British Lion – the side project of Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris – has announced four new shows, including a very special performance at The Booking Hall in Dover on Tuesday, May 21. Their appearance will be as part of a campaign to keep one of Britain’s small music venues still operating.
The owner of the Old Harbour Station, which houses The Booking Hall Dover, is putting the property up for sale. This puts the future of The Booking Hall music venue at immediate threat as there is no guarantee the venue could keep operating under new ownership. The likeliest outcome would be that the building would be purchased by developers, meaning no more music venue.
Stuart Cameron of The Booking Hall commented: “It’s fantastic to welcome back to the venue British Lion for a fundraiser show to help us purchase the Old Harbour Station. The amount of support the venue has received since announcing our (The Booking Hall and Music Venue Trust) plans to purchase the building and secure the presence of a live music venue forever in Dover has been overwhelming at times.”
“None more so than when Steve Harris and his team reached out to offer their services free of charge so that all funds can go straight into making the purchase a reality! Also performing on the same evening is Tony Moore, another Iron Maiden legend. We can’t thankBritish Lion, Steve and his team, and Tony Moore enough. It’s incredible to see that our little venue in Dover can get such amazing support from such industry veterans.”
To coincide with this very special show, British Lion will also return to London’s legendary Cart & Horses venue in Stratford where Iron Maiden played their first-ever gigs. British Lion played three packed-out shows there in January and is thrilled to add a fourth show there in what is fast becoming a home-from-home. The band will also play summer shows in Faro, Portugal, and Seville, Spain in June.
Harris says: “We were very concerned when we heard that The Booking Hall was at risk of closing. It is a fantastic venue and we just wanted to get involved and be a part in keeping this brilliant music venue alive. We’re looking forward to playing a few other shows, including a return to the Cart & Horses as well as shows in Faro and Seville in July.”
British Lion upcoming shows:
- May 20 – Cart & Horses, London, UK
- May 21 – The Booking Hall – Dover, UK
- July 20 – Moto Clube Festival, Faro, Portugal
- July 21 – Sala Custom, Seville, Spain
