iron maiden tour london

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Iron Maiden

Plus special guests lord of the lost and the raven age.

• Date 7 July - 8 July 2023
• Venue The O2 arena
• Availability On sale now

Event Details

Iron Maiden will be bringing THE FUTURE PAST TOUR to The O2 on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 July 2023.

THE FUTURE PAST TOUR will feature previously unperformed songs from the band’s most recent studio album, Senjutsu along with a focus on 1986’s iconic Somewhere In Time record, plus other classic cuts.

Founding member and bassist Steve Harris said: “Following the release of our latest album, Senjutsu , we updated the current Legacy of the Beast Tour a little by opening the show with the first 3 songs from it, with the Japanese Palace stage set. As it doesn’t make a lot of sense to repeat this for a Senjutsu album tour, we thought about other options and we’ve decided to revisit Somewhere In Time as that tour didn’t feature in the various retrospective history tours we’ve played over the years. They were based on our 80’s concert videos and sadly we did not film that tour (blame the manager!!).  We have had lots of requests from fans over the years for many tracks on it so we are now going to play them, plus of course a few others we know you will like! It will also be particularly satisfying to finally get to play some of the more epic tracks on Senjutsu , it's been a long wait!”.

Manager, Rod Smallwood added: “This combination of the two albums we feel is very exciting. We know fans want to hear those epic cuts on Senjutsu for the first time live and we think that by combining it with an iconic album like Somewhere In Time it will make for another really special tour for fans old and new!”

Terms and Conditions 

• This event is for fans only and these conditions ensure tickets are purchased for personal use and not resold for profit or through unauthorised resale sites.
• Any tickets purchased, resold or offered for resale in breach of these conditions may be cancelled.
• A limit of 6 tickets per person and per household applies per event. Any tickets purchased over this limit may be cancelled.
• This ticket is a personal, revocable license and at all times remains property of the Promoters. It must be surrendered to the Promoters upon request.
• Only tickets purchased through approved agents are valid. The venue reserves the right to refuse entry.
• Only genuine mobile tickets will allow entry. If ticket transfer is unavailable, any guests must be with you at time of entry. Print outs or screenshots of mobile tickets will not be accepted.
• If you can no longer use your tickets you may resell through AXS Official resale.
• You may not resell or offer to resell tickets through any unauthorised resale site such as Viagogo or Stubhub, or for commercial purposes or profit. For a list of authorised resale sites visit the Event page at www.livenation.co.uk
• All ticket sales data will be forensically examined and evidence of use of aggressive software, multiple identities or any other unlawful practice will be passed to National Trading Standards E-crime team and Police.
• Admission is subject to any terms, conditions or rules of the Promoter and venue. You must adhere to the Promoter or venue’s terms and protocols re: Covid-19 – this could be, without limitation, providing negative lateral flow tests or vaccination certificates. If you do not comply, the Promoter or venue may refuse admission or require you or other ticket holders to leave and you will not be entitled to a refund.
• These conditions will take precedence over any conflicting terms.

Transfer is not available on this event until further notice. 

Important Information - How to download your tickets on The O2 app

For this show, if you’ve purchased your tickets from theo2.co.uk or AXS.com you’ll need to display your ticket on your phone via The O2 app. Ticket purchasers will receive an email with news and information on  AXS Mobile ID tickets  and how you can download your tickets to your phone. 

If you’ve bought your tickets for this show via AXS then you can re-sell your tickets with AXS Official Resale   which gives you a safe, simple, and fair way to buy and sell tickets.

For more information on re-selling tickets from AXS and other ticket agents  click here .  

Please note:  If you purchase  resale   tickets for this show through any website other than via theo2.co.uk or axs.com, your tickets may not be valid and access to the venue could be refused.

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Iron Maiden announce UK, Ireland and Europe arena shows for 2023's The Future Past Tour

Iron Maiden will be merging two albums for a special seven date UK and Irish tour in 2023, plus five shows in Europe

Iron Maiden  will undertake a UK and Ireland arena tour next summer, billed as The Future Past Tour.

The setlist for the tour, which kicks off at Dublin's 3 Arena on June 24, and runs through to July 7, with a homecoming show for the East London-born band at London's O2 Arena, will feature previously unperformed songs from the band’s 2021 album,  Senjutsu,  along with a focus on 1986’s Somewhere In Time  record, plus other classic cuts from the British metal legends.   Talking up the tour, bassist Steve Harris says ,  "Following the release of our latest album,  Senjutsu , we updated the current  Legacy of the Beast Tour  a little by opening the show with the first three songs from it, with the Japanese Palace stage set. "As it doesn’t make a lot of sense to repeat this for a  Senjutsu  album tour, we thought about other options and we’ve decided to revisit  Somewhere In Time  as that tour didn’t feature in the various retrospective history tours we’ve played over the years. They were based on our 80’s concert videos and sadly we did not film that tour (blame the manager!!). We have had lots of requests from fans over the years for many tracks on it so we are now going to play them, plus of course a few others we know you will like! "It will also be particularly satisfying to finally get to play some of the more epic tracks on  Senjutsu , it's been a long wait! 2023 is going to be an exciting time and we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone again in the UK, Ireland and around Europe."   Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood adds, “This combination of the two albums we feel is very exciting. We know fans want to hear those epic cuts on  Senjutsu  for the first time live and we think that by combining it with an iconic album like  Somewhere In Time  it will make for another really special tour for fans old and new! Of course, for a new album tour in Europe and the UK we will go back largely to the relative intimacy of arenas and we know fans will be very happy about that too!"   Maiden are currently in North America in the final stages of their spectacular  Legacy Of The Beast World Tour.   The band's The Future Past Tour will call at:   Jun 24: Dublin 3 Arena, IRE Jun 26: Glasgow OVO Hydro, SCO Jun 28: Leeds, First Direct Arena, ENG Jun 30: Manchester AO Arena, ENG Jul 03: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, ENG Jul 04: Birmingham Utilita Arena, ENG Jul 07: London O2 Arena, ENG  Steve Harris' band have also announced five new shows in mainland Europe, as follows.   Jun 13: Krakow, Tauron Arena, POL Jun19: Zurich Hallenstadion, SWI Jul11: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, HOL Jul 13: Antwerp Sportpaleis, BEL Jul 15: Milan, The Return of The Gods Festival, ITA Tickets go on sale on Friday, October 14, at 9am via the Live Nation website . As ever there will be an exclusive pre-sale for Iron Maiden fanclub members.

