Moses Gate, Bolton; 9th september

Back in Peter Kay country again! we have played here a few times now and 

always get a great response so i was looking forward to coming back. Set 

opener tonight is Where Eagles Dare, and i must admit all day i had been 

feeling a little under the weather (i was getting a 48 hour bug which i'm 

just shifting!!). So I wasnt running around as much as i usually do, but on 

the plus side i think i played better for it!! Its the old Janick syndrome!! 

Do you run around and not care about the odd mistake and put on a good show? 

or do u stand there really concentrating and play everything note perfect? 

Hmmm... answers on a postcard..

anyway, a few nutters down the front are dealt with by matt and we blaze 

through the set, trying a few odd things.. Phantom was very early and this 

was intentional as its always in the encores but more often than not we over 

run and it gets left out! so we were definately gonna do it tonight!! It was 

a very "Davey" set tonight, meaning i had a lot of solos.. it usually works 

out that the bulk of our set has a lot of Adrian leads but with Powerslave, 

Run to Hills, Clairvoyant in there i got chance to have a bit of a widdle! 

And thank you to everyone who came up to me after with nice compliments!

as usual all too soon the gig is over and we are now kicking back (well, 

back to the day jobs so not really relaxing!!) until we hit southampton next 

week. Cant wait!!

See u on the road

Si

Gasworks, Bradford ;8th september

Now this is a great venue!! We were, i think, the first band to play there a 

few months ago when it reopened and we got such a good response we couldnt 

wait to come back and we certainly werent dissapointed!!

From walking through the door i had people coming up to me and chatting and 

the atmosphere was really nice but it didnt hit me until the screen lifted 

when our intro tape was rolling and i finally saw how many people were here 

to see us!! The place was absolutely packed!!! we opened with Moonchild and 

everone went bezerk!! but by the time we hit Wickerman I was getting a 

little concerned as there were some pretty violent mosh pits going on! Its 

great to see people getting so into it but, this was pretty intense!! 

Luckily a couple of security guards came down at least to prevent people 

getting crushed against the stage.

Must admit i had a couple too many beers that night so by the time we did 

Paschendale i was really having to concentrate!! Paschendale really strikes 

a chord with me as my great grandad on my dads side was actually there, 

right on the front lines.. He maintained the trenches to make sure they 

stood up to the water from the driving rain and he was right in the thick of 

it. He survived, and died some time in WWII. My dad is currently writing a 

book about the era which will be published soon.

After coming back for the encores and shaking a few hands we head to the 

dressing room for a chill out, but the intensity of the crowd is scary!! 

They want MORE!! so we do another couple and i almost get pulled into the 

crowd by an overenthusiastic nutter!! Then we gat people trying to nick our 

stage props!! I think we lost our Union Jack flag and Kevs bass amp cover!!

Awesome night! thank you all and we will be back!! and thank you to Big Al 

and Lisa for the pearl scrathplate!

si

Date: 21 August 2006 10:37

SQUIRES BAR

Outdoor festivals are usually a bit hectic, with bands frantically getting 

shoved on and off as the change over time gradually gets eaten up throughout 

the day! However, this was very pleasant all round, apart from the bloody 

weather!!

We got there in time to see our mates from Motorheadache playing a great set 

and as we sit in the car arguing over the set i realise its absolutely 

pissing it down and i've left all my gear out in the open like a numpty! Kev 

and i scuttle off to get it shifted, getting duly soaked in the process.

Tottering to the bar looking like a drowned weasel i realise we are supposed 

to be on in 10 mins so its back to the stage area and towel off the guitar 

equipment! Turns out we are in plenty of time cos they decide to do the bike 

awards first. I know nothing about bikes so i wont humiliate myself 

pretending i do! (Young Pea Tree (Adrian Smith) is the biker of the band!).

