Iron Maiden’s drummer Nicko McBrain believes the band will keep going as long as all its members want to play, he told the Rockonteurs podcast.
McBrain was asked about Iron Maiden’s future at a time when the band members are all in their mid-to-late 60s. He noted that the band has announced a North American tour for the coming year and may record new material afterward.
“Well, the thing is all the boys are past the halfway mark of 65 years old. I mean, even the baby of the band’s now 67 this year, I think. ‘Arry’s [Steve Harris] next down from me,” McBrain said.
“I think that they just announced a North American tour next year, a couple of months in the U.S., and I think that having seen them do that, there might be time to do a new record later after that, if they do decide to do one. I personally think that they’ll go until somebody else in the band says, ‘I can’t do it anymore.’ And I can’t see that really happening at the minute because they’re still…”
McBrain added that the band has made changes to how it approaches performances. “I’ve gotta admit some of the tempos of the songs [during Maiden’s recent concerts] are more where they were when they were recorded all those years ago. But I’m not saying they’re slowing down, but they’re trying to make it so they can [have] longevity. I mean, they’re all getting on now.”
McBrain’s comments came as the band prepares for its North American dates. The drummer’s outlook suggests Iron Maiden has no immediate plans to step away from performing.
McBrain recently returned to the stage after a stroke in 2023 that left him partially paralyzed. Following his recovery and return to performing, the band announced that Simon Dawson would take over as drummer for the 2025 tour dates. Dawson has previously played with Steve Harris’s side project British Lion.
The Run For Your Lives tour, which celebrates Iron Maiden’s 50th anniversary since their formation in 1975, will play 107 shows by the time it concludes. The band had originally planned to take a break in 2027, but decided to extend the tour after enjoying their recent North American leg. Iron Maiden were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.
McBrain’s remarks about possible new material come after the band released their seventeenth studio album, Senjutsu, in 2021. His statement that the band will continue as long as members are able reflects the group’s commitment to performing despite the ages of its members.