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• July 8, 2023 Setlist

Iron Maiden Setlist at The O2 Arena, London, England

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Tour: The Future Past Tour statistics Add setlist

• Song played from tape Doctor Doctor ( UFO  song) Play Video
• Song played from tape Blade Runner (End Titles) ( Vangelis  song) Play Video
• Caught Somewhere in Time Play Video
• Stranger in a Strange Land Play Video
• The Writing on the Wall Play Video
• Days of Future Past Play Video
• The Time Machine Play Video
• The Prisoner Play Video
• Death of the Celts Play Video
• Can I Play With Madness Play Video
• Heaven Can Wait Play Video
• Alexander the Great Play Video
• Fear of the Dark Play Video
• Iron Maiden Play Video
• Hell on Earth Play Video
• The Trooper Play Video
• Wasted Years Play Video
• Song played from tape Always Look on the Bright Side of Life ( Monty Python  song) Play Video

Edits and Comments

20 activities (last edit by bccf , 28 Jul 2023, 05:01 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Days of Future Past
• Death of the Celts
• Hell on Earth
• The Time Machine
• The Writing on the Wall
• Alexander the Great
• Caught Somewhere in Time
• Heaven Can Wait
• Stranger in a Strange Land
• Wasted Years
• Fear of the Dark
• The Trooper
• Can I Play With Madness
• The Prisoner

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The o2 arena.

• The Raven Age Start time: 7:35 PM 7:35 PM
• Iron Maiden This Setlist Start time: 9:10 PM 9:10 PM

Iron Maiden Gig Timeline

• Jul 04 2023 Utilita Arena Birmingham Birmingham, England Start time: 9:00 PM 9:00 PM
• Jul 07 2023 The O2 Arena London, England Start time: 9:00 PM 9:00 PM
• Jul 08 2023 The O2 Arena This Setlist London, England Start time: 9:10 PM 9:10 PM
• Jul 11 2023 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands Start time: 8:55 PM 8:55 PM
• Jul 13 2023 Sportpaleis Merksem, Belgium Start time: 8:55 PM 8:55 PM

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<div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/iron-maiden/2023/the-o2-arena-london-england-3ba7c804.html" title="Iron Maiden Setlist The O2 Arena, London, England 2023, The Future Past" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=3ba7c804" alt="Iron Maiden Setlist The O2 Arena, London, England 2023, The Future Past" style="border: 0;" /></a> <div><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=3ba7c804&amp;step=song">Edit this setlist</a> | <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/iron-maiden-3bd6803c.html">More Iron Maiden setlists</a></div></div>

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[url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/iron-maiden/2023/the-o2-arena-london-england-3ba7c804.html][img]https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=3ba7c804[/img][/url] [url=https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=3ba7c804&amp;step=song]Edit this setlist[/url] | [url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/iron-maiden-3bd6803c.html]More Iron Maiden setlists[/url]

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Iron Maiden announce 2023 UK and European dates for ‘The Future Past Tour’

The tour will feature songs from their recent studio album 'Senjutsu', along with tracks from 1986’s 'Somewhere In Time'

Iron Maiden have announced the first UK, Ireland and European dates of ‘The Future Past Tour’ 2023.

The English metal band will kick off their six-date UK run of shows in Glasgow (June 26), stopping off in Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Birmingham, before finishing up at London’s O2 on July 7.

READ MORE: Iron Maiden – ‘Senjutsu’ review: an imaginative instant classic

The band has also announced five European shows, starting in Krakow, Poland on June 13, with stops in Zurich, Amsterdam and Antwerp, rounding up in Italy on July 15.

The tour will feature previously unperformed songs from their most recent studio album ‘Senjutsu’, along with tracks from 1986’s ‘Somewhere In Time’ and other fan favourites.

Pre-sale tickets can be purchased here from 9am BST until 8am October 14, while the general sale starts at 9am October 14.

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Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris said in a statement: “Following the release of our latest album, ‘Senjutsu’, we updated the current ‘Legacy of the Beast Tour’ a little by opening the show with the first 3 songs from it, with the Japanese Palace stage set. As it doesn’t make a lot of sense to repeat this for a ‘Senjutsu’ album tour, we thought about other options and we’ve decided to revisit ‘Somewhere In Time’ as that tour didn’t feature in the various retrospective history tours we’ve played over the years.

“They were based on our 80’s concert videos and sadly we did not film that tour (blame the manager!!). We have had lots of requests from fans over the years for many tracks on it so we are now going to play them, plus of course a few others we know you will like! It will also be particularly satisfying to finally get to play some of the more epic tracks on ‘Senjutsu’, it’s been a long wait! 2023 is going to be an exciting time and we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone again in the UK, Ireland and around Europe.”

The band’s manager, Rod Smallwood, added: “This combination of the two albums we feel is very exciting. We know fans want to hear those epic cuts on ‘Senjutsu’ for the first time live and we think that by combining it with an iconic album like ‘Somewhere In Time’ it will make for another really special tour for fans old and new!

