LIVE REVIEW: Iron Maiden, Lord Of The Lost, Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, 03/07/2023
Photo Credit: Stu Garneys (8th July – London)
Iron Maiden’s support base is essentially an army. As you walk around the streets of Nottingham, you could not help but feel out of place if you were not sporting one of the band’s many iconic shirts. It was as if the band had brought an army with them to take over the city.
What they had also brought with them was German Eurovision entry Lord Of The Lost, who went viral for their metal antics in Liverpool in May. Visually, they certainly stand out with an array of coloured boots, long hair, make up, and a clear enthusiasm for performing. Their mix of synth-infused metal with the occasional scream and double kick may not have been for your stereotypical Maiden fan but the band seemed to go down well, attracting a large crowd. Lead singer Chris Harms worked the stage and crowd well and knew that saying anything Iron Maiden related would send the crowd into a frenzy, never a bad thing to know your crowd!
Full Metal Whore, Blood and Glitter and Kill It with Fire were particular highlights of a set that spanned nearly 50 minutes which is a rare sight for a support act. Overall, Lord Of The Lost were a fun showing that were appreciated by a crowd that may not necessarily be their usual target market. 8/10
Onto the main event, and as Doctor Doctor by UFO played out to the crowd, everyone in the building knew what was coming. With an intense buildup with some mysterious lighting, the band paced to the stage with a pop, and the aura you felt that you were seeing Iron Maiden hit almost instantly as the crowd went into a frenzy.
As this tour was a celebration of their 1986 album Somewhere in Time, the band opened with Caught Somewhere in Time and Stranger in a Strange Land with lead singer Bruce Dickinson accidentally skipping a couple of the verses but (nearly) nobody seemed to notice, as the band improvised seamlessly.
Tracks from their latest release Senjutsu also filled the setlist with The Writing on the Wall and Days of Future Past’s riffs and live production captivating the audience. The heavy metal icons were also no strangers to playing 10 minute plus tracks from the LP, Death of the Celts and Hell On Earth, both having no problem with keeping the show’s momentum at the high it kept for the whole set.
Iron Maiden are always a band that have prided themselves on their live show and it is very clear to see why. Dickinson’s relentless energy and passion to perform followed by his sheer vocal talent have to put him in the conversation for one of the greatest frontmen of all time. The rest of their band do their bit too.
Janick Gers guitar flinging (for lack of better words) was sensational, whilst the rest of the guitarists had no hesitation in showing their ever-growing love for playing live which undoubtedly feeds into the atmosphere of the room.
During Alexander the Great, Iron Maiden’s mascot Eddie (in Senjutsu form) made one of his customary appearances to the stage to attempt to kill Bruce Dickinson in a wild gun fight which saw Bruce’s machine gun be blown up as he once again narrowly escaped the clutches of Eddie… for now.
All this added to the theatre, as the ‘hits’ started to enter the set. Fear of the Dark is one of those must-see tracks live with Dickinson sporting a cloak as he ambles around the stage, before the tracks burst into life with one of Maiden’s most iconic riffs. As the encore came with a play of the instantly recognisable Iron Maiden from their debut record, the crowd and band were ecstatic, but not quite done yet.
The Trooper is Iron Maiden’s premier song, they have even got a beer named after it, so you can only begin to imagine how good this high paced track about a British soldier during the 1854 Battle of Balaclava. Finishing on Wasted Years, a track about simply living your life and not wasting years seemed a fitting send off and what had been the furthest thing from a wasted night.
To conclude this review, Iron Maiden have still got it, and continue to set the bar for how good arena metal can be with both production, stage craft and sheer passion for their work, and as Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life rang out through the arena, you knew you had witnessed a truly special gig. 10/10
Written By: Joe Loughran
Photo Credit: Stu Garneys