We finally hit the stage to Wickerman and the sound is very odd.. its always 

hard at these things as there is no bounceback from the back of the venue, 

the sound just flies on the wind (possible lyric there!). Very short set 

today but we still chuck in the odd surprise, Phantom got an airing today 

and had the lunatics going bezerk!! Much to the amusement of the mini 

maidens!!

Eddie scares the hell out of me as i forgot Al was coming on during Hallowed 

for a change and i almost ran into him.. then we wind up the show, 

slithering around the damp stage and packing up for the mighty Feral Circus!

Feral Circus played a blistering set, check them out whenever you get a 

chance!! (Ok guys, theres the plug, now how about a free t-shirt?!)

See u in cannock on thurs!

Up the iron-ons

Si

THE LION - Castleford 19TH JULY 2006

 Could this be the tiniest place we've played?! I must admit i was a little apprehensive about doing this gig as I work as a guitar teacher at a high school in Castleford (and no, i aint saying which one!!) so i was a little worried all my students would come down and give me shit!! After a few little problems, such as no intial monitor system, no sound engineer etc.. we manage to hit the stage all guns blazing (no intro tape this time tho... no cd player!!!!). I must admit i love playing small gigs as the crowd are really in your face and you can feel the energy coming back and you really feed off it. "Where Eagles Dare" is the opening number tonight and from there the whole set is a blur, everyone leaving feeling very tired, deaf and sweaty but very satisfied. Mariner gets another airing and Pete and i become slightly distracted with the womens wrestling showing on the tv at the back of the venue (could Stacy Keibler be the most beautiful women in the world?!) We wind up the show and Jonny (Clive Aid) takes the drum stool for Run To The Hills - Nice one mate!! Wanna job? (just kidding dave, dont panic!!) And thank you to the girl who helped me pack up the gear at the end of the night. Very cute!! Up the Iron-Ons!

SI<DAVE MURRAY>

SPRINGHEAD pub, HULL  fri 4th august

Its my birthday!! or it was yesterday... and what better way to spend it

than jamming maiden songs with the boys? well... chuck in a couple naked

ladies and a lot of beer maybe.....

anyhoo, off to sunny Hull, we played here before back in january so we were

looking forward to going back and i'm a little nervous tonight as we are

gonna play "The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg" The BRAND NEW maiden single

which isnt even released for a couple of weeks!! This makes us THE FIRST

IRON MAIDEN TRIBUTE TO PLAY THIS SONG LIVE!!!! how cool is that!!!?? It may

also be the first ever live performance of that song!!! So yeah, to say i

was nervous is an understatement.. cacking myself is a little more

accurate!!

Anyway, we get to the venue to find Ian (fantastic bloke, bloody nice guy!!)

from the Iron Maiden fan club fiddling with a camera.. apparently he's here

to take lots of pictures to accompany the interview i did with the fan club

a while ago! The whole interview should be in the next fan club magazine!!

If you're not a member.. then join!!!

Showtime! we hit the stage all guns blazing (i'm proudly running around more

than ever due to my new wireless system!! nice birthday pressie eh?) and rip

through the classics. The big one for us tonight is Benny Breeg and as Matt

introduces it over the opening few chords a few die-hards in the crowd look

at each other with a look of complete disbelief..."No fxxkin way!!!" one of

them mouths to his mate!! The song is awesome to play live, the riff really

comes alive and is bonecrushingly heavy in a live environment. there are a

few confused faces from the more casual fan as they have no idea what it is

but it goes down an absolute storm!! Awesome!

We round up the show and as the noise and feedback from Iron Maiden fade out

i get smacked in the face by a custard pie courtesy of Big Al!! cheers

matey!! Yep, in true iron maiden fashion i got a proper birthday custard

pie-ing!!! exept they used proper dairy cream so i absolutely reeked and i

had to wash my hair 3 times to get it out and could still smell it!!

hey ho.. thats life in iron-on maiden!