“Of course, for a new album tour in Europe and the UK we will go back largely to the relative intimacy of arenas and we know fans will be very happy about that too!”

Find the full European, UK and Ireland tour schedule below, with further dates to be announced in the future.

13 – Krakow, Poland, Tauron Arena 19 – Zurich, Switzerland, Hallenstadion 24 – Dublin, Ireland, 3 Arena 26 – Glasgow, Scotland, OVO Hydro 28 – Leeds, UK, First Direct Arena 30 – Manchester, UK, AO Arena

3 – Nottingham, UK, Motorpoint Arena 4 – Birmingham, UK, Utilita Arena 7 – London, UK, O2 Arena 11 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Ziggo Dome 13 – Antwerp, Belgium, Sportpaleis 15 – Milan, Italy, The Return of the Gods Festival

The band are currently in the final stages of their North American ‘Legacy Of The Beast World Tour’, which saw numerous rescheduled dates due to COVID-19.

In a four-star review of ‘Senjutsu’, NME wrote that the album was an “instant classic in Iron Maiden’s 41-year journey”.

“The powerhouse metal sound that’s earned them a religious following in every far-flung corner of the globe remains firm. But here, they take things further; ultimately letting imaginations run wild in an album that’s more confident and idea-packed than ever before.”

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Live Review: Iron Maiden, O2 Arena, London [7th July 2023]

Home » Live Review: Iron Maiden, O2 Arena, London [7th July 2023]

After 48 years Iron Maiden have played countless cities and venues, yet tonight at the O2 they play with the energy and excitement of a band just starting out.

Kicking the evening off was Lord of the Lost. Off the back of their performance at Eurovision this year representing Germany, the band deliver a set just short of an hour giving everyone a taste of what they’re about. Not being able to pin them to one sub-genre their sound goes from power metal to industrial metal and even throwing in elements of death metal at times. Soaring vocals take up the majority of their set, yet the screams and growls have an early Avenged Sevenfold feel. Bringing their own show with lights and smoke the band definitely gained a few fans warming everyone up for the main event.

‘The Writing on the Wall’ and ‘Days of Future Past’ from Senjutsu feature next and the band really start thrive. Steve Harris’ galloping bass lines make the crowd move as 20,000 people sing along with the trio harmonising guitars. Bruce Dickinson moves and sings like a man half his age sprinting across the stage and jumping over sound monitors. Just watching the band is enough to make you feel tired for them.

The only song off Number of the Beast played tonight was ‘The Prisoner’, before the band fire into ‘Can I Play With Madness’. With its stadium sized chorus and 80’s riffs, the crowd are in full voice and the band are feeding off them. ‘Heaven Can Wait’ features Bruce Dickinson and Eddie having a shoot-out with fireworks and deep cut ‘Alexander The Great’ is a highlight with an Adrian Smith solo that is one of his best. Then onto the big ones.

The 10 minute ‘Hell on Earth’ opens the encore with enough fire to light up a small city. Raising the level once again they go into ‘The Trooper’ with the backdrop now featuring what is probably the most famous version of Eddie. The final song is ‘Wasted Years’ where after two hours the band members are still running around the stage and pouring every ounce of energy into the song.

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London: A Legacy – An Iron Maiden London Walking Tour London: A Legacy – An Iron Maiden London Walking Tour

• London beyond time and place
• Walks beyond time and place

An Iron Maiden Walking Tour through London sounds not difficult at first. The city has been one of the most important settings in the band’s history. This walk was written as a result of an exchanging of articles with the brilliant Katharina Hagen, who wrote a guest article about Iron Maiden as ambassadors of English Culture for LONDON BEYOND TIME AND PLACE .

You can download the walk as a free PDF that includes photographs and maps with direction here: Download the full walk as PDF with maps and photographs here!

This walk is completely free, however if you do wish to support your favourite London expert, you can buy me a pint of ale via PayPal .

How Iron Maiden Let London Travel Beyond Time and Place

There is the Marquee club in Soho, where Iron Maiden (but also Blaze Bayley’s band Wolfsbane) played early gigs. There is the O2 Arena, where Maiden played their last London gig on “The Legacy of the Beast” tour (a slightly bigger location than the Marquee). Steve Harris was born in Leytonstone in East London and the band was perceived as proper East End band. The famous “Beast over Hammersmith” concerts were, as the name suggests, filmed and recorded in Hammersmith, on the other side of town. The band recorded in various studios like the Battery Studios in North London, as did its members on their solo projects. Bruce Dickinson’s final shows with Iron Maiden in 1993 were filmed at Pinewood Studios west of central London, several weeks after the proper tour had ended. Band members were introduced to each other in music clubs in Camden or Soho, Bruce Dickinson was at Queen Mary College on the Mile End Road in East London, Janick Gers lived in Chiswick for some time, “The Best of the Beast” was promoted in Piccadilly Circus… so you see the problem. How does one include all the significant locations in a coherent walk?

And what about all the places that are related to the band’s lyrics? London has always been the centre of the political and cultural history that inspired many of the band’s songs. There is William Blake , the greatest London visionary, who influenced Bruce Dickinson’s superb solo album “The Chemical Wedding”. The American Edgar Allen Poe, author of “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (which inspired the Maiden song “Murders in the Rue Morgue”), studied at boarding schools in Chelsea (West London) and Stoke Newington (North London). “The beast” itself Aleister Crowley, inspirer of songs like “Revelations” or “Moonchild”, was of course also from London and lived in Chancery Lane in his youth. And “the Alchemist” John Dee had his house in Mortlake on the southside of the River Thames.

You cannot visit all these places in one go.

Can we play with madness?

