| BRITISH LION are delighted to announce an 11 date tour of the UK in January 2023. Tickets are on sale now from https://britishlionuk.com/tour/. The full list of dates :
Jan 06 Queens Hall, Nuneaton
Jan 07 Leadmill, Sheffield
Jan 08 The Garage, Glasgow
Jan 10 Brickyard, Carlisle
Jan 11 Parish, Huddersfield
Jan 13 Sin City, Swansea
Jan 14 Chinnerys, Southend
Jan 15 Concorde 2, Brighton
Jan 17 The Booking Hall, Dover
Jan 18 Islington Assembly Hall, London
Jan 19 Epic Studios, Norwich
Special Guests at all shows will be Coney Hatch from Canada – the band’s first ever UK tour (aside from a couple of one-off shows at Nottingham Firefest in 2011 and 2014) and featuring three members of the original 1980’s line-up: bass player & vocalist Andy Curran, lead vocalist & guitarist Carl Dixon and drummer Dave Ketchum, along with guitarist Sean Kelly who joined the band in 2018. Additional support on the tour comes from Airforce.
Steve Harris comments,
“We’re excited to be touring the UK again especially as we’ll be visiting many places we’ve not had a chance to play before. It’s fantastic that we’ve got long-time friends Coney Hatch coming over from Canada to join us. We had great fun when they were our special guests on the British Lion Canadian shows in 2018. And we’re happy to have our old mates Airforce back out on the road with us too. Everyone is really looking forward to this tour and we can’t wait to see everyone.”
BRITISH LION last played live in the UK at this year’s Download Festival to a packed Dogtooth Stage* following a headline pub & club tour of late 2021. Their second album The Burning was released by Warner Music (Explorer1 Music in the US) in January 2020.
*Download show reviews:
Dogtooth is stuffed to the gills….They’re rewarded with a set of big, banging heavy rock. Arry looks like he’s already over on the Apex Stage, mouthing every word and putting every ounce of energy into every note. But even he isn’t having the most fun here. That prize goes to singer Richard Taylor, whose enthusiasm is of the most infectious, energetic stripe. As a dose of raw power, this is killer. We’re not lion.” – Kerrang
Another highlight of the day was to be seen in the overspilling Dogtooth tent for the much-anticipated set by British Lion, a band who have more than demonstrated their worth beyond being the side project of Iron Maiden main man Steve Harris. Needless to say, the bassist puts his all into the performance but so do guitarists David Hawkins and Graeme Leslie, drummer Simon Dawson and vocalist Richard Taylor, the quintet bonded by constant hours on the road together and buoyed by the success of acclaimed sophomore album The Burning….Crammed together, even in this large tent, there’s a sense of community that is an ever-present bond and a communication that is truly rare. From the dark Father Lucifer through to the life-affirming power of The Chosen Ones, British Lion captivates, hearts very much on their sleeves. Certainly, there is an intensity here, but there’s also a joy that lifts hearts and songs like The Burning and Lightning shine like thousand-watt bulbs. For many, seeing Harris up so close is a magnetic draw, but this is a unit with no one put in the shade, the expressive and physical Taylor particularly pouring his all into it. As Dawson locks perfectly with Harris to provide the engine room, Hawkins and Leslie fire off tasty solos and some great joint fretwork, the music as thrilling as it is muscular. As demonstrated elsewhere over the site, the power of music to bring everyone together beyond match and British Lion more than earn the warmth of reception given to them – Metaltalk |