See u from the stage

Si (Dave Murray>

Stratford upon avon 16th june 2006

Off we go again! On arriving in Stratford it immediately hits you just how 

beautiful this place is, like a cross between York and Winchester this is 

one of the most beautiful places i have seen in my life.The venue is 

situated on the lake where swans are swimming about merrily and people are 

lazing in the sun.. kev and i joke about nicking the acoustic guitars from a 

couple of students and doing an impromtu Journeyman!

After the usual barney with the support band situation we get our gear set 

up and soundchecked. Its not that we dont like support acts but a) we would 

like to know in advance if we have one or not so we can adjust the set (we 

normally play 2 and half hours but with a support band we have to cut it 

drastically). b) where possible you bring your own gear, its awkward 

soundchecking and then breaking down again for another band to set up!! 

particularly drums (dave is a fussy bugga and a rack mounted kit is hard to 

adjust.) c) dont over run!!

After the soundcheck matt and i go for a wonder round Stratford with an Ice 

cream. We see Shakespeares birthplace and then i spot, in a little toyshop a 

little model car of "Herbie" (from the films) But the shop is shut!!!! If 

anyone can get me this it would be much appreciated! Its in a little shop 

next to the icecream shop near shakespears place. right in the window near 

the bottom!

We arrive back in the beer garden of the venue and meet up with big al and a 

couple other maiden mates and start having a few pre gig beers!

Showtime! The place is RAMMED! we explode on stage and there are a couple of 

girls in the front row who look genuinely shocked at the way we are so 

animated and in your face! we rip through an unfortunately shortened set and 

the sweat is running down the walls!! a pit breaks out during evil that men 

do and by the time we hit fear of the dark it really seems to be getting out 

of hand! The enthusiasm and energy of the crowd is amazing!! We have our 

first ever stage diver too.. nice one u nutter!!

All too soon the gig comes to an end and we had an absolute blast! We will 

be back! A beautiful place with lovely people.

Up the iron-ons!

Si (Dave Murray)

mc hues,drogeda,ireland 26th may 2006

Off to Ireland!! As I have never been abroad in my life, and never set foot 

on a plane or ferry this whole thing is probably more exciting for me than 

anyone else!! However this is dampened slightly when i have to drag myself 

out of bed at 2.30 in the morning to get ourselves to Holyhead on 

time...oooogg!!

I snooze most of the way whilst Arry is at the wheel and wake in the 

desolate streets of Holyhead to see the ferry arriving... now, call me a 

wuss, but i got a little edgy! that thing is BIG, made of METAL and full of 

CARS!!! how the hell is it supposed to float?! We get on board and i realise 

i havent taken my sea sickness tablets... hey, ive never sailed before! how 

do i know if i get seasick or not!? I'm ok til we hit the mother of all 

waves and lurch like a bugger!! Brucie is in the gift shop and is nearly 

buried under a pile of guiness t-shirts!! I'm meanwhile in the loo... 

(peeing on a moving boat is not a fun experince!!) when i hear a siren that 

sounds just like the warning thing we heard on the emergency video!! I start 

to flap but realise its some guy playing on a gambling machine who has won 

the jackpot and the sirens are from that!! Feeling slightly silly i skulk 

back to the boys.

we go up on deck and though the wind is a bit lively we can see Ireland 

getting closer, my first time in another country!!

We travel down to Drogheda (sorry to everyone who laughed at us when we got 

the name wrong, think we pronounced it 4 different ways between us!!) and 

meet up with Ant. Now, a big HUGE thank you must go to Ant for all the hard 

work he has put into this event. We were very well looked after, the awesome 

posters were done by him and he was always there for us. cheers mate, 

looking forward to working with you again! We explore the beautiful Drogheda 

and Kev and I settle into a nice little pub for some PROPER guiness!! 

Amazing!! We finally totter back to the venue where i am AMAZED to see a 

GREEN POST BOX!!! GREEN!!!!! not red but GREEN!!! I made quite a song and 

dance about this and got some funny looks!