While it might be quite easy to find “Maiden locations” – locations related to Maiden’s history or to historic events in Maiden songs – it can be a bit more difficult to turn it into a self-guided walk. However, my advantage is that London and its symbols and history help me. A place like London is so full of history, that you can create your own story – you can see and interpret things and buildings that others would put into a completely different context. The walk I offer is just one possibility.

So, let us become Nomads and start our walk.

The walk starts at Embankment underground station. You can begin the proper walk right away by leaving the station via the left exit to Villiers Street (that is the exit to Charing Cross station).

Download the full walk as PDF with maps and photographs here!

However, if you wish to see London’s oldest man-made monument, I would advise you to take the right exit, that leads to the River Thames. It takes two minutes of your time, then on you go. Cross the road and turn left. Walk towards Cleopatra’s Needle. On your right the Thames flows steadily and mighty.

Cleopatra’s Needle dates back to 1450 BC, being one of two obelisks originally set up by Pharaoh Thothmes III at the entrance to the Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis in Ancient Egypt. It was erected in London in 1878. The transport from Alexandria was difficult and cost several seamen their lives. Just like their pharaoh, these men must have been “slaves to the power of death”.

The place is allegedly one of the most famous suicide spots on the river. The whole of London is full of ghosts and ghostly tales, and especially the Thames has a reputation for being a haunted area. I am sure, there is also a “Ghost of the Navigator” among them.

Turn around again and walk back along the Victoria Embankment. Turn right into Embankment Station again and walk through the station and you’ll emerge onto busy Villiers Street. Walk along the street. Two doors down the fence of Gordon’s Wine Bar on your right, you will see Kipling House, thus named for the author of “The Jungle Book”, Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), who lived there from 1889 to 1891. Kipling is also the writer of the novella “The Man Who Would Be King” from 1888 and even though the Maiden song of the same title, written by Steve Harris and Dave Murray, seems to have no connection to Kipling’s work, it is worth a mention.

Once you reach the end of Villiers Street, turn left. On your left there is Charing Cross Station. Cross the road on the streetlight in front of the station and walk along Duncannon Street towards the National Gallery. On your right is St-Martin-in-the-Fields, the church known for its regular lunchtime and evening concerts. Many ensembles perform there, including the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields. You are in the cultural centre of Westminster.

In the National Gallery, you will find illustrations by the beloved English Romantic painter, engraver and illustrator John Martin (19 July 1789 – 17 February 1854). Iron Maiden’s artwork designer Derek Riggs repeatedly and undoubtedly pointed out John Martin as his role model, the man who inspired most of his works from the early Maiden years. His paintings are typically vast and melodramatic depictions of religious subjects and fantastic compositions. In them, the minimal figures are placed in imposing landscapes. So, if you are looking for the illustrations that influenced for example the “Live After Death” artwork, you should visit the National Gallery and look at Martin’s biblical paintings (however, during the pandemic you will have to book in advance to go inside the gallery).

From the main entrance of the National Gallery, walk anticlockwise around Trafalgar Square until you reach the statue of Sir Charles James Napier GBC. Napier was an officer of the British Army’s Peninsular and later a Major General of the Bombay Army. The whole next stretch of the walk will be full of references to Britain’s war history, a topic that the British seem to like to celebrate a lot. The colours of the Union Jack don’t run from cold bloody war. And Iron Maiden have referred to several wars and war stories in their lyrics.

From Napier’s statue, walk over the square to its centrepiece, Nelson’s Column, one hundred and sixty-seven feet tall. Trafalgar Square was constructed between 1829 and 1841 and is conceived as England’s memorial to her greatest sailor Admiral Nelson. Standing at Nelson’s Column, cross the road on the next streetlight on your left and go to the traffic island with the Equestrian Statue of Charles I in the middle, the only English monarch to be executed. Cross the traffic island and go left into Northumberland Avenue. Walk along the Avenue until you come to the corner where Northumberland Avenue meets Northumberland Street. There, you will see the famous and excellent Sherlock Holmes Pub.

The Sherlock Holmes pub depicts Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson on its windows as well as their creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is well worth a visit. Even if you overcome the temptation to stop for a pint, you might want to take a look inside. There are drawings and photographs from movie adaptations on the walls, and a Holmesian bookshelf in the corner to the right of the bar. Sometimes the old black and white Sherlock Holmes movies, with Basil Rathbone as the master detective and Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson, are shown on the TVs. If you go upstairs into the restaurant area, there is a truly magnificent recreation of Holmes’s sitting room at 221b Baker Street. It includes a statue of the detective himself (obviously inspired by Basil Rathbone).

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was heavily influenced by Edgar Allen Poe’s detective stories and used them as sources when creating his master detective. Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” was turned into a song by Iron Maiden on their second album “Killers” (1981). Conan Doyle was also a well-known supporter of the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain. One of its resident mediums was Doris Stokes, whose death had influenced Steve Harris when writing the lyrics to “The Clairvoyant” on the 1988 album “Seventh Son of the Seventh Son”. He wondered if she had foreseen her own death.

Cross Northumberland Avenue and turn right into Great Scotland Yard. Do not miss it, on your right is a gate that leads to the stable of the Mounted Branch of the Metropolitan Police. It is well worth taking a look inside and see the horses. At the end of Great Scotland Yard, you will come out on Whitehall. The building you face is part of the old Admiralty buildings. This was the official residence of the First Lord of the Admiralty.

Turn left and walk down Whitehall. You could tell a historic tale, mostly related to war, to almost all of the statues and buildings that you will see along the way. You will pass the equestrian statue of George William Frederick Charles, 2nd duke of Cambridge (1819-1904), field marshal and commander in chief of the British army. He was the only son of Adolphus Frederick, the youngest son of King George III. A little further on the other side of the road, there is the Horse Guards Parade. Keep walking along Whitehall, cross Horse Guards Avenue. The house on the corner is Banqueting House, the only survivor the Whitehall Palace, that burned down in 1698.

