There’s a reason why the Cart & Horses calls itself the Home of Iron Maiden. If you step outside the humble, neon-lit establishment and look to your left the road leads to Leytonstone, where Steve Harris was born in 1956. Look to your right and it leads to Upton Park, the historic, erstwhile home of his beloved West Ham United which he would someday train for but ultimately opt for a musical path instead. Go back inside, and alongside other regalia you’ll see a large, grainy photograph of Iron Maiden in 1976. The lineup may have changed significantly by the time their 1980 debut was unleashed upon the world, but at some level the smiling kid on the right - ‘Arry at age 20 – hasn’t changed at all. By most accounts he changed the world instead.
Despite all that’s happened since those heady days nearly 50 years ago, he’s returned to the Cart & Horses to play a very special gig with his other band, British Lion, and it doesn’t take much imagination to conclude why that’s special. That’s because this isn’t just the home of Iron Maiden. It’s a rare chance to witness history being made, and it is a sight to behold, as is the diversity of fans who’ve traveled from every time zone to be here tonight, not to mention a few familiar faces from Maiden’s extended family and their own legendary Killer Krew.
