British Lion at the Gramercy Theatre

Steve Harris is best known as the bassist, primary songwriter, and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden; he is the only remaining original member in Iron Maiden since the band's inception in 1975. In 2012, Harris released his first solo album, British Lion, the name taken from a band he managed and produced in the 1990s. In recent years, this side project morphed into a real band and released an album, The Burning, on January 17, 2020. British Lion currently consists of Harris, vocalist Richard Taylor, guitarists Graham Leslie and David Hawkins, and drummer Simon Dawson.

Two months after the conclusion of Iron Maiden's 2019 arena and stadium tour, Steve Harris was back on the road, playing a series of small clubs in the United Kingdom with British Lion. That road trip extended into 2020 with British Lion's first tour of the United States, including tonight's performance at the Gramercy Theatre. While Iron Maiden's music has grown increasingly complex, British Lion became Harris' opportunity to play his signature style to simpler hard rock music. The set list, drawn from the two British Lion albums, was a revisit to the hard rocking 1970s, with clear, dynamic singing and double lead guitars. Richard Taylor's compelling vocal style is huskier than that of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, but both climb scales for impact and crescendo. That is where the similarity between the two bands began and ended. British Lion's songs basked in tuneful simplicity, latching to a riff or a groove and leading it to a chorus. Taylor was somewhat reserved in showmanship compared to Harris, who optimized his wireless connection and raced all over the edge of the stage while playing his hard and thick bass lines. British Lion played very much like the classic rockers of decades past, but with new songs and vibrancy. There should be a big audience out there for this retro-style of hard rock.

Setlist:

1. This Is My God
2. City of Fallen Angels
3. Judas
4. Father Lucifer
5. The Burning
6. Spit Fire
7. The Chosen Ones
8. Land of the Perfect People
9. These Are the Hands
10. Legend
11. Bible Black
12. Us against the World
13. Lightning
14. Last Chance
15. A World without Heaven
16. Eyes of the Young