At the building, right at the corner of the street you will see a bust of King Charles I. above a small wooden door. It was close to this door that the king had been led to be executed.

Keep walking along Whitehall and notice the equestrian statue of Douglas Haig, 1 st Earl Haig, in the middle of the road. Haig was a British field marshal and commander-in-chief on the Western Front during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. His diary from the First World War period was declared a UNESCO World Document Heritage Site in 2015.

Most interesting for Iron Maiden fans is the fact that Haig was commander during the Third Battle of Ypres, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. The horrors of this battle have been immortalized in the song “Paschendale”, written by Steve Harris and Adrian Smith, on the 2003 album “Dance of Death”.

The next monument on Whitehall is “The Women of World War II”, and a little further on the right is the entrance to 10, Downing Street, residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. From 1979 to 1990, the first woman to hold that office was Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed “The Iron Lady”. On Iron Maiden’s second single “Sanctuary” from 1980, band mascot Eddie is depicted with a knife in his hand while crouching over her corpse. This caused quite a controversy and on the next single, “Women in Uniform”, she is seen again waiting for Eddie with a machine gun in her hands. It is open to interpretation who is the villain in these covers. Also, there is a slight similarity between the names “Iron Maiden” and “Iron Lady”…

Keep walking until Whitehall turns into Parliament Street. You pass The Cenotaph, a war memorial. Its predecessor was a temporary structure that was erected for a peace parade after the end of the First World War, before the current memorial was permanently erected.

At the end of Parliament Street, you come out on Parliament Square. On your left is Elizabeth Tower with the famous bell Big Ben, next to it are the Houses of Parliament. Cross the street and turn right to get onto Parliament Square with its many statues and sculptures. The first one you meet is quite familiar. It is Winston Churchill.

Churchill was one of the greatest statesmen of the United Kingdom, being most famous as Prime Minister from 1940 onwards during World War II. Every Iron Maiden fan knows the part of Winston Churchill’s famous speech at the House of Commons on 4 June 1940 that has been used as the intro to “Aces High” on the “Live After Death” live album as well as on the “Ed Hunter”, “Somewhere Back in Time” and “Maiden England” retro tours, and on the compilation album “Somewhere Back in Time”. “Churchill’s Speech”, as it was called, dealt with The Battle of Britain, the Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date.

Maiden songs like “Aces High” from the album “Powerslave” (1984) or “Tailgunner” from the album “No Prayer for the Dying” (1990) deal with the Royal Air Force and singer Bruce Dickinson himself is a passionate aviator.

Another song inspired by Winston Churchill can be found on Iron Maiden’s latest album “Senjustu” (2021). The song “Darkest Hour” (Dickinson/Smith) refers not to just the movie about Winston Churchill, it’s about him as a person as well.

Walk around the Square to the other statues. British politician David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM was elected Prime Minister during World War I, in December 1916, and was the last Liberal to hold that office. Jan Christiaan Smuts, a South African statesman, philosopher, Burian general and British field marshal, was Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and from 1939 to 1948. Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, GBE, was a British women’s rights activist. She became known in particular as a leader of the women’s suffrage movement. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela probably need no further introduction and when you cross the road just after Mandela’s statue you come to Westminster Abbey.

Walk along Broad Sanctuary until you come to the front of Westminster Abbey, the “Royal” and most famous abbey in London (together with St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London). The two Western towers you see were designed by British architect Nicholas Hawksmoor . In his novel “Hawksmoor”, which connects the churches of 17 th century architect Nicholas Hawksmoor to certain London crimes, author Peter Ackroyd toys with overlaying histories and the idea that certain spots in London influence their surroundings and its population. Ackroyd himself is a London biographer, who wrote a biography about the city itself, but also about some of its famous residents like Charles Dickens and William Blake.

Bruce Dickinson mentions in his own biography that he read Ackroyd’s excellent biography of Blake during the making of his solo album “The Chemical Wedding” (which deals mainly with William Blake and his works) and that it is one of his best books, the other being “London: The Biography”. We will deal with Blake a bit later in this tour, for now I would like you to focus on the statues above Westminster Abbey’s entrance.

Just above the abbey’s main entrance you can see the 20 th Century Martyrs, ten statues of individual martyrs who were oppressed, persecuted and had to die because of their beliefs. Everyone of them would deserve their own story. One name we are picking out is that of Oscar Romero, whose statue is the sixth from the right. Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was archbishop of San Salvador. He stood up for social justice and political reform in his country, opposing the military dictatorship in El Salvador at the time. He is considered one of the most prominent proponents of liberation theology.

Iron Maiden are hugely popular in South America and in 2016, during their tour stay in San Salvador, guitarist Janick Gers and drummer Nicko McBrain visited Romero’s grave. This was reported on the internet with a photograph and many fans in El Salvador were enthusiastic about it.

Apart from the Maiden songs that deal with religious history like “Sign of the Cross” or “For the Greater Good of God”, you should also remember that in Westminster Abbey, there is the so-called “Poet’s Corner”. There is a memorial to William Shakespeare in there, whose famous line from “Julius Caesar” – “The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones” inspired Iron Maiden’s song title “The Evil That Men Do” (1988). Also, C.S. Lewis is commemorated in Poet’s Corner. He was the author of “Out of The Silent Planet”, another book title that inspired the Iron Maiden song by the same name, written by Janick Gers, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris in 2000.

