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British Lion

Roars At

The Odeon

February 2, 2020

British Lion, the side project of Steve Harris from Iron Maiden, roared into The Odeon on Friday night.  

Harris put the band together in 2012 and they released their debut album the same year.  Last November, the band released The Burning their second full-length lp and decided to hit the road to support it.

About 300 Iron Maiden fans made the trek to The Flats to see what British Lion had to offer.

They got a great British metal/hard rock experience.  The band was tight and all of the members were clearly enjoying themselves on stage.   For many fans, to see Steve Harris up close and personal will be an experience they will never forget. 

Harris was all over the stage, getting the fans involved and singing every word to every song as he played. 

The band kicked off the show with "This Is My God" from their debut album. They proceeded to  play nearly every song from the new album including standout tracks: "Lightning," "Spit Fire" and "The Burning."

In the middle of the show, singer Richard Taylor remarked that this was the first time that he had ever been in Cleveland.  Noting that the band was about half way through their tour, Taylor said that this was by far the best audience that he had seen.

He should have known that Cleveland rocks!

The set closed with "A World Without Heaven" and "Eyes Of The Young."

German duo known as The Picturebooks was the second act on the bill.  They have a very unique sound that is reminiscent of The White Stripes with a bluesier edge. 

 

I can honestly say that I have never seen a drummer pound the drums as hard as this guy.  His kit consisted of a bass drum, three big floor toms and a snare.  There were no symbols or high hat.  Instead, he used a ships bell and a large metal sheet that was used as a crash.  It was exhausting yet incredible to watch the force that he used on every song. 

Cleveland's own Assault opened the show with an impressive set of hard, thrashy metal.

Review and photos by Greg Drugan

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