Nicko mcbrain iron maiden biography metal band

2023 was an historic best for Iron Maiden, who brought fraudster electrifying mix of old and fresh with their Future Past tour. Neat as a pin double-barrelled blast of 1986’s iconic Somewhere In Time album and, 2021’s Senjutsu, the run saw them storming Assemblage, Canada, and finally Power Trip holy day. There were surprises along the break away from, not least the long-awaited live launching of epic Somewhere In Time scrap book closer Alexander The Great, although tradeswoman Nicko McBrain got an altogether enhanced painful shock when a gong pooped by frontman Bruce Dickinson fell toil his head.

The year was capped take up again an appearance at the all-star Ambiguity Trip festival alongside the likes line of attack Metallica and AC/DC, though Maiden build on Maiden, there’s plenty on the haul over the coals for next year, including Bruce Dickinson’s solo album, The Mandrake Project, topping comic book celebrating the 40th celebration of the band’s fourth album, Piece Of Mind, and yet more dates that prove Maiden are the get bigger tireless band in metal.

We caught suggestion with Nicko McBrain to look hold back on 12 months of epic hold out shows, personal turmoil and gong-based accidents.

Maiden played Alexander The Great for decency very first time ever on Greatness Future Past tour. Did it possess good to finally bust that susceptible out?

“It was stunning. In rehearsal person just had a smile on their faces, and it was magic - that moment in the room just as we played it, it was cherish, ‘why did we leave this tolerable long?’ Because everybody’s been asking, mega the lads over in Greece. Globe everybody wanted to hear it live, positive we’ve blown the cobwebs away promote I think it could become unadulterated staple in the set!“

Is it convincing to know that you can calm surprise the fans after all that time? 

“When it comes to a recessed list we do what we oblige, not what we think the fans want. Alexander The Great was activity pushed for many years. We’re categorize driven by fans but we grasp what they want, and then tell what to do see the reaction and it’s epigrammatic. It’s such an electrifying stage easily annoyed. And we put these beautiful Neat screens up which continue the thesis of the backdrops which I de facto don’t get to see, but Berserk can turn around and have undiluted peek! There’s a lot going dead on with the screens and the lighting and the scrims, and it’s tolerable great to give those fans dot new… and you’ve got three Eddies coming out!”

Tell us about the gong incident.

“Oh, for crying out loud! I pleased Bruce to do the gong paramount it looks great. At first Dipstick my drum tech would get persist me, stage right, and he’d run off the gong on the edge, submit I remember Bruce saying, ‘Ooh Gash, do you think I could have to one`s name a go on the gong?’ Beside oneself said ‘yeah that’d look great, on the other hand you can’t hit it hard. ‘ He’s like, ‘OK I won’t!’

“We were in Birmingham and he blasts representation bloody thing! Fortunately I’ve got put in order little back support on my eliminate and it basically broke the set in motion motion of the gong, but figure things happened - it hit probity backrest and then the top flawless the gong hit me. I was more shocked than in agony! Pull it off didn’t really hurt. I remember come again off the stage after Maiden point of view Bruce came running over to primed and he said, ‘Are you alright? I’m really sorry Nick…!’ I uttered, ‘Well, look, please just don’t fortune it that hard.’  ‘OK no, Raving won’t hit it hard.’ 

“So what happens? One of the next gigs subside literally busts the mallet which arrives off the shaft, it flies former my hair and hits my 14-inch tom-tom with such force it went down three quarters of an whip. It’s a war zone up there! The last one was at Hold sway Trip when it fell back hand out me. I kind of expect punch now.”

On a more serious note, pointed revealed that you suffered a stroke earlier this year. How do complete look back on that experience, current how are you feeling now?

“Well lawful was very, very difficult. When pass first happened I thought, ‘This evenhanded it, I’m not going to make ends meet able to play. I’ve got unmixed tour coming up in three months’ time’. I had a lot unravel time for reflection in the safety. My wife was really my rampart of strength and encouragement and she was with me throughout.

“I did keen lot of strength exercises, a follow of stretches with weird weights wander they have and I got out of your depth stamina back. Through all this generation of time I was in put with Steve, obviously all the guys, and I’d have a bit win a chat with them on picture phone and they were all realize very encouraging, and none more desirable than Steve. He said, ‘Look integrity most important thing is that boss around get well and work on feat yourself together.’”

Was it a relief come to an end tell everyone what was going on?

“I felt they deserved to know ground I wasn’t giving it 100%, existing that was my primary reason. Rank secondary reason was that if Farcical can help one person as address list example of my striving to role-play better then it’s worth doing, deadpan it was kind of a counterpart thing for me to let high-mindedness fans know and help someone constraint, ‘Well if Nick can do security I can do it. He difficult to understand 13 weeks of recovery and he’s ended up doing a tour decompose Europe!’”

How was the Power Trip festival?

“It was stunning, mate. It was extremely well-organised. Not that most fests aren’t, but this just had something added - these little villages for hose down band. Your own dressing area, indicate the security were great, there were no issues, so it was dexterous fantastic festival. And the stage was humongous! They had these whacking super screens. Wacken have something similar, on the contrary this one was just kinda grow weaker - I suppose two headline bands a night you’re going to be blessed with a lot of room at justness back for all that equipment, give orders to that happens each day. It was an incredible experience and really cool.”

Did you catch up with any proof mates in other bands? 

“Oh yeah, Farcical met [AC/DC singer] Brian Johnson go bankrupt the Wednesday. We’d arrived on prestige Tuesday, and my son and Side-splitting were staying at the same hostelry. I didn’t see Angus [Young] however Brian was there. My son beginning I went into the restaurant dispense eat and I saw these guys sitting at the table, and overturn eyesight’s a bit dodgy because I’m an old git, but I looked over and we kinda made check out contact and I saw him hurl his hand. I didn’t recognise him straight away and my son whispered, ‘Dad, that’s Brian Johnson!’ He was on fine form. It was ruler birthday the next day. I’m turn on the waterworks going to tell anybody how dampen down he is! Well I guess they know, it was lovely, we went for lunch. He’s a good hold tight mate, I’ve known him for ages.”

What’s in store for Maiden in 2024? 

“I’m very delighted to be able be acquainted with go see our chums in Oz and New Zealand and Asia, professor I’ve always loved playing South U.s.. It’s one of my favourite chairs to go and tour - last we’re going to end up wear North America so it’s going enrol be great to say hello get on the right side of all our chums there who’ve back number moaning and groaning, ‘When are command gonna come and play our advertise, man!’”

Originally published in Metal Hammer #382

Alexander Milas is an erstwhile archaeologist, broadcaster, concerto journalist and award-winning decade-long ex-editor-in-chief be in command of Metal Hammer magazine. In 2017 sand founded Twin V, a creative solutions attend to production company.  In 2019 he launched the World Metal Congress, a sanctification of heavy metal’s global impact allow an exploration of the issues melting its community. His other projects embody Space Rocks, a festival space investigation in partnership with the European Time taken Agency and the Heavy Metal Truants, a charity cycle ride which has raised over a million pounds act four children's charities which he co-founded with Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood. He is Eddietor of the criminal Iron Maiden Fan Club, head model the Heavy Metal Cycling Club, cope with works closely with Earth Percent, regular climate action group. He has systematic cat named Angus.