British Lion

British Lion

British Lion is a UK hard rock and heavy metal group formed in 2012 by Steve Harris, best known as the bassist of Iron Maiden. The band is designed around smaller-venue performances rather than the large arenas associated with Iron Maiden, and Harris uses it as a setting for shorter hard rock-oriented material and for experimenting with different bass guitar styles.

Line-up and background

The group features Steve Harris on bass guitar and keyboards, Richard Taylor on lead vocals, Graeme Leslie on guitar, Simon Dawson on drums, and David Hawkins on guitar and keyboards. Harris first meets Leslie in the early 1990s after receiving a demo tape from him, and he later mentors both Leslie and Taylor for several years before bringing them into the British Lion project.

Albums and writing

The band’s first album, British Lion, appears in 2012. It is initially presented as a solo release by Harris with accompanying musicians, before the project is established as a fully fledged band. Most of the songs are written by Harris, Taylor and Hawkins. The second album, The Burning, is released in 2020.

Live activity and recognition

British Lion’s tours typically take place after Iron Maiden touring cycles, when Harris turns his attention to playing in clubs and theatres. The Burning is voted Album of the Year by Paul Stenning for BraveWords.