Walk around the Square until you come out where you started and turn right. Walk past the Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower and you come onto Westminster Bridge. At the beginning of the bridge, take a look to your left. The statue of Queen Boudicca stands majestically in her chariot drawn by three horses, over the passing people. Boudicca was a Britannic army commander of (presumably) royal descent who led the ultimately unsuccessful Boudicca Revolt in 60/61 during the early years of the Roman occupation of Britain. During that revolt, Boudicca (or Boadicea according to some sources) took London and burnt it down. Ultimately, fire would become one of the main topics in London’s history, but that is not the topic of this tour.

Walk over the bridge. Below you flows the Thames. On the other side of the river, on your left, is the London Eye. You are walking over Westminster Bridge. Along the river to the east, you will see more bridges. You will not see London Bridge or Tower Bridge from here, the latter being the most iconic bridge over the Thames (and often mistaken for “London Bridge” by tourists). London Bridge however is the one before Tower Bridge. It does not look that spectacular, but has the longest history of all the bridges and even has a nursery rhyme written about it: “London Bridge is Falling Down”. This rhyme in turn is taken up by Janick Gers and then singer Blaze Bayley on their song “Man On The Edge” on Maiden’s 1995 album “The X Factor”.

Keep walking across the bridge and onto the street until the street becomes a curve. Turn left and go into York Road. Walk along York Road until you reach Leake Street. Turn right and walk into the Leake Street Arches.

Here, you will find the Leake Street graffiti tunnel, an inspiring artistic experience that smells of graffiti spray and marihuana. Young artists paint and spray the walls, while families lead their children through this external gallery.

Walk right through it. At its end, keep walking straight up the footway, do not take the curve to the right. You come out on Lower Marsh. Turn right, cross the busy main road and turn into an archway called Carlisle Lane that seems lonely and dirty. Do not be afraid if you see some homeless people in the tunnel. Walking into the passage, you will notice some things on the walls on both sides of the tunnel that look like pictures. When you examine them further, you will realize that they are mosaics; and they all show images by William Blake.

William Blake lived from 1757 to 1827 and was an artist, a poet and a visionary. During his lifetime he was not widely recognized, but in the last century his reputation grew and he became an important figure and reference in British culture. Blake was a radical and a genius. He was spiritual, yet he hated organized religion, and believed that all humans are equal. He closely collaborated with his wife Catherine and was seen as madman by some of his contemporaries. His famous works include “The Tyger”, “Glad Day” and most importantly the poem “And did those feet in ancient times” that was turned into the song “Jerusalem” and became an alternative national anthem for Great Britain (it is not to be confused with Blake’s epic work “Jerusalem”.)

Bruce Dickinson is a huge admirer of Blake. On the cover of his 1998 solo album “The Chemical Wedding” you can see Blake’s “The Ghost of a Flea” and the whole album deals with the work, art and poetry of William Blake and alchemy in general. The masterpiece of the album is Dickinson’s song “Jerusalem”, an interpretation of Blake’s “And did those feet in ancient times”.

There are information signs saying that “Project Blake” was a project by Southbank Mosaics. All the way through Carlisle Lane and then left into Centaur Street you will see his pictures and poems. There are information signs about William Blake in general and Blake in Lambeth, where we are now.

When you come out of the tunnel, you stand in Hercules Road. There is a blue plaque right opposite on the house – the William Blake Estate – where the Blakes’ house once stood.

Turn left and walk along Hercules Road until you come to the busy main road. If you cross, right opposite you will find the entrance to Lambeth North Station.

If you want, you can also turn right on the main road (it is called Kennington Road) and walk it down until you come to the crossing where there is the Imperial War Museum. Turn left into Lambeth Road and keep walking until you come to the main entrance on the right.

Before there was The Imperial War Museum, this was the site for the Bethlehem Royal Hospital or “Bedlam”, a famous lunatic asylum, a world within a world. Blake could hear the cries of the inmates from his home; for him it was an “Urizenic institution”. Why not visit the museum now, as the topic of war should still ring fresh in your heads.

This is the end of our “Maiden Walk” through London. You see, you can choose every area of London and find connections to the band’s history and the topics of their songs. Symbols and names of course only work in context. They depend on your own interpretation and on your own “story”. You read places like the streets of London in the way that they fit your personal story. That is the beauty of London.

About Philipp Röttgers

Philipp Röttgers (M. A.), born in 1989, is author, musician and writer. He is drummer for PARIAHLORD . Philipp studied »English Literatures and Cultures« in Bonn, Germany. His first book about his favourite band Genesis was published in 2015.

His second book “ London and its genius loci – a journey beyond time and place ” was published in 2019. Philipp feels deeply connected to London, more than to any other place in the world. He is an expert in the capital’s (and Britain’s) literature and culture and a psychogeographic adventurer. He is also a “Ripperologist” (and was already featured in the magazine of the same name) and of lead walking tours through London. Get in touch via mail for more information.

7 thoughts on “London: A Legacy – An Iron Maiden London Walking Tour”

• Pingback: Guest Article: London: A Legacy – A Maiden London Walking Tour (abridged) – Aircraft, an Albatross, and a Beast – (British) Literature and History Turned into Heavy Metal

As a huge Maiden fan this is a very nice historic walk thorough of London for those wanting to get a sense of the historic cauldron that London is. There are so many Maiden locations in London it would take at least a month of walking to cover them all.

Hi Ben, you are absolutely right. I even think about writing another Maiden walking tour or at least point out some more “Maiden” locations. Thank you very much!

Thank you very much for this tour. The kids and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Hi Paul, very glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! Best, Phil

Is this tour still in existence? I will be in London this June 2023. Thank you.

In fact I am thinking about offering it as a guided tour around the Maiden gigs in July. I won’t be in London in June, but you can do the tour yourself with the attached PDF. If you have any questions, just let me know.

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City of the Beast: A Heavy Metal Tour of London

The london home of iron maiden and heavy metal attractions.

By Stephanie Green

I’ve come to London on a pilgrimage.

