Music / Reviews
Review: Steve Harris, Bierkeller
It’s probably safe to say that the majority of members of Iron Maiden are spending the summer playing golf prior to the media hoopla that will accompany the release of their new album in September. Not band founder and bassist Steve Harris. He’s opted to spend a few months slogging round the clubs of Europe with his side project instead. ‘Arry clearly doesn’t need to do this, as he’s not short of a few million. He simply loves to rock and is clearly enjoying this relatively pressure-free tour, as well as the rare opportunity to see the whites of his audience’s eyes.
There’s just the one album released under the British Lion banner (I’m guessing that Harris is aware of the short-lived Mott-derived ’70s ‘supergroup’ British Lions, who also released only one record), so it’s no surprise that 90% of it gets played tonight. A solid if rather unexceptional collection that reflects the bassist’s love of classic hard rock (not for nothing does UFO’s Doctor Doctor introduce every Maiden show), the album’s only surprise is its lack of the prog that has come to dominate recent Maiden albums. On stage, however, it’s the unrecorded and more recent tracks that fare best, notably the – there’s no getting away from this – Maidenesque Father Lucifer, the twin guitar frenzy of The Burning and the brand new, Celtic-tinged Spitfire (shades of, oh yes, Maiden’s When the Wild Wind Blows here), which goes some small way towards vindicating vocalist Richard Taylor’s assertion that this is a band with plenty more to offer. He ain’t the greatest singer in the world, but nor is he as mediocre as detractors have asserted. Guitarist David Hawkins also proves to be quite a talent, despite rocking the unlikely spectacles and woolly hat combo.
Seemingly tireless Harris obviously calls the shots here. But it’s clearly not an ego-wank exercise as he’s very much a team player, striking all those familiar poses (foot on monitor, mouthing every lyric, etc) rather than attempting to grandstand. Encore time brings the band’s one and only cover. Naturally it’s a UFO song (a supercharged Let It Roll), followed by Eyes of the Young – a reasonably decent stab at a big anthem. Job done in suitably workmanlike fashion, we all go home happy – if not exactly elated.
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