Live Review: British Lion – Rebellion, Manchester
29th June 2023
Support: Stray
Words: Dan Barnes
Photos: Rich Price Photography
Tomorrow night, Steve Harris’ other band will be in town, over at the Arena for their The Future Past tour. Yet, to kill a bit of time, Mr H has strapped on his bass, given his mates a call and brought his British Lion back into the pubs and clubs where he, and Maiden, first started.
Tour support in Manchester comes from scene veterans Stray, who have been plying their trade, on and off, since the 1960s. Remarkably, they have managed to keep mostly the same line-up over that time and have produced an impressive back-catalogue of recorded material.
From the beginning they are out to prove that the old guys can still rock as they deliver half-a-dozen Classic Rock tracks that would light up the early afternoon down at Stonedead. Simple but effective riffs and some sweet guitar harmonies form the core of a series of unstoppable hooks. Fists are raised early and remain aloft throughout.
There are times when they come across like UFO and other times like Kiss’ hard-rockin’ sound, with the guitars ably supported by a tight rhythm section and a keyboard adding shade and texture. Could be that I’m in that mindset now, but there are times when you can isolate moments that might have contributed to defining the early Maiden sound; other times, less subtly, when the 16ths gallops are as clear as the nose on your face.
Terrible grandad jokes aside, Stray serve up a set of some seriously epic hard rock, even managing to drop in a bit of a Buzzcocks vibe into their closing number.
There seems to be quite a buzz around the entrance as Stray finish their set; yet so dedicated to my craft am I that I fail to notice it’s Dennis Stratton standing next to me, shaking hands and posing for selfies.
British Lion is here tonight because Iron Maiden played in Leeds last night and are in Manchester’s Arena tomorrow. It seems that almost everyone is sporting some form of Maiden merch, but it did give me a chance to peruse the options before getting to the venue.
Even though the band have only two albums, it doesn’t mean they can skimp on the show and arrive to deliver a full-on headline set of, I counted, seventeen songs. Obviously, this means most of the recorded output is aired, with singer Richard Taylor commenting that the very apparent difference between the rather tame renditions on the debut when compared to the bombastic live versions.
Nowhere is that more evident than on opener This is My God, which kicks things off with the huge wall of sound of heavy twin guitars and pounding drums. Listen carefully and you can hear British Lion is a love-letter to the Hard Rock influences of Steve Harris’ past.
Every song is carefully crafted by the band to examine all aspects of what’s possible with the genre. Whether that be face-pummelling anthemic riffs, as on Judas and Father Lucifer, or more restrained moments found on Legend and Land of the Perfect People.
It should be noted that British Lion is no vanity project, and that Mr Harris is more than happy to take a supporting role during the performance. Guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie crunch and crank out rockin’ riffs the whole night long, while the whole thing is kept in time by drummer Simon Dawson. Seeing Steve Harris up close and personal when he’s usually little more than a spec on a stage is a little disconcerting. In fact, I think the only time I’ve been this close to any member of Iron Maiden was when they played Preston Guildhall in 1990.
But this is a genuine passion-project and the quality of the musicianship and of Richard’s vocal performance suggest even if they did not have the connection they do, the band would be a highly viable commodity in its own right.
Us Against the World has a Perfect Strangers keyboard sweep as its opening moments, as does Wasteland. And to show they aren’t about the rock-star lifestyle, the band don’t go off in order to attract shouts for an encore. Rancid did the same thing last week, so we might be seeing a new ending to shows. Unlikely, but maybe.
If the purpose of British Lion is to play smaller venues and deliver a show with a crowd at eye level, then the Rebellion Bar certain fits the bill. But the atmosphere here is always top notch and all of the band are treated like returning heroes.
The last record showed what they are capable of in the studio and it’s obvious they would be at home on far bigger stages than this; though that seems beside the point of it all.
Maiden tomorrow. I’ll let you know how that one goes.
All photo credits: Rich Price Photography
