Jesus! What a miserable Monday night out in the town of Frome. It’s cold, wet and dismal—no wonder the Boomtown Rats didn’t like Mondays. But the light was about to shine on the town tonight as a trio of artists were due to hit the stage at the Cheese & Grain – Frome’s ‘numero uno’ music venue.
It was an early start, as the doors opened at 6.45 pm, and a queue had already formed along the perimeter of the venue, with folk eagerly waiting to get out of the cold. As the rain fell, they packed into the foyer and grabbed a drink before finding a spot for the night, whilst others headed straight for the merch.
As the clock struck 7 pm, the first act of the night was introduced. Tony Moore strolled onto the stage dressed to kill with a guitar in hand. For those who don’t know this local Bristolian, Moore was part of the original Iron Maiden line-up as their keyboard player. He also went on to play keys for Cutting Crew (‘I Just Died in Your Arms’) and to found the legendary Kashmir Klub in London. He’s remained a friend of Iron Maiden‘s prolific bass player, Steve Harris, since the band’s formation in the 70’s, and what better way to support Harris’s side project, British Lion?
“Are we awake?” Moore asked before launching into the triumphant track ‘Awake’ backed by a screen displaying the lyrics. Encouraging the crowd to clap and sing along, there was no excuse with big bold letters gleaming behind him. It soon became apparent that the visuals not only provided karaoke for the crowd, but also depicted the story behind his songs – some gloomy, some bright.
As he worked his way through a half-hour set, he exhibited his musicianship by not only playing guitar but also showing how nifty he was on the keys.
“You’ve been the best audience I’ve had so far, he laughed before a bit of storytelling about his time coming from Bristol and who his musical influences were as he was growing up, before joining the mighty Maiden temporarily.
The Cheese was slowly filling up as people scattered around the room. More and more varieties of T-shirts began to appear, supporting the central act of the night as well as an array of Iron Maiden tees from their many concerts.
After a speedy costume change into a huge pink, fluffy coat and sunglasses, Moore was back on stage behind his keyboard. Before you knew it, he also appeared on the screen dressed in the same attire. “Come on, Frome, sing it with me. You know you want to,” he bellowed. ‘Crazy in the Shed’ was the track name, crazy being the precise word! He then went on to joke about giving the crowd a bit of a ‘what the fuck’ moment, and he wasn’t wrong! It was a catchy tune; we can give him that!
It has to be said that Tony Moore was a top entertainer, showing much love for the crowd. Once he’d had a quick shot on his phone with them in the background by one of the crew, he took a moment to plug his merchandise and an upcoming gig in February 2026 at another local music venue, backed by the music promoters Sonar Presents. “What a great fucking venue the Cheese & Grain is”, he stated. “I love you all!”
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Photography: Emma Painter
It’s ‘drinks o’clock!!!’ Many didn’t move for the risk of losing their spot near the stage, but the crowd were treated with some classy rock tunes over the PA whilst the techs did their things on the stage and set up ready for the second act of the night – Stray!
In true Rock N Roll style, the now 5-piece band graced the stage to a much-anticipated crowd. The room had warmed up nicely as vocalist Del Bromham (AKA Derek Roy Bromham) grabbed his mic to introduce himself before cracking one of many puns. “In the words of Bruce Forsyth, nice to see ya, to see ya nice! How are you all doing out there? I mean Bruce Foreskin – that’s what we call him!!” he laughed.
With only a couple of original members left in the band’s lineup, you’d never know it. Their energy was on fire from the first track, and they were as tight as Prince Andrew’s lips.” Who’s living the dream then? There’s no place like Frome”, Bromham chuckled as the band hit their next track, ‘ Living the Dream, taken from their latest album, ‘ About Time, ‘ released in 2024. This feel-good track features the band’s signature sound but also resonates a touch of Thin Lizzy. Although the band had been around since the late 60s, they most definitely were doing just that.
Joined by Bromham on stage were original member Pete Dyer on guitar, who replaced vocalist Steve Gadd in the late 70s; drummer Karl Randall; bassist Colin Kempster; and Simon Rinaldo on keys. Every band member was dressed lively in cut-off shirts, tight-fitting jeans and trainers, and they were rocking it! Even Dyer managed to top his outfit off with a bit of sparkle in his ear.
With some stonking tunes and riffs aplenty, Bromham was quite the showman. His banter with the crowd continued heavily throughout their set, which was utterly brilliant to witness. And the crowd? They loved it, no matter how many innuendos were thrown at them. “You’re much better than last night’s crowd”, he shouted. “It’s December 2025, and I’ll be coming again. Well, that’s what she indoors thinks!” This guy is a card!
The band’s hefty set was moving quickly, yet they gave it everything they’ve got and more. With a vast mix of their back catalogue and some newer tracks thrown in, the band performed meticulously. Bromham remained at the forefront of the stage, playing his guitar like it had been glued to him his entire life, whilst Dyer and Kempster switched sides to spruce the stage up now and then.
‘1600 Pennsylvania Avenue’ from their 2010 ‘Valhalla’ album was just one of the highlights of the set, as Bromham insisted on crowd participation. Would be good, if you don’t mind?” A tamer track than they’re usual ardour, but a powerful and meaningful tune that had the crowd chanting back. And it was also time to see how adept Dyer was on guitar as Bromham provided the rhythm—neither had lost its touch.