As my ancestors walked miles through the desert to reach the holy lands, as my parents followed our family roots through England, Ireland, and Yugoslavia, I follow my own gods – Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest – to the city of their worship. I journey to London : a holy land of the art of heavy metal.

Upon disembarking the plane the first stop for any weary metal pilgrim is a pub, any pub, because the flight was long, the food was terrible, and it’s been several hours without any alcohol.

Home of Iron Maiden

No metal tour of London would be complete without a jaunt to the Ruskin Arms . With a capacity of 300 unholy souls and a motorbike crashing over the bar, the Ruskin Arms was also the London home of Iron Maiden. The Ruskin Arms is no longer open but this website provides a good look back.

The band played their first gigs there in 1976 – including their first set with Bruce Dickenson on vocals, back when they called themselves Genghis Khan. Iron Maiden even features the pub on the cover of several albums.

For that post-Ruskin pick-me-up, head over to any one of the fantastic goth/metal pubs scattered throughout London. Your first stop should be The Intrepid Fox in Bloomsbury; but you’d better dress in your metal best, otherwise, the bouncers won’t let you in.

If your taste in metal bars ventures more towards the dim-lit cave, Crobar’s not far down the road. Garlic and Shots – home of the best music selection and the most stench-inducing food – provide any weary metal traveler with a cool beer and a platter of garlic-soaked chips. They’ll also play ANY metal CD you bring along.

On Holloway Road, you’ll find the Old Kings Head and the Devonshire Arms (now the Hobgoblin) – two of the most longstanding rock and metal bars in London. Your final stop for the evening should be Electric Ballroom in Camden, where goth/metal/industrial plays every night.

The Electric Ballroom hosts regular live gigs, and I advise checking their website before you go out in case you come ready for some Slayer and instead find yourself stuck at a New Wave dance party. (Don’t laugh. I’ve heard it happens.)

Mass Retail Therapy

Once you’ve staggered home (in my case, to a filthy, grime-encrusted apartment on Holloway Road, squeezed between a fish shop and a brothel) and snored away your hangover, it’s time to head to Camden for some Metal Retail Therapy.

If you’re anything like me, you’re a sassy metal lass who finds it impossible to source adequate attire from your hometown in New Zealand.

Camden is an essential visit. With my friend Elizabeth and Joey the hot Irish metaller we met randomly on the tube (‘Nice shirt!’ ‘Thanks. Are you going to Iron Maiden?’ ‘Hell yeah – hey, I’ll show you a place to get wicked cheap t-shirts…’) I trawled the Camden markets, picking up corsets and socks and all manner of zippered, riveted and skull-bedecked treasures.

Any goth-blooded female can’t escape the clutches of Fairy Gothmother, one of the most expensive (‘but totally worth it’, I cried as I handed over my visa card) and infamous of Camden’s lady boutiques. They take orders on their website fairygothmother.co.uk , but there’s just something exciting about trying those exquisite clothes in person.

I also recommend Resurrection Records – they house a nice collection of metal, punk, goth and alternative music, and a few t-shirts. The staff here always look after you. They can find anything amongst the haphazard stacks.

Camden Markets remains one of the few places left in England where you’re expected to barter. We moved on to some random hole in the wall where I made my first unsuccessful attempt at bartering (‘A tenner!’ screeched the saleswoman. ‘You want that shirt for a tenner! You’re crazy!’). I walked out with a Manowar shirt and 16 quid poorer.

The Heavy Metal Dress Code

After spending the morning fuelling your consumer beast, you might consume a late lunch and ponder the peculiar heavy metal dress code. Where did the leather and the studs and the straps and the cuffs originate?

If you’re like me, you know that heavy metal’s unique dress code actually originated with Rob Halford – the iconic frontman of Judas Priest – who outfitted his entire band from Mr. S, his favorite London gay sex shop. And you might think, ‘I wonder if Mr. S. still exists? Wouldn’t it be neat to visit the very shop where the first heavy metal outfits came from?’

Think again. Seriously. Unless the thought of walking into EVERY sex shop in Soho and trying to explain your mission to the proprietors fills you with joy.

If Mr. S still exists in London (I know it’s a famous men’s sex shop in Los Angeles, and please don’t ask me how I know), it’s so far underground that it clearly doesn’t want to be found.

Life and Death Tour Now you’ve reached the second eve of your London adventure. What should you do? Well, I know what I did. I went to Earl’s Court with three friends to see Iron Maiden on their sold-out December 23rd show of the Matter of Life and Death tour.

I’d never seen Iron Maiden before and they did not disappoint. After playing every song on their Matter of Life or Death album and Bruce Dickenson trying to teach the audience the theme song for Sooty and Sweep, they launched into five classics – Fear of the Dark, Aces High, The Trooper, 2 Minutes to Midnight and Run to the Hills. An excellent night out. One Final Mission

Sunday morning we lazed on the couch and talked about how awesome the show was. Then we decided that before leaving London we had one final mission.

No metal holiday would be complete without a Heavy Metal photo shoot. You know the ones – here I am, dressed in my metal finest, standing on a statue or a cliff or on Rob Halford’s crotch – throwing the goat and looking utterly metal.

We decided Highgate Cemetery – only a short walk from our Holloway Road residence – would be our location.

The Cemetery is open every day of the year, except Christmas and Boxing Day. Admission to the East Cemetery (where Karl Marx, George Eliot and Michael Faraday reside) costs L3.

Entry to the west cemetery (home to the monumental ‘Lebanon Circle’ and ‘Egyptian Avenue’) is only available through guided tours, which leave at 2 pm every weekday and every hour on the weekends. The cost of the tour is $5. Visit highgate-cemetery.org for more information.

