Nicko hopes for Maiden symphonic show

Nicko McBrain hopes Iron Maiden will one day perform epic track Empire Of The Clouds live – with the help of a symphony orchestra.

The drummer insists the 18-minute track, which appears on latest album The Book Of Souls, can’t be played effectively without additional performers.

And he thinks a symphonic concert, like the Royal Albert Hall show staged by late Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord in London, would be the ideal time to dig up Maiden tracks that have never made it to the stage.

McBrain tells 98.7 The Gater: “What I’d like to see Maiden do before we step back from the touring schedule that we usually do – I’d like to see us do like what Jon Lord did.

“There’s a lot of stuff there. Alexander The Great is a track that everybody’s moaning, ‘It’s never been played live.’ I’d like to do things like that.

“Everything we haven’t covered, I’d like to see us do an orchestral version. Perhaps that will happen one day.”

McBrain says of Empire Of The Clouds: “There’s a lot of orchestration, and Bruce’s piano playing. Let’s say it’s not really ready to be played live. Plus there’s a lot of percussion instruments on there and whatnot.

“And it’s 18 minutes long. I mean, you could do two songs in there instead, couldn’t you?”

The Book Of Souls was released last month. Maiden continue to add world tour dates for next year, while frontman Bruce Dickinson is learning to fly the biggest-ever version of their Ed Force One plane.

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.