Who is Simon Dawson? All about the new Iron Maiden drummer taking over from Nicko McBrain

Simon Dawson has been officially confirmed as the new drummer for Iron Maiden. The news comes after percussionist Nicko McBrain announced that he is stepping back from performing live with the band through a statement, adding that he would continue working on their projects.

According to Loud Wire, Simon Dawson has played for a band called British Lion in the past. Furthermore, he worked with other groups such as Deep Switch, Air Race, and The Outfield.

Notably, Iron Maiden took to their social media handles, including Instagram, to announce Dawson as the new drummer with a photo on December 8, 2024, and wrote:

"As The Future Past Tour concludes after 81 shows to over 1.4 million fans, from Ljubljana to the Coachella Valley and from Western Australia to Sao Paulo, Iron Maiden are delighted to announce that stepping in behind the kit for 2025 is a name familiar to many of our fans – Simon Dawson, a former session drummer and Steve's rhythm section partner of the past 12 years with British Lion."

The statement also mentioned Simon's contributions to the British Lion and his participation in various tours in Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. Furthermore, the band stated in the end:

"Iron Maiden celebrate their 50th Anniversary next year with The Run For Your Lives Tour starting in Budapest on May 27th."

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Simon Dawson and Steve Harris have worked together in a band established by the latter

Simon Dawson's entry into Iron Maiden has created headlines, specifically for his link to Steve Harris, who is also a part of the band.

Dawson had an opportunity to work on a few singles from the group's self-titled project, which came out back in 2012. While speaking to Metal Hammer at the time, Steve elaborated on the title of the album as he stated:

"I've always been proud to be British. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be. It's a massive part of being me. It's not like I'm flag-weaving or trying to preach, this is not a political statement at all. It's like supporting your football team, where you came from."

British Lion received a positive response and reached the 138th spot on the US Billboard 200.

Simon Dawson fully contributed to the soundtrack of British Lion's second album, The Burning, released in 2020. The response to this project turned out to be better than the first, and it even managed to reach the top of the charts.

Loud Wire also stated that Dawson played for another group, Dearly Beheaded, in the '90s. He later came to a band called The Outfield in 1989 as a replacement for Alan Jackman.

The pop band has ten albums in its credits, and Simon Dawson started contributing to them with the fourth album, Diamond Days. For You turned out to be one of the most famous singles from the soundtrack, and it grabbed the 21st spot on the US Billboard Hot 100.

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Nicko McBrain confirms his exit from touring

As mentioned, Simon Dawson replaced Nicko McBrain after the latter announced that he would discontinue live performances with the band. Nicko even posted a statement about the same through Iron Maiden's official website on December 7, 2024.

McBrain said that he would make his final appearance at Sao Paulo and continued:

"I will, however, remain firmly part of the Iron Maiden family working on a variety of projects, my long time managers, Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor, have in mind for me. I'll also be working on a variety of different personal projects and focusing on my existing businesses and ventures."

McBrain said that it has been an "incredible journey" to be able to go on tour with Iron Maiden for almost 42 years and added:

"I look into my future with much excitement and great hope! I'll be seeing you soon, may God bless you all, and, of course, 'Up the Irons!'"

Nicko also expressed gratitude to everyone who has supported him over the years, including his wife Rebecca, children Justin and Nicholas, and his close friends.