We arrive back to the venue with the intention of getting a bit of sleep but 

the awesome METALLITIA are soundchecking and i'm surprised they couldnt be 

heard back in the uk!! loud as hell but i've never heard a band so tight!! 

and they do DYERS EVE!!! totally awesome guys!!

Showtime draws nearer and to be honest, we have been up almost 20 hours and 

are starting to flag a bit! More beer is consumed and we watch BONFIRE, 

absolutely awesome AC/DC tribute who do a great job warming the crowd... 

followed by the amazing METALLITIA... In all honesty i'm a little nervous 

about following therse guys!!! Then we hit the stage, and honestly as soon 

as the opening strains of Moonchild blast from the PA the tiredness 

disappears and i reckon we play one of the best shows ever!! the onstage 

sound is great and everyone is really into it!! Epic tonight is Mariner 

again and goes down a storm, we like to chuck in a few surprises among the 

standards so Sea of Madness is the one tonight! A great gig and i cant wait 

to come back over here!!
Chatting to people after the gigs is always nice (and no, not doing the 

Bolero Fumble!! u set of twats!! I really liked that girl!!) and its 

instantly noticable just how nice and friendly people in Ireland are. Ellen 

from Squashing Pumpkins came and had a nice chat and hello to the guy who 

spent ages trying to convince me we should write our own stuff and have a go 

at being an original band!! (Hopefully not because he thought we play maiden 

so badly eh?)

Anyway, back to the hotel and absolutely no sleep courtesy of Nicko 

McNoBrain and the thundeing snoring!!! Jesus Christmas Man!!!! Plus Brucie 

was convinced he saw ghosts in the room.... the ghosts of the guiness!!!

There is so much more i want to say about the Ireland gig experience but im 

in the library and starting to get people clearing their throats loudly so 

i'd better go!!

Once again thank you to everyone for making life in Iron-on Maiden so 

fxxking incredible!!

Up The IRON-ONS!! SIMON<DAVE MURRAY>

CARTOON CLUB,CROYDON,LONDON 20th may 2006

The last time we played this venue we were called in at the last minute to replace another maiden tribute who cancelled.that night we had a cracking gig so we were looking forward to this one and also a chance of a bit of band bonding by stopping in a hotel.last time we drove back, no f###ing way are we doing that again !!

me an dave<nicko>  arrived first mainly due to us egnoring the sat nav who tried to take us through the middle of london,however pete<adrian> decided to follow it to the letter! and arrive an hour later! the sat nav,s seem to be a good source to fill our diary entries at the moment "its a peice of sh#t" was petes conclusion to daves sat nav.

sound check was done in record time which is great! and no support band which is also great! after a threat of dismemberment by bar manageress <would,nt want to mess with her> we hit the stage at 9.30pm somewhere in time opens to a big cheer, some different songs in tonight lonliness of a long distance runner,sea of madness,clairvoint and pachendale which is getting better and better!! we finish with the usual suspects beast, evil and run to the hills to a chorus of more!! more!! being in this band is awesome the responses we are getting is overwhelming at times.

so after a relaxing well deserving drink we start to pack up and then find that simon<dave murray> is missing!! the sight that greeted us outside was simon doing the bolero fumble! with some girl he had just met! <i,m sure he thinks he,s in motley crue tribute sometimes!> so we had to peel him off her and head back to the hotel to drink beer,watch porno<on daves credit card by the way,cheers dave!!!> and go to sleep.ROCK AND ROLL!! ireland next up we can,t wait!! C YA!

KEV<STEVE HARRIS>

ROCHDALE TRANSPORT CLUB 19TH MAY 2006

Apparently, Iron Maiden tribute bands have a bad reputation at the Rochdale Transport Club. According to the promoter, a string of cancelled shows in the past (including us) has made the punters a bit wary. This could explain why the place is slow to fill. A hassle free sound check is a welcome change and Feral Circus, our support act enjoy the same. By the time Feral are half way through the their flawless set the place is beginning to look a bit more healthy. Were all knocked out by Ferals rendition of Battery and Sam’s steam hammer drumming has the subtlety of a gateling gun. Speaking of which, it would be such a shame for a young talented drummer to have his career cut short - but that’s what’s gonna happen. If I get a call from his school again, his kit’s going on e-bay. Keep your eye out and grab a bargain!

