IRON MAIDEN Bassist's BRITISH LION Planning Full European Tour In The Fall; First Show Announced

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's solo/side project BRITISH LION will headline the Planet Rockstock festival on Saturday, December 3 at Trecco Bay, South Wales.

It's the first U.K. show Harris and co. have announced since their rapturously received summer 2015 tour.

BRITISH LION's appearance at Planet Rockstock will be part of a full European tour, details of which will be announced soon.

Planet Rockstock, now in its fourth year, will take place December 1-4 at Trecco Bay in South Wales. Also appearing on the bill are THE DEAD DAISIES and BLACK STONE CHERRY, among others.

Fan-filmed video footage of BRITISH LION performing two new songs, "Spitfire" and "Bible Black", on July 29, 2015 at The Square in Harlow, United Kingdom can be seen below.

BRITISH LION's debut album sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"British Lion" was released in the U.S. on September 25, 2012 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Mixed by Kevin Shirley — whose credits include IRON MAIDEN as well as Led ZEPPELIN, JOURNEY and RUSH, among many others — the CD, which features Harris alongside Taylor, guitarists Graham Leslie and David Hawkins and drummer Simon Dawson, presents a different side of the bassist's musical visions.

"British Lion" comprises ten songs that Steve and his collaborators had been working on between IRON MAIDEN tours and releases and was described by Harris as "'70s-influenced, British-sounding hard rock." "I'd say it's more mainstream rock than metal... and quite commercial… but good commercial," he said. "There's all kinds of stuff going on, with nods to THE WHO and UFO and some classic British rock bands, but it's not the progressive rock album some might be expecting."

Speaking about BRITISH LION's musical direction, vocalist Richard Taylor told Underkill TV: "It's very difficult to describe your music or whatever, but… The way I write lyrics and melodies is I love melody. And I think with Steve… Steve loves the same or whatever. I think the difference is just that, with MAIDEN, [which] is just an incredible band, and Bruce Dickinson is the most amazing singer ever, but it's a completely different style to what I do. But when Steve and I get together — Steve loves melody as well — I think it's just me that takes it in that different direction from the sound. Fundamentally, it's still rock, and if you see it live, it's really powerful live."

Asked if there are any plans for BRITISH LION to record a follow-up album to 2012's self-titled debut, Taylor said: "Yeah, I think that's the plan. I write all the time, and when I get together with Steve, we write. There's so much stuff. It's [a matter of] fitting it in — obviously, more around Steve, [since] he's a pretty busy man. But, yeah, that's the plan."