British Lion (band)

Not to be confused with British Lions (band).

British Lion are an English hard rock band formed by Steve Harris, best known as the bassist for Iron Maiden.

British Lion
Genres	Hard rock
Years active	2012–present
Members	Steve Harris Richard Taylor David Hawkins Grahame Leslie Simon Dawson
Website	britishlionuk.com

History

Steve Harris formed the band to play in small venues, as opposed to the large arenas typically played by Iron Maiden,^[1][2] and as an outlet for shorter hard rock-oriented songs^[3] in which he can experiment with different bass guitar styles.^[4] The band also includes singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, and drummer Simon Dawson.^[5]

Harris had first met Leslie in the early 1990s after Leslie sent him a demo tape, and Harris mentored the careers of Leslie and Taylor for several years until deciding to include them in the British Lion project.^[6] The band's tours are typically scheduled after the conclusion of Iron Maiden tours, when Harris becomes interested in playing in clubs and theaters as he did in Iron Maiden's early years.^[7][8]

The album British Lion, released in 2012, was marketed as a solo album by Harris with the other musicians described as his backing band. The project was then re-positioned as a self-contained band with most songs written by Harris, Taylor, and Hawkins.^[9] Their second album The Burning was released in January 2020.^[10] The album was voted Album of the Year by Paul Stenning for BraveWords.^[11]

In 2024, Dawson became the touring drummer for Iron Maiden, following the touring retirement of Nicko McBrain.^[12]

Band members

• Steve Harris – bass, keyboards
• Richard Taylor – lead vocals
• David Hawkins – guitar, keyboards
• Grahame Leslie – guitar
• Simon Dawson – drums

Discography

• British Lion (2012)
• The Burning (2020)

References

1. December 2016, Martin Kielty05 (5 December 2016). "Steve Harris: The only thing I hate about British Lion tour". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 13 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
2. Blabbermouth (23 January 2020). "Steve Harris's British Lion: Behind-The-Scenes Video From First U.S. Tour". blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
3. DiVita, Joe (15 January 2020). "Steve Harris: British Lion Band Keeps Me From Writing Long Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
4. March 2020, Joel McIver11 (11 March 2020). "Iron Maiden's Steve Harris talks British Lion, songwriting, and why his SansAmp is a carry-on essential when touring". Bass Player. Retrieved 13 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
5. Magazine, Bass. "Steve Harris and British Lion Share Title Track From The Upcoming Album". Bass Magazine - The Future of Bass. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
6. "Iron Maiden's Steve Harris on British Lion, Songwriting, Playing Smaller Venues Than His Son". Revolver. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
7. "British Lion's Steve Harris: "It Reminds Me Of The Old Days With Maiden, Of Fighting For Everything"". Kerrang!. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
8. Ruggiero, Bob (20 January 2020). "Steve Harris' British Lion Loudly Roars its Own Identity". Houston Press. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
9. "Iron Maiden's Steve Harris announces new album and US tour as British Lion". Consequence of Sound. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
10. October 2019, Fraser Lewry31 (31 October 2019). "Steve Harris's British Lion announce second album The Burning". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 15 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. "BravePicks 2020 - the Scribes Speak! Paul Stenning".
12. Kaufman, Spencer (8 December 2024). "Iron Maiden announce Simon Dawson as their new touring drummer". Consequence. Retrieved 8 December 2024.