Well, what a surprise, the support has run over time. A quick change of stage set up and was away. Moonchild’s our opener and other than a couple of brave souls all remain in their seats. There’s no getting away from the fact that this place is a club and the audience seems to respect this fact. It takes me back many years to my club-land youth when committee men ruled the earth and bingo was king!

Wicker man does the trick however and the first few bars draws a head-banging crowd to the front –. Excellent. The rest of the set disappears in a blur and three encores of old favourites later me mam shouts me in for mi tea . The end.

PETE<A SMITH

GASWORKS BAR,BRADFORD 12 MAY 2006

A new venue in bradford and a real pain to find! dave,s sat nav more than once almost thrown out of the window!!"turn left,turn left" i cant f###ing turn left!! peice of f####ing shit!! We finally arrive ,very cool venue,nice big stage.very professional+ agood onstage sound,nice work guys!!

This was a very busy gig,half an hour before the gig we recieve a call from "yog radio"who asked if we would do an interview before the gig,so as soon as the sound check was done  we settle down with a beer and ask questions on the mad world of iron on maiden. part of the show was recorded and the interview should be on air at the end of may.

Aftermath hit the stage,the support act for the evening and play a blistering set.heavy as hell! really good band and a nice bunch of lads catch them if they play near you!!

Just a bit of time to mingle before our show and chat to my mates,"dave and carole"<ey up guys!>when some dodgy knobhead slithers up and offers us some "pills" dont even think about bringing that shit to our gigs,we will chuck you out in a heartbeat.its the worst part of being in a band having to see that crap

Right backstage again to get ready for the show.....oop! someone forgot to stick 10p in the meter,the whole of the backstage area is in darkness.<no one thinks to unplug the fridge to plug the lamp in , why would they?the beer would get warm!!>so amid the fumbling,swearing and stubbed toes,slipping on beer bottles and putting shirts on back to front we are ready to hit the stage.!!

A big screen hides the stage so we go on whilst the intro is on,<whilst tempted to moon at the audience when the screen rises> the sceen slowly rises and our intro reaches a climax and reveals an eddie filled stage.we explode into "somewhere in time"and the roar that greets us will stay with us forever!.we have tweaked this song a bit,now the opening harmonys are both played by me ,using a harmoniser,whilst pete pound the chords.the result is much heavier.we found it a little light with both of us playing the harmonys<the studio version has layers and layers of guitars>seems to work,as the crowd are going nuts!! the place is packed and the atmosphere is of the kind you only get from maiden fans

every song sounds crystal clear and everyone is pumping the air with there fists, then we charge into "ancient mariner"there something special about this song the atmosphere is perfect,you can almost hear the creakin of the wood and smell the sea air!! forgetting that bradford interchange is just down the road!

eddie makes his appearance and knackers two perfectly good strats!<cheers al !!>we wind up the show with bring your daughter and leave the stage to get a well earned beer!! a fantasic crowd and a great venue one of the best gigs i reckon!!.

on a personal note ,its amazing to me the reaction this band is having whenever we have some time off<not that theres much of that these days!>i try to take a step back and take it all in and its simply overwhelming!so i want to thank each and every person who has come to see us,has shaken my hand and had a nice thing to say or has nicked a guitar pic,or left a nice message on our guestbook.let me say a big thank you! right from the bootom of my pants!!we love maiden,we love playing and we are thrilled you enjoy the gigs as much as us!

YOU AINT SEEN NOTHING YET!!!UP THE IRON ONS!! 

