deal in 1979, through the recording and reception of groundbreaking albums, including their self-titled debut, 1982?s global breakthrough The Number of the Beast and the stadium-conquering Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, to 2021?s hugely acclaimed double-album Senjutsu and the forthcoming Run For Your Lives World Tour.
The book traces the evolution of their iconic Eddie mascot, alongside exclusive comments from his creator Derek Riggs, and documents the band?s spectacular and complex stage productions and extensive live tours, including the Somewhere Back in Time World Tour of 2008, which made international headlines as Bruce Dickinson piloted the band?s very own Ed Force One 757.
Presenting iconic album and single artworks, photographs of the band?s instruments past and present, stage props, hand-written lyrics and artefacts from the archive and the band?s personal collections, as well as landmark photographs by Ross Halfin, John McMurtrie and more, Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams is rife with revelatory stories and intriguing insights from pivotal band members and management. It is bookended by a foreword from band founder Steve Harris and an afterword by vocalist Bruce Dickinson.
Steve Harris says, ?I?ve been pleasantly surprised at some of the stuff that I?ve managed to unearth for this book. I knew I had kept a lot of things from the early days but they have lasted really well and the photography has brought them back to life. I hope the fans are going to love looking at all the stuff presented like this! It?s the right time to bring it all together for part of our 50th celebrations.?
Tristan de Lancey, Creative Director at Thames & Hudson, commented: ?Iron Maiden is an institution. Hailed as pioneers of British heavy metal in the 1980s, the band has come to embody a spirit of fearless creative independence and ferocious dedication to their fans that has won them a huge following around the world and across generations. With astonishing archival access and more meticulous, hands-on participation from the band than I ever thought possible, we have been gifted the tools to create something beautiful, comprehensive and unique which, I have no doubt, raises the bar for illustrated books in this music genre. Every page will surprise and delight its audience ? just don?t expect metal fans to be the only ones who buy it?!?
The book is available to pre-order here, with many more links to be added.
English language edition – Thames & Hudson | French edition – Editions du Chene | German edition – Prestel Verlag | Italian edition – Mondadori Lizard | Spanish edition – Libros Cupula | Czech edition – Dobrovsky | Japanese edition – Kawade | Brazilian edition – Belas Letras
Bruce announces his first extensive North American solo tour in almost 30 years in support of his current studio album The Mandrake Project. For ?The Mandrake Project Live 2025? North American Tour, Bruce reunites his 2024 touring line up featuring Philip Naslund and Chris Declercq on guitars, Dave Moreno on drums, Mistheria on keyboards and Tanya O?Callaghan on bass.
The Mandrake mailing list presale and local pre-sales begin on Thursday, March 6th at 10am local time with the general on sale starting on Friday, March 7th at 10am local time.
AUGUST
Fri 22nd – House of Blues, Anaheim, CA, USA
Sat 23rd – House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Mon 25th – Marquee Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Tue 26th – Revel, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Thu 28th – House of Blues, Houston, TX, USA
Fri 29th – House of Blues, Dallas, TX, USA
Sun 31st – Rocklahoma, Pryor, OK, USA * (Onsale now)
SEPTEMBER
Tue 2nd – House of Blues, New Orleans, LA, USA (Onsale March 14)
Thu 4th – Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Sun 7th – The Town, Sao Paulo, Brazil * (Onsale now)
Wed 10th – Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Thu 11th – House of Blues, Boston, MA, USA
Sat 13th – Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Sun 14th – The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Tue 16th – HISTORY, Toronto, ON, Canada
Thu 18th – MTELUS, Montreal, QC, Canada
Sun 21st – Louder Than Life, Louisville, KY, USA * (Onsale now)
Tue 23rd – The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Thu 25th – The Fillmore, Detroit, MI, USA
Sat 27th – Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA
Sun 28th – Uptown, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Tue 30th – Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO, USA
OCTOBER
Fri 3rd – Aftershock, Sacramento, CA, USA* (Onsale now)
Sun 5th – The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA, USA
*Festival
?The Mandrake Project Live 2025? North American Tour kicks off in Anaheim, CA. at The House of Blues on August 22nd and takes the band across North America including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at ?Rocklahoma? (OK) and ?Louder Than Life? (KY) with more to be announced. The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious ?The Town? Festival at the City of Light in Sao Paulo.
?We are thrilled to be able to take The Mandrake Project out for a proper tour of North America,? enthuses Bruce Dickinson. ?Last year we did a couple of sold-out U.S. West Coast dates before heading to South America and the response was just incredible. This time we will add ?Shadow of The Gods? to the setlist for this incredible band to perform plus a few other gems so we are really looking forward to seeing our fans again all over the country and for a couple of shows up in Canada.?
Released in 2024 to rave reviews, The Mandrake Project ranks No. 5 on Rolling Stone?s ?The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2024? list with mxdwn proclaiming the ?Album brings a heart stopping sound? and Ultimate Classic Rock stating ?after nearly a half-century, he’s still hell-bent on pushing himself to new heights, regardless of who’s backing him. Eternity may fail, but Dickinson keeps winning.?
The Mandrake Project immediately became a global hit, topping the albums charts In Germany and Sweden, as well as entering the Official Album Charts at No. 3 in the U.K. and hitting Top 5 on the Top Album Sales charts in the U.S.
As The Future Past Tour concludes after 81 shows to over 1.4 million fans, from Ljubljana to the Coachella Valley and from Western Australia to Sao Paulo, Iron Maiden are delighted to announce that stepping in behind the kit for 2025 is a name familiar to many of our fans ? Simon Dawson, a former session drummer and Steve?s rhythm section partner of the past 12 years with British Lion.
