British Lion, Airforce and Voodoo Six live at the Islington Assembly Hall.

I like metal, goth, and everything rock or alternative in between but truth be told, I am not always up to speed with what is out there, sometimes I get stuck in my little bubble, so going out there taking pictures of live events, is helping me make up for that.

So, when I got asked if I wanted to cover a show at the Islington Assembly Hall by a band called British Lion, I said ‘why not!’, the patriotic name sounded intriguing enough.

I was not aware of who they were, so I listened to them on the way to the venue, and suddenly something felt familiar, but I could not pinpoint it yet. Once at the venue, I could see a decent size queue of people building up, mostly middle-aged wearing Iron Maiden t-shirts, and I thought that was a bit odd, as I was not there for the almighty Irons. While waiting to get in, I overheard the conversation between the two people in front of me, Italians (as I am), and I started to connect the dots. I was in for a great surprise! I was finally seeing one of the gods of rock music, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden! That thought brightened up my evening.

By the time I got inside, about 15mins after the doors opened, the first act was already on the stage, as the venue started filling up. I thought this was a little unfair to them, playing in front of an audience that was still building up, nevertheless, Airforce was on, with former Iron Maiden Doug Sampson at the drums.

From what I learned, the band formed over 30 years ago, while singer Flavio Lino only joined a few years back. He was a very enthusiastic and energetic individual that prepped the audience for the big act always with a big smile on. The band had the right adrenaline to play those typical old-school heavy metal rampant tunes – the style reminded me a little bit of Sabaton – however, Flavio did miss a couple of high-pitched notes. I am not here to fault him, the rest of his performance was spot on, touring can have its toll, but I was just pleased by the fact that this did not let him down, he was very professional and kept his audience engaged, he joked and told funny anecdotes and even made the crowd sing along a few times – I think they gathered some new fans that night.

After a short set from Airforce, Voodoo Six joined in straight away with ‘Falling Knives’, with singer Nik Taylor-Stokes moving and bouncing around the stage, making sure everyone was getting ready to rock and roll.

Overall, I did enjoy this band, the style was modern hard rock (with a hint of melodic metal), the kind of music you would listen to and sing out loud on a very long journey while enjoying breathtaking scenery – think U.S. Route 66.

Throughout the performance, while Nick’s warm and slightly hoarse voice echoed in the room, founder member and ‘prima donna’ base player (you got it right!) Tony Newton kept the audience captured. The band played with lots of enthusiasm, showing off great skills which I hope will make them a bigger act one day. By this point, the audience was ready for British Lion!

For those who do not know them, they are Simon Dawson (drums), Grahame Leslie (guitar), David Hawkins (guitar), Richard Taylor (vocals) and Steve Harris (bass).

Before I continue, I just want to give Steve Harris a great shout-out; he is undoubtedly a god of rock, but I was impressed at how humble he was. Steve made sure no one was out shadowed by his legacy, he put as much passion into British Lion as he does with Iron Maiden, a true professional who does not mind playing in small venues, waiting for the band to capture more hearts organically.

British Lion have already a good following, and I expect this to grow even more. The band’s material, the way they play and move on stage, and the interactions with the audience, are surely worth bigger shows, and I can’t wait for them to be playing at the OVO or the O2 arenas. I don’t see why this band should only appeal to the Maiden’s lovers, they have a lot to offer, so make sure you give them a listen and join their next live shows.

Back to the evening, British Lion played a very long set, consisting of 17 tunes! I want to know where they got the energy from, I did envy them as I was barely keeping myself awake by the end of the show – no, the show did not make me sleepy, far from it, I was simply tired from the day and from carrying around kilos of photography gear.

The set included tracks cutting through their discography, including a fair amount from the debut album ‘The Burning’.

The band started with ‘This is My God’, which saw fans tagging along, and ‘City of Fallen Angels’. Singer Richard Taylor’s passion started from the beginning, the act was one of a real pro, coming in with a leather jacket and black trousers, everything about him was screaming ‘rock’, from his attitude and manner to the way he engaged the crowd.

Fast-paced ‘City Of Fallen Angels’ followed, and the first crowd jumping started, with Steve coming onto the monitors to welcome his fans. ‘Judas’ and ‘Father Lucifer’ were next, at which point Richard Taylor grabbed his acoustic guitar to play. Three more songs followed and finally, the band took a little rest, a small speech from Richard thanking everyone for coming down to see them, and saying how ‘wonderful it was being there’.

He went on announcing the next song, ‘Spitfire’, dedicated to his dad, an emotional piece that had people singing all along. With the acoustic guitar back on, it was now the turn for ‘The Chosen Ones’. At that point, I glimpsed an Italian flag stating: ‘I flew from Turin to hear the lions rrroar’ – I felt at home for a moment.

‘Bible Black’ followed with a great intro from the guitars and the interaction of Steve with the other members, showing off good brotherhood. ‘Land Of The Perfect People’ was next, with a very excited Steve inciting people to clap along.

Throughout the performance, the crowd remained very participative, with arms and hands ups, jumping and dancing. Towards the end people were shouting ‘Steve, I love you’, maybe because of the many pints, maybe because of the wonderful performance, nevertheless, it was good to hear that coming out of grownup men.

5 more songs followed before another speech/break, and the audience knew they were getting closer to the end. The band ended the session with ‘Last Chance’ and ‘Eyes of The Young’ which everyone went crazy about.

A big bow from the band, a long session of applause and cheering, and so they left the stage ahead of their last day of the tour in Norwich.

If old and new fans, from all over the world, came to see the ‘Lion’s roar’ through a night of pure rock, I am sure you’ll be as impressed if you decide to tag along next time.

Set List

This Is My God

City Of Fallen Angels

Judas

Father Lucifer

The Burning

Legend

These Are The Hands

Spitfire

The Chosen Ones

Bible Black

Land of Perfect People