After a guided tour by a knowledgeable and obliging guide, we were let loose on our own. Ryan, my amateur photographer for the day, traipsed after me while we explored forgotten tombs and threw the goat at unwary spirits.

We visited the grave of Karl Marx and were introduced to a few unknown Victorian personalities – like George Wombwell, the infamous menagerist who made a killing by traveling the whole of England with his carriage of animals – tigers, lions, elephants, zebras, monkeys, and even a rhino.

And while few famous metallers reside within Highgate’s iron walls, their ghosts do haunt the London streets. In the city that forged the careers of the greatest metal bands of the 70s and 80s, the metal community still thrives in darkened underground pubs and black-shrouded marketplaces.

We haven’t forgotten our history – we have our photographs and our memories, our new CDs and corsets, and obscure band t-shirts. The pilgrimage was complete – we’d found what we came to seek.

London Metal Pubs, Bars, and Shops:

Crypt of the Wizard Record Store

Intrepid Fox (under new management) 15 St. Giles High Street Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road

17 Manette Street Nearest tube is Tottenham Court Road (Central/Northern Lines) Garlic and Shots 14 Firth Street Soho Nearest tube – Tottenham Court Road

Electric Ballroom 184 Camden High Street Nearest tube – Camden Town

Fairy Gothmother 15 Lamb Street, Old Spitalfields

Resurrection Records 228 Camden High Street Camden Nearest tube – Camden Town

Highgate Cemetery Swain’s Lane Highgate Nearest tube – Archway Station

Let’s Take The Kids to London

When she’s not lugging her husband’s drumkit from metal bar to metal bar, Stephanie Green writes on travel, alternative weddings, disabilities, and music. 

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Iron Maiden review – showstopping rock theatre and tantalising live rarities

OVO Hydro, Glasgow Deep cuts and under-sung treasures are given their moment in the dry ice from the reliably extravagant and big-hearted band

T ick … Tock … The lights dim and a ticking clock echoes through Glasgow’s Hydro. It heralds the arrival of Iron Maiden , theatrical stalwarts of British metal, and their new show themed on the passing of time. Pairing their 1986 classic Somewhere in Time with 2021’s critically praised Senjutsu , The Future Past tour unearths under-sung treasures from Maiden’s deep discography to give them their moment in the dry ice. With a jump-scare bang, Bruce Dickinson is suddenly centre stage, clad in a steampunk trench and shades, brandishing his mic stand in Matrix-style slow motion.

“Time is on my side!” he roars, as guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers ramp up the tension on atmospheric opener Caught Somewhere in Time. The song hasn’t been played since the late-80s and it feels thrillingly, cinematically grand. Clearly the band agree. Bassist and founding member Steve Harris stalks the back of the stage with a satisfied smirk, egging on drummer Nicko McBrain’s relentless kick drum.

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A reverent crowd is strapped in for the ride, bouncing at the slightest beckon of Dickinson’s finger. Their loyalty is rewarded by rarely played deep cuts: at the earliest whisper of epic Alexander the Great, phones are held aloft and set to record. The nine-minute historical saga is a showstopper: Smith’s solo has a bluesy touch, grounding the theatrics with a little bit of grit; Harris’s thunderous bassline is punishing. Surely this is Alexander’s ceremonial welcome to Maiden’s stash of setlist staples. But the gambit doesn’t always pay off – Senjutsu’s own epic Hell on Earth is far less riveting, particularly in contrast to Maiden’s battle-worn classics.

Fear of the Dark, however, is a different beast. Boiling with genuine threat, it stands in deliciously bitter contrast to the band’s trademark tomfoolery: just 10 minutes prior, skeletal bogeyman Eddie arrived on stilts to fight Dickinson in a pyrotechnic shootout. But when encore Wasted Years gallops into view and the band teeters dangerously at the stage’s edge, Iron Maiden’s high-wire act between British panto and extravagant metal feels full-hearted and generous, even after all this time.

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The Iron Maiden tour adds Phoenix date in 2024. Here's how to get tickets to the concert

I conic British heavy metal veterans Iron Maiden have added a Phoenix date to the North American leg of the Future Past Tour, playing Footprint Center on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, with Mongolian metal greats the Hu.

No further shows will be announced for North America.

The Hu issued a statement saying, “Iron Maiden is the master of the masters of rock music. They are one of the biggest inspirations to us! The way that they create and perform their music is majestic and we still remember the first time we heard their ‘Trooper’ song and felt the deep energy behind each word.”

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Iron Maiden last played Phoenix in 2019

Iron Maiden last played Phoenix on the Legacy of the Beast Tour in 2019 .

This will be their 17th performance in the Valley since playing Memorial Coliseum on June 4, 1981, as part of the Killer World Tour, their first time in the U.S.

Concert review: Iron Maiden make you wonder why more artists don't invest in 10-foot mascots

Future Past Tour features songs from 'Senjetsu,' 'Somewhere in Time'

The Future Past Tour, which features songs from Maiden’s latest studio release, “Senjutsu,” and 1986’s seminal “Somewhere in Time” alongside other fan favorites, played to more than 750,000 fans at more than 30 sold-out shows across Europe in the summer of 2023.

They also played Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their highly praised appearance at California’s Power Trip Festival in October, which had Consequence raving “Iron Maiden set the bar high at Power Trip” and The Desert Sun saying they “delivered a hard-hitting performance to open the festival on a high note."

The tour features one of the most spectacular stage productions of Maiden’s career.

How to get tickets to Iron Maiden at Footprint Center in Phoenix

Tickets for the Phoenix concert go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 29, at livenation.com .

Reach the reporter at  [email protected]  or 602-444-4495. Follow him on X  @EdMasley .

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The Iron Maiden tour adds Phoenix date in 2024. Here's how to get tickets to the concert

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