A native of Suffolk, England, Simon first teamed up with Steve Harris back in 2012. He debuted on three tracks on the first British Lion album and all of the second critically acclaimed ‘The Burning’, plus the many subsequent tours in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and, most recently, both Mexico and South America.Â
Iron Maiden celebrate their 50th Anniversary next year with the Run For Your Lives Tour starting in Budapest on May 27th.
After much consideration, it is with both sorrow and joy, I announce my decision to take a step back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle. Today, Sat, Dec 7th, Sao Paulo will be my final gig with Iron Maiden. I wish the band much success moving forward.
I will, however, remain firmly part of the Iron Maiden family working on a variety of projects, my long time managers, Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor, have in mind for me. I’ll also be working on a variety of different personal projects and focusing on my existing businesses and ventures, including The British Drum Company, Nicko McBrain’s Drum One, Titanium Tart, and of course, Rock-N-Roll Ribs!
What can I say? Touring with Maiden the last 42 years has been an incredible journey! To my devoted fan base, you made it all worthwhile and I love you! To my devoted wife, Rebecca, you made it infinitely easier and I love you! To my kids, Justin and Nicholas, thank you for understanding the absences and I love you! To my friends that are always there for me, I love you! To my bandmates, you made it a dream come true and I love you!
I look into the future with much excitement and great hope! I’ll be seeing you soon, may God bless you all, and, of course, “Up the Irons!”
Nicko
Statement from Rod Smallwood on behalf of Iron Maiden:
Nicko,
And we all love you too!!
Thank you for being an irrepressible force behind the drum kit for Maiden for 42 years and my friend for even longer. I speak on behalf of all the band when I say we will miss you immensely!
Ever since Rock in Rio in 1985 we have had a special relationship with Brazil so to bow out of touring in front of 90,000 fans here in Sao Paulo over 2 nights is poetic and you are deserving of all the accolades I am sure these marvellous fans will give you on this last show.
Phantom look forward to many more years of working with you on the projects you mentioned and I am sure we can find a few more special ones around the Maiden family and FC!
The band and I all have a thousand great memories of the past 42 years, great gigs, copious platinum and gold discs and awards, love from the fans and one beer too many on too many occasions! Such a bond is forever! And, as Steve Harris says, ?Nicko is and will always be part of the Maiden family?.
Rod, Andy, Steve, Bruce, Davey, Adrian & Jan
P.S. Maiden always get their man and our already chosen new drummer will be announced very shortly.
Smith/Kotzen announce the worldwide release of their second album, entitled Black Light / White Noise on March 7th 2025. The news comes alongside the release of the album?s first single, ?White Noise?, which you can watch here.
The album will be available in the following formats: Clear, Splatter Vinyl (limited to certain retailers) / Black Vinyl / Digipak CD / Lossless Audio Digital, and is available to pre-order now.
Track-listing:
1. Muddy Water
2. White Noise
3. Black Light
4. Darkside
5. Life Unchained
6. Blindsided
7. Wraith
8. Heavy Weather
9. Outlaw
10. Beyond The Pale
Recorded at The House, Los Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and mixed by Jay Ruston, the ten track album is a masterclass in modern rock, with Adrian and Richie?s prodigious talents as songwriters, musicians and vocalists on full display.
Lead single ?White Noise? perfectly illustrates the quality and strength of the album, boasting a gloriously heavy riff, soaring vocals, driving rhythms and a hook-filled chorus. Adrian Smith comments:Â ?The song is about the rise of social media, how people get addicted to it, the power of it and how we get bombarded with it 24/7.?
?It was actually a riff Adrian brought in,? adds Richie Kotzen, ?I then immediately started improvising the melody and the lyric that became the chorus. It had another working title, completely different to what it ended up being and we kind of came up on the spot with that call and answer in the chorus that turned into ?White Noise?.?
And that partnership has flourished and grown beautifully since their debut self-titled album in March 2021. Released to widespread critical acclaim, it was a melting pot of hard rock and traditional R&B that was a powerful calling card for what these two icons can do. On its follow-up Black Light / White Noise the duo have risen to even greater heights, producing a truly magnificent collection of songs that stands shoulder to shoulder with the finest work either of them have ever produced.
From the opening heavy blast of ?Muddy Water? through to the epic and stately closer ?Beyond The Pale?, these ten songs illustrate the myriad talents at Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen?s disposal and reveal that this is both an album and a partnership that will endure for years to come.
Atmospheric, ambitious, diverse and brilliant, Black Light / White Noise not only features stratospheric guitar solos and raw, bluesy vocals but soulful touches, intricate playing, beautiful songwriting and an assured poise and style that brings to mind a host of legendary musicians (Thin Lizzy, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Cream, Free, Deep Purple) but is undeniably the work of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen in perfect harmony.
Richie Kotzen comments: ?We?re so proud of this new album – it follows on from our debut and the EPs by focusing on collaborating on riffs, lyrics, harmonies and vocals. There?s a Smith/Kotzen DNA now and it?s definitely something we need to get out on the road with. I was pleased to work with my friend Jay Ruston on the mixing of the album, let alone my wife Julia (Lage) ? who actually plays on ?White Noise? as well as four other tracks.?
?We?re like an extended family now,? adds Smith. ?We have a sound and a vibe and I don?t think many artists are doing what we do ? sharing the vocals and the guitars ? it takes me back to those classic bands like Humble Pie & Cream ? which is not a bad place to start!?
When asked about the book?s release, 
A truly spectacular and beautiful book, featuring never-before-seen items and photographs, which have been curated with enormous attention to detail over a number of years, it celebrates one of Britain?s most influential and biggest-selling bands, who have become arguably the biggest metal band in the world.
