Iron Maiden bassist / founder Steve Harris recently guested on the Scars And Guitars podcast ahead of the Australian shows with British Lion and Iron Maiden. He discusses whether British Lion allows for deeper lyrical exploration and comparisons to Iron Maiden, shares his thoughts on Bruce Dickinson’s Mandrake Project, the recent reunion with Paul Di’Anno, and how fan interactions have shaped his legacy. They alsoexamine Iron Maiden’s themes concerning social and political climates, potential collaborations with contemporary artists, and the challenges metal faced in the mid-90s.
Check out the interview below.
When asked if there is one song he’s written that Harris believes encapsulates his legacy as a songwriter, he offered the following:
“That’s a hard one because there are so many songs that I’ve written. I don’t know how many I’ve written, but it’s got to be more than 150 songs over the years. That’s something you could ask the fans, but if you did you’d get 10 or 12 people giving you 10 or 12 different songs. It’s such a personalized thing. It’s very difficult (to answer that question), but I’d probably pick a long song with lots of stuff in it and say that’s fairly representative. There isn’t only one particular song that I can say is totally representative of what Maiden is.”
British Lion recently announced new tour dates including first-ever tour stops in Australia and New Zealand starting in Perth on August 31st with dates in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and a stop in Auckland, NZ on September 15th. The band will then return to Japan for the first time in six years with shows in Osaka and Tokyo before returning to the U.S. for their long-awaited live debut on the West Coast with shows at San Diego’s Brick By Brick on October 3rd, the world-famous Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles on October 7th, and an appearance at Aftershock Festival in Sacramento on October 10th. Tony Moore’s Awake will be the special guest on all dates with the exception of British Lion’s performance at Aftershock.
“We’re really excited to be able to play our first ever shows in Australia and New Zealand” says Steve Harris. “We’ve been to the U.S. before, but this is our first time to the West Coast! And to top it off,” continues Harris, “we’ll also be returning to Japan to complete what I’m sure will be a fantastic tour! We look forward to seeing you all on the road!”
Dates:
August
31 – Perth, AUS – Magnet House
September
3 – Adelaide, AUS – Lion Arts Factory
5 – Melbourne, AUS – Croxton Bandroom
9 – Brisbane, AUS – The Triffid
11 – Sydney, AUS – Manning
15 – Auckland, NZ – Paraoa Brewing Co
23 – Osaka, JAP – Big Cat
25 – Tokyo, JAP – O-East
October
3 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
7 – Los Angeles, CA – Whisky A Go Go
10 – Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival