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Iron Maiden‘s Steve Harris has announced that his British Lion side project will play six shows at the historic Cart & Horses pub in Stratford, East London, this Christmas.
The band’s residency will begin on December 13, with support from Albion, the band built around current Jethro Tull guitarist Jack Clark and former Tull guitarist Joe Parrish-James. Tickets are priced at £38.50 and are available now.
“We’re really happy to be coming back to the Cart & Horses for six nights in December,” says Harris. “We’ve had some fantastic shows there over the years, and it’s always great to get back to such an important venue for Iron Maiden’s history. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there!”
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British Lion played five festive shows at the Cart & Horses in 2025, and four times the previous year, while Iron Maiden played dozens of dates at the now 120-capacity venue between 1976 and 1978, earning it the nickname “The birthplace of Iron Maiden.”
“Actually, it was really good,” Harris told Brave Words in 2012, recalling the band’s first show at the venue in June 1976. “We just pulled in as many people as we could, family and friends, and there were a few regulars in anyway. I don’t like leaving things to chance, so I put a few posters up, and it ended up being pretty rammed out.
“There was a bit of a comfort zone for us to operate in, with it being packed out – it always makes it a lot easier. If you’re playing to a near-empty place, that makes it next to impossible.”
British Lion: 2026 Tour Dates
Dec 13: London Cart & Horses, UK
Dec 14: London Cart & Horses, UK
Dec 15: London Cart & Horses, UK
Dec 16: London Cart & Horses, UK
Dec 17: London Cart & Horses, UK
Dec 18: London Cart & Horses, UK