SIMON <DAVE MURRY><ps snooty fox in wakefield.first performance of "pachendale" EEK!! + THE AMAZING DISAPPEARING DRUMKIT!>

pps.f###ing  email the review next time!! took me ages to type this up!! <arry-webmaster>

Los Angeles Rock Café – Cannock – 27^th April 2006.

It’s been 39 days since our last gig – it seems like 39 weeks and it feels more like a reunion. Were not off to a good start! A call from Kev to let me know that he’s just blown his van up (well a hose has come adrift but he didn’t find out until the AA fixed it a few days later) sees plan B put in place and we cram everything in to three cars and head off towards Cannock. Were guided by Kev’s dyslexic Sat Nav, which is an endless source of amusement as he circles a roundabout a couple of times whilst it makes up its mind. It’s not all bad news though. Today, for once, I’m not driving. I hope they sell a decent bitter.

On arrival things look promising. Good size stage, decent looking PA and were in what appears to be a proper rock venue. A few problems are encountered during the sound check and sorting the drums takes an age. Overall though, the "on stage" sound is good and we leave the engineer to it and keep our fingers crossed.

Finally were on stage and it’s been worth the wait. The place is full and more importantly, most of the crowd are genuine Maiden fans. The set goes down a storm and thankfully not many notice that were a bit rusty. We always perform a long set but when both the crowd and band are enjoying the gig it seems to last ten minutes. Before we know it were in to the encores. Big thanks again to Big Al for being our adopted Eddie. If anyone wants to know haw to devalue a Strat in 30 seconds, stand next to Eddie and try dodging the flailing chains!

It’s been a great night, were sure to be back and oh yes – the beer was ok, all Xx$ pints of it.

Pete. (A Smith)

MOSES GATE,BOLTON 28TH APRIL 2006

no review yet<matt get off your lazy ass and do it! arry webmaster>

SUN 16TH MARCH-ROCK CAFE 2000,STOURBRIDGE

There are good gigs and there are bad gigs,and this gig unfortunatley  fell into the latter. we arrived at the venue and our first impression were good , nice big stage,decent changing rooms,great venue infact!. a few posters were showing so the signs were looked good. then after setting up a painfull soundcheck followed,"turn your bass down,turn the guitars down,< to a pitifull onstage volume it has to be said> hit that 1st tom again,take some top end off the bass" and so it continued. you can tell when the sound man knows what he,s doing the sound check goes smooth and quick but this time it was hard and slow and the result was the worst onstage sound ever , just hope it sounded better out front! then it was announced 2 support bands to be fair they were no trouble.then showtime!! <poor crowd turnout unfortunatly >. our intro to moonchild keeps starting and stopping sound man comes up and says it won,t play on his cd as there is a massive scratch on it, "oh for fuck sake!!" this is a new disc! anyway after searching the bag for another one my back up disc finally played, moonchild finally kicked off!! then "2 mins" and "the prisoner" followed,the crowd certainly made up for low turnout by making some noise,plenty of running around on the nice big stage,some obscure tracks are played for the hardened maiden fans "sea of madness" "total eclipse" and "loneleness of the long distance runner" then  2 hours later we ended with the usual classics" fear of the dark,"hallowed be thy name" then enter stage left for "eddie!!" during our final number "iron maiden"  big al doing his usual fantasic job. no time for encores as the sound man wacks on the backing music while the crowd shouts for more but to no avain think that was a hint! time to pack up! and in the good words of little britain there was a right kerfuffal!! dave <nicko> has been accussed of smashing up two of the  drum mic,s and they are taking £180 off our fee,like hell!! bearing in mind these mic,s look more suitable for an ipod and not a drum kit no way are we paying 4 these, anyway after producing a contract and some stirn words from bruce like" i,m not screaming my bollocks off  for two hours for fuck all !!"we got our fee and trudged off back to yorkshire totally knackered.anyway like i said there are good gigs and there are bad gigs!!

KEVIN<STEVE HARRIS>