Iron Maiden: The Greatest Showmen

‘It doesn’t matter who you are – male, female, Muslim, Christian… none of it matters,” comes the mission statement from Iron Maiden  frontman Bruce Dickinson to thousands of fans at a sold-out stadium.  

  “If you’re an Iron Maiden fan, you’re part of one world, one family, my friends.”  

 It’s this emphatic battle cry which kicks off the band’s new career-spanning documentary Burning Ambition, a film which spends the subsequent two hours proving why Dickinson’s statements are nothing short of heartfelt when it comes to these metal pioneers.  

The film does a sterling job of showing the chosen family of the friends who traded east London pubs for sold-out stadiums and face-melting riffs, but it’s a theme also represented in the idea that Maiden remain one of the original bands of the people.   There’s an emotional talking head from a New York firefighter who recounts how the band rejuvenated him after 9/11 and, conversely, the perma-grin of Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, who goes some distance in proving himself to be Hollywood’s biggest metalhead. Public Enemy stalwart Chuck D and Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello are also among the high-profile fans featured in this film.   

 “I think our fans all find a kindred spirit in our music. It’s as simple as that,” posits frontman Bruce Dickinson, full of beans during an enthusiastic early-morning Zoom. “Our music is not political; it’s not social. You can be whoever you want to be in your life outside of Iron Maiden, but when you come together under our umbrella, you’re all Maiden fans.”  

He adds, “You’ve got all these countries at war with each other right now, and in all of those places you’ll find people who are huge metal fans. Iran has got a huge underground metal community and Maiden fans. Kiev is full of metal fans, and so is Russia. That’s a tragedy because what Maiden does is bring people together through music.”   

 Dickinson might have a point, but what’s also true is that the film, in one of its most powerful moments, sees Javier Bardem recite the lyrics to the band’s mega-anthem ‘Run to the Hills’ with all the gravitas and power you’d reasonably expect.   

 “I was listening to him read those lyrics and just thought ‘Oh, my God. That’s why you’re Javier Bardem,’” he says. “It’s a genius decision. We made a conscious decision not to have our faces in it and let other people do the talking. But Javier Bardem, that’s an outstanding moment and one of the best decisions we actually made.”   

 “A lot of actors often say that they can’t bear to watch their films, but I enjoyed the fact that this film can act as a nice document of your life,” adds venerable guitarist Adrian Smith. “It did bring back a lot of memories, although there’s obviously some sensitive stuff covered in the band. The comings and goings…”  

Comings and goings is one way of putting it. The film provides an interesting look at the revolving door of Maiden line-ups, including the early years of original vocalist and  wildman Paul Di’Anno, as well as both Smith and Dickinson’s respective departures from the Maiden fold in the 90s, and eventual return at the end of the decade.  

 But few of these moments hit as hard as that of the retirement of drummer Nicko McBrain, who called it a day as the band’s live drummer after suffering a stroke in 2023. The film pulls no punches in showing McBrain’s efforts to make a return, before deciding to give up life on the road.   

“You always know that people are going to stop at some point, but with Nick it was the confluence of several factors. He’d had a stroke, he’s the oldest member of the band and he doesn’t sacrifice his drumming style in order to preserve his body,” explains Dickinson.  

 “We were worried about him, because touring is gruelling. To be up there every night in your mid-seventies playing drums after a stroke. All these factors mount up. But he’s still part of the band; he’s just not playing live, and he’s definitely going to be at the premiere for this film. We’re still family and that’s what makes this band different to some other bands who have, you know, not managed their former members or current members in a very equitable manner.”  

Another similar fork in the road arrives with the film’s frank discussion of Dickinson’s throat cancer. The singer was diagnosed in 2015 after tumours, one of which was the size of a golf ball, were discovered at the back of his throat. Did it give Dickinson a fresh perspective and appreciation for life in the band?  

  “I didn’t  think so at the time, but I certainly do now. Because there’s a been a lot of water that’s gone under the bridge with this band and where we are now in our career and the fact that at some point there will be an end,” he reflects. “We don’t know when and we’ll know when we know. It’s as simple as that. But I just take every day as a little gift and try and do the best I can with it. Because, as I learnt, there might be nothing else…”  

 Time might not necessarily be on their side, but the film does a spectacular job in illustrating just how much Maiden mean to their fans, particularly in the moments when the band – fresh off a flight that occasional pilot Dickinson has himself captained – are met at the airport by thousands of screaming fans in a far-flung corner of the world.   

 “Maiden’s always continued to build in the right way,” says Smith. “We took our music out, we played and we spent a lot of money on our shows. We want to put a lot of money into our shows to ensure that people have a good time. And they do remember that.”  

 This high-stakes production extends to the band’s ever-present mascot Eddie, a demonic presence who always looms large in the background at their shows. Such is his impact that a whole chunk of the film is dedicated to Eddie being a band member in his own right.  

 But it’s also just perhaps true that, huge inflatable demons aside, fans are just continually drawn to the spectacle of six rock ’n’ roll survivors still playing every concert like it’s their last. A stadium tour this summer and their own festival , Eddworth at Knebworth on July 10 &11, is the reflection of this. Some 51 years on, they’re still as busy as ever and, as Smith notes, playing to a crowd of younger fans too.  

 “There’s no shortage of people who want to play rock and metal,” posits Dickinson. “But what troubles me these days is AI and live music which means people are essentially using backing tracks to enhance everything. I feel a bit conflicted about that because I’d ask for my money back. I like people to be real, authentic and make mistakes, because they can be some of the greatest moments of all.”  

He adds, “But I do think the pendulum is swinging and people are demanding authenticity. They can tell if it’s AI and something they could do in their sleep. It’s not clever. Clever is doing the whole thing for real.”   

 And real is what Maiden are doing 50 years on. After all this time, here’s a band with a legion of fans who, instead of running for the hills, are embracing their own role in the ever-growing Maiden family…   

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition hits cinemas on May 8.