‘Black Sun’, ‘Jericho’, ‘Black Sun’ and ‘I Believe it’ were just a handful of tracks from the band’s discography, straddling across their mammoth 50-odd years together. And what a joy it was to hear it all. But ‘All in Your Mind’ from their first album saw Bromham come out on top when he pulled out the Strat for that hazy, iconic ’70s twist. Just beautiful. Of course, he had to perform a little magic with it too, by showing what he could do with its tremolo without even touching it.
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Photography: Emma Painter
These London’ geezers’ ooze actual rock n roll in every way; their vibe, their attitude and most of all, their music. With the band having toured with Maiden, this was the ultimate support for British Lion.
Their set was wrapped up with a round of thanks to everyone, including the ladies down the front and those with Tourette’s. Brilliant!
Whilst the stage was cleared one more time, the crowd moved closer towards the stage, filling every possible gap. Just the guitars to sound check, and it’s all systems go for the finale of the night. The room was buzzing, and it was easy to forget just how shit the weather was outside, let alone that it was only a Monday.
Off went the lights as classical music was blasted over the heads of the crowd. Each member of British Lion crept onto the stage incognito, with just a glimmer of their figures highlighted by the dominant blue lights that shone across the stage.
As they took their place with instruments in hand, the band pummelled into their set with ‘This is my God’, no messing. At the glee of the crowd, infamous bassist Steve Harris wasted no time in making a move to the front of the stage, wielding his bass guitar strapped to his torso by a West Ham Utd scarf. As a lifelong supporter, this was an obvious choice of guitar strap for the avid fan, not forgetting the matching wristbands for extra support whilst slaying those strings.
Vocalist Rich Taylor stood proudly centre stage, commanding the crowd to join in with this legendary track taken from the band’s debut album. Harris’s resounding basslines and the ‘wahs’ of Grahame Leslie‘s guitar create the foundation of this spectacular opener and set the scene for what’s yet to come.
In just 15 minutes, the band had flown through several hits from both of their albums. Taylor then took a moment to breathe before any interaction with the crowd, thanking them for coming out to watch them play tonight. “We’re gonna ask a lot from you tonight,” he said, his arms raised, the crowd cheering in support.
This was a massive crowd for them to play for tonight. It’s a well-known fact that the band was initially formed to play more intimate venues, allowing Harris to experiment with bass guitar styles other than what he’s become accustomed to with Iron Maiden. But this doesn’t alter their performance in any way, shape or form.
‘The Burning’ soon saw hands in the air and heads nodding to this galloping masterpiece, with Taylor’s domineering vocals, Simon Dawson’s cantering drumbeats accompanied by uplifting guitar solos from Leslie and Dave Hawkins – a true hard-rock classic from the band’s more recent offering, and another way to stoke the fire in the crowd.
The night wouldn’t be the same without some form of song dedication, and tonight ‘Spit Fire‘ was dedicated to Taylor’s father. Another track with a pounding bassline and splashing ride courtesy of Dawson on drums, whilst Taylor hurls through the verses with gusto as Hawkins and Leslie lace the track with Maiden-esque solos.
Heading back to their debut album, ‘The Chosen Ones’, is next on the band’s gargantuan set. This tune introduces a semi-acoustic guitar that sits on top, giving it a lighter touch and a contrast with the others. Harris regularly switches from one side of the stage to the other, singing every word of every track, as the rest of the band show no signs of wavering at any time soon with their undeniable vehemence.
Although there has been a vast amount of interaction from Taylor in between their many hits, the band are travelling through them at lightning speed. And on that note, it was back to some of the band’s heavier work. ‘Lightning’ taken from their second album ‘The Burning’ was next up. Driven by thundering toms and a brief bass solo from Harris, much akin to the intro of Tenpole Tudor’s ‘Swords of a Thousand Men’, Taylor’s more organic vocals are drawn into this 80s-sounding rock tune.
“Bloody hell, it’s quiet in here”, Taylor questions. “Please thank all of the bands that played tonight,” he says before introducing each band member.
The crowd were well and truly oiled up by this time, as it was fast approaching 10:45 pm, and with no encore, ‘Eyes of the Young’ was the final track on their beastly setlist, the perfect track to lighten our mood before heading out into the pouring rain. It almost felt like the kind of tune you’d hear at the end of a film with the credits. As Hawkins threw his guitar picks and Harris his sweatbands to the hungry crowd, their set drew to a close.
Well, credit is most definitely due here as British Lion have done it again. They’ve played every track with passion and drive, proving they need nothing more than themselves and their instruments to do the job well. Their mammoth set was definitely a job well done.
British Lion continue their UK Tour throughout December with a 5-night stint at the Cart & Horses in Stratford, the very first venue Iron Maiden played.
Set list
This Is My God
Judas
Father Lucifer
Paradise
2000 Years
The Burning
Legend
These Are The Hands
A World Without Heaven
Spit Fire
Land of The Perfect People
The Chosen Ones
Us Against The World
Wasteland
Lightening
Last Chance
Eyes of The Young
Photography: Emma Painter
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