Iron Maiden announce Simon Dawson as their new drummer
For nearly five decades, Iron Maiden have been tirelessly touring the world and preaching the gospel of British heavy metal music. Their most recent run, The Future Past Tour, which commenced in 2023, was among their biggest, with 81 shows over six legs, taking them all over the globe. However, the end of the tour came with the news that it would be the last Iron Maiden tour for drummer Nicko McBrain.
McBrain has been an essential part of Maiden’s sound going back to 1982 when he first joined the ranks. Although he has not been with the band since their early days in the 1970s – with the likes of Ron Matthews, Barry Purkis, Doug Sampson, and Clive Burr preceding him – McBrain has been the group’s longest-serving drummer by far.
Nevertheless, recent health concerns, along with the band’s tireless touring schedule, mean that the drummer can no longer continue to perform with the metal band. Now that the tour has ended, Iron Maiden have formally announced McBrain’s replacement in the form of Simon Dawson. The new drummer is certainly no stranger to the world of Iron Maiden, having played alongside bassist Steve Harris in British Lion since 2012.
In a statement, the band shared, “As The Future Past Tour concludes after 81 shows to over 1.4 million fans, from Ljubljana to the Coachella Valley and from Western Australia to Sao Paulo, Iron Maiden are delighted to announce that stepping in behind the kit for 2025 is a name familiar to many of our fans – Simon Dawson, a former session drummer and Steve’s rhythm section partner of the past 12 years with British Lion.”
Stepping into McBrain’s place will certainly not be an easy task for the Suffolk-born drummer. After all, he has occupied the role of Iron Maiden’s drummer for over 40 years, his playing style, for many fans, is inseparable from the inherent sound of the band. Even if Dawson has previous experience performing and touring alongside Harris, he will still have to adapt to pick up the slack left by McBrain’s absence.
Dawson’s first task within the band will be to perform on the Run For Your Lives Tour, which is due to commence in Budapest on May 27th, 2025, and conclude in Warsaw the following year. This exhaustive tour will undoubtedly be a baptism of fire for the new drummer, but then again, nobody would sign up to join metal icons Iron Maiden and expect an easy ride.
Why has Nicko McBrain left Iron Maiden?
Back in 2023, McBrain suffered from a minor stroke which is medically known as a transient ischaemic attack. The incident left half of his body paralysed from the shoulder downwards. At the time, this left the Iron Maiden drummer to fear about his career and future with the band. After weeks of intensive therapy and training, he was able to take part in The Future Past tour with the band, but it cannot have been an easy task for the drummer.
At the time, he told Metal Hammer, “When it first happened, I thought, ‘This is it, I’m not going to be able to play. I’ve got a tour coming up in three months’ time.’”
Even though he did make it the tour in the end, a stroke is a serious medical issue that can take months or even years to fully recover from. It seems likely, therefore, that McBrain has stepped down from the band as a result of these health concerns.
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