Maiden Scotland - Bannerman’s, Edinburgh 10th May 2024

Forty years on and Iron Maiden tickets are big money and the chance to see them can be, at best, limited. So, the question arises, how does a middle-aged rocker get their Maiden fix? Bannerman’s answered that on Friday night when Scottish tribute act, Maiden Scotland took to the stage with the intention of preforming Powerslave in full.

Now, I have never seen Maiden Scotland before, but I have seen singer Martin and guitarist Mark in other bands. They have always produced a great show and I was expecting big things as I walked into the sold out venue.

The first chord was hit at 8:30 and, bang, we were right on it. “Aces High”, “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “Flight of Icarus” got us off to head banging start. The quality of the band was already shining though. The drum and bass were a tight unit who provided a solid foundation which allowed the guitarists to bring the album to life. With one less guitarist than Iron Maiden, the guys had a little bit more room for manoeuvre and produced some fantastic and authentic solos across the night. Keeping the words coming was singer Martin. He doesn’t do a Bruce Dickinson copycat thing, rather he just brings his own, great, voice to the stage and just sings the songs with passion and huge ability.

On we went, “Number of the Beast” promoted a full house of fans to join in yelling “666” as often as they could. This wasn’t a room of interested listeners, this was an audience invested in the band and who wanted to be part of the show. That came shining though during this part of the set.

The album went on “Flash of the Blade” and, of course, “Powerslave” got an outing. I just felt that the night and performance were building up to something big and then it came “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. I was always a bit unsure of this track. At close to 14 minutes, it was long enough and full enough of guitar solos to be a prog song but heavy enough to be a metal cut. Tonight, in the live setting, it worked fantastically well, the band nailed it, and the crowd loved it. It was 14 minutes of the night well spent.

“The Trooper” and “Hallowed be Thy Name” brought the show to mighty finish. As Martin pointed out, this was traditionally the time for the band to leave the stage and wait for an encore. However, this in Bannerman’s, the dressing room is in the house next door, so leaving and coming back is not an easy feat. This is something that can be a challenge for some bands playing at Bannerman’s but, strangely, this is something I really like about this venue. I think, it tests the connection the band have with the audience. Joe Strummer often spoke about how the line between the band and the fans should be a thin one, Friday proved that. Maiden Scotland aren’t a band separated from the fans, rather they are fans, they just happened to be playing the music. There was no need to go off, they just smiled and bashed on with another few bangers.

I like some of Bruce Dickinson’s solo stuff and “Tattooed Millionaire” was, for me, a great addition to the set.

The end of the night was, alas, upon us and it was now truly time for those 14 year old boys to reappear, at least in our own heads. Studded wrist bands in the air, all pumping away to “Run to the Hills”. The song that started so many of us on a journey we are happy to still be on.

The band left the stage, just to have a beer with their mates in the audience. We wandered off into the warm night chatting away about our happy days as young rockers.

If tribute bands have a point, then that must be to take us all back to a happy time and place. Tonight, Maiden Scotland did just that. If you are a fan of Iron Maiden and if you had a denim cut off then a night at Maiden Scotland is just what you need in your life. Get round to see them, I’ll see you there!