It was bound to happen sooner or later but sadly, Iron Maiden’s loveable larrikin Drummer Nicko McBrain has announced his retirement from touring with the band. McBrain suffered a stroke in 2023 and has struggled with touring ever since. Quick to keep things in motion with a European tour approaching in May next year, Iron Maiden have announced British Lion’s Simon Dawson as Nicko’s replacement. Nicko played his final live gig with the band on Saturday December 7 in Sao Paulo.
Nicky announced his intentions to fans on social media on the weekend:
“After much consideration, it is with both sorrow and joy, I announce my decision to take a step back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle. Today, Saturday, December 7th, Sao Paulo will be my final gig with Iron Maiden. I wish the band much success moving forward.”
“I will, however, remain firmly part of the Iron Maiden family working on a variety of projects, my long-time managers, Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor, have in mind for me. I’ll also be working on a variety of different personal projects and focusing on my existing businesses and ventures, including The British Drum Company, Nicko McBrain’s Drum One, Titanium Tart, and of course, Rock-N-Roll Ribs!”
“What can I say? Touring with Maiden the last 42 years has been an incredible journey! To my devoted fan base, you made it all worthwhile and I love you! To my devoted wife, Rebecca, you made it infinitely easier and I love you!”
“To my kids, Justin and Nicholas, thank you for understanding the absences and I love you! To my friends that are always there for me, I love you! To my bandmates, you made it a dream come true and I love you!”
“I look into the future with much excitement and great hope! I’ll be seeing you soon, may God bless you all, and, of course, ‘Up the Irons!'”
In response, a representatives of the band posted the following:
“Nicko, And we all love you too!!
Thank you for being an irrepressible force behind the drum kit for Maiden for 42 years and my friend for even longer. I speak on behalf of all the band when I say we will miss you immensely!
Ever since Rock in Rio in 1985 we have had a special relationship with Brazil so to bow out of touring in front of 90,000 fans here in Sao Paulo over 2 nights is poetic and you are deserving of all the accolades I am sure these marvellous fans will give you on this last show.
Phantom look forward to many more years of working with you on the projects you mentioned and I am sure we can find a few more special ones around the Maiden family and FC!
The band and I all have a thousand great memories of the past 42 years, great gigs, copious platinum and gold discs and awards, love from the fans and one beer too many on too many occasions! Such a bond is forever! And, as Steve Harris says, ‘Nicko is and will always be part of the Maiden family’.
– Rod, Andy, Steve, Bruce, Davey, Adrian & Jan”
The band has now followed up with the announcement of Nicko’s replacement:
“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. A native of Suffolk, England, Simon first teamed up with Steve Harris back in 2012. He debuted on three tracks on the first British Lion album and all of the second critically acclaimed ‘The Burning’, plus the many subsequent tours in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand &, most recently, both Mexico and South America.”
Nicko McBrain joined the heavy metal rock band Iron Maiden in 1982 and has been an active endorsee of musical products since that time. Nicko was often be seen at a NAMM booth or on the floor posing for a photograph. Over the years, he has endorsed Premier Drums, but since the early 2010’s he has played Sonor Drums. Nicko also uses Vic Firth sticks, Remo drumheads, and Paiste cymbals. As per his stamens, he’ll nw be working on projects for The British Drum Company, Nicko McBrain’s Drum One, Titanium Tart, and of course, Rock-N-Roll Ribs!”
In 2018 Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips had the great pleasure of sitting down with Nicko McBrain at the NAMM Show for an in-depth interview for NAMM’s Oral history Archive.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND TIME POINTS:
Note: For the purpose of the NAMM Oral History use, Greg Phillips wasn’t miked up, so his audio is low. Here are the questions he asked Nicko.
00.25 What was the spark which lit your flame for music?
3.:0: A couple of your early bands were Streetwalkers and the Pat Travers Band …. what did you learn from your time in those bands that you took into iron maiden?
5:30 What do you remember about your first gig with Iron Maiden?
7:55 When a new song is presented to the band, do you know immediately what you are going to do with your drum parts or do you like to take it away and live with it for a while?
10:43 Which Iron Maiden song are you most proud of in regard to your drum parts?
12:20 You’ve seen a lot changes in technology over the years. I wonder how that has changed the way you play? For instance, do you remember the first time you used in-ear monitors?
14:50 Tell me about some of the gear companies you have formed relationships with over the years
18:25 If someone was building a drum kit for you, what’s the number one feature that they’d have to get right for you to be happy?
19:48 You’ve never really been a fan of the double kick, why is that?
21:24 What about the nights when things didn’t go right. Any falling off the drum stool stories or anything like that?
29:04 Iron Maiden has always been pioneering in regard to band merchandise, particularly with the use of your mascot Eddie. What’s the band’s philosophy in regard to the merch?
32:42 We’re at the NAMM Show at the moment. Do you enjoy coming to NAMM?
36:15 What are you most proud of?