Watch a professional video of NICKO MCBRAIN performing reinterpreted versions of IRON MAIDEN classics with orchestra

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain played newly interpreted versions of some of the band's classic songs with the Massed Bands of His Majesty's Royal Marines at this year's 52nd Annual Concert Series on 8 March. Mountbatten Music Festival (MFM) at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. Nick played his kit called Legacy Of Royals for the song “The Maiden Legacy” – a medley of the heavy metal band’s most popular songs: “The soldier”, “Wasted years” And “Run to the mountains”. A professionally filmed video of his performance can be seen below.

On March 5, during McBrain's rehearsals with the Royal Marines Band Service on HMS Temeraire in Burnaby Road, Nick told The news about how he came to be involved in the event: “Well, let’s see, 2020, the year we don’t talk about, it was the 50th anniversary of the The Mountbatten Festivaland I was there as a guest… And it just happened that… the people I met there at the event said: “Oh, it would be nice…” because it was THE WOUNDERCHILDwho took the half-time break after the break. And I was absolutely astonished by it. I thought: “These guys are playing WONDER. It's brilliant.' So the idea came about. And they said, 'So what would you like to do next year?' And I felt very honoured and humbled and said yes straight away.”

When asked how the rehearsals had gone up to that point, Nick said: “The rehearsals were great. Sunday was a bit – how should I say? Very nervous. Because of my circumstances, my right hand doesn't work very well, so I was very, very nervous about that. We got through the rehearsals really well, and then of course it was time to perform with the full orchestra yesterday. And my goodness, the north wind was blowing right behind me. It blew me away. The power and sound of these great musicians and a hundred-person orchestra jamming GIRL It was just a joy to watch them. I wanted to stop and listen to them, but I can't. It was wonderful.”

Nick played a kit specially made for these shows by The British Drum Company. Stu WarmingtonInternational Sales Manager for BDCsaid: “For this kit we have different designs of GIRLMascot of Eddie as Marines throughout history on each of the drums, from 1664 to the present day, so we have the Yomper, at the Battle of Trafalgar and so on. After the shows it will be auctioned for the Royal Marines Charity.”

The Mountbatten Music Festival is a major source of income for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines charities and the Young Lives vs Cancer charity and takes audiences on an exciting journey through the world of music, often introducing spectacular new arrangements and compositions unique to the event. Combined with traditional military marches, music from the big screen, superb solo pieces, all accompanied by spectacular lighting effects, the Mountbatten Music Festival The Royal Albert Hall has been fully booked every year for over 50 years.

NickThe drum kit will be auctioned to raise money for the Royal Marines Charity and the Grand Order of Water Rats Charity.

McBrain suffered a mild stroke in early 2023 and has been on the road to recovery ever since.

When Nick When the drummer first revealed his stroke in August, he said in a statement that the incident had left him “paralysed” on one side of his body and that he was “worried” that his career with the band was over.

Four years ago, McBrain was diagnosed with stage 1 throat cancer and spoke about it in a single interview in 2021, but otherwise kept it mostly under wraps. The musician received his cancer diagnosis after undergoing an endoscopy at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine. Within a week McBrainThe cancer was surgically removed and he now receives check-ups every few months to make sure the cancer has not returned.