The word legend is an oft-overused term. However, it is no misnomer when describing former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Di’Anno. On what would have been his 68th birthday weekend, the much-loved vocalist, who passed away in October 2024, was the subject of a posthumous celebration at the birthplace of Iron Maiden, the Cart & Horses. The evening featured two stalwarts of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene in Airforce and MORE.
Airforce – MORE
Cart & Horses, London – 16 May 2026
Words: Steve Kenton
Photography: Dennis De Loor
This celebration was not just about the mighty Di’Anno, though. Former Iron Maiden frontman Paul Mario Day was also celebrated at the same event.
MORE, who were fronted by Paul Mario Day between 1980 and 1982, hit the stage first and the packed crowd were treated to a masterclass of headthrashing, footstomping Heavy Metal.
MORE
Killer On The Prowl opened proceedings with a thundering bassline emanating from Baz Nicholl’s Musicman bass and a rather nifty bit of fretwork from Peter Welsh. Next up was the title track of their first album, Warhead. Again, that thunderous bass really stood out alongside some really aggressive but tight drumming from Steve Rix.
The driving, heads down, horns up, Road Rocket followed, with another great solo from Welsh. It has to be said, the vocals were magnificent. Not a breath was wasted nor a note dropped by singer Mike Freeland.
Another track from the Warhead album featured next. With the smoke machine bellowing, Soldier fired up. This was then followed by Spirit Of War and then Scream, from their new album, Destructor. Freeland paid tribute to Paul Mario Day, which was, of course, warmly received by a highly appreciative audience.
Obsession and the album title track, Destructor, followed, with the former of the two really cranking up the tempo with lots of audience interaction.
Traitors Gate and Way Of The World followed before their 1981 single We Are The Band kicked in. In what was a real throwback to the golden age of NWOBHM, Freeland batted those vocals out of the pub and Welsh, yet again, was on point with his guitaring. He sounded vibrant, urgent and compelling. You could not take your eyes off of what the axeman was doing.
Then it came, the honourable nod toward Paul Di’Anno. As expected, the crowd went wild and really appreciated the outpouring of love toward Di’Anno from the band before the final track of MORE’s set, Atomic Rock, rocked up. This solid, slamming rocker of a song featured a brilliant guitar solo written by another former Maiden man, Paul Todd.
Welsh, Nicholls, Freeland and Rix really do know how to put on a great show and deserve a lot more recognition. To put it bluntly, we want MORE!
Airforce
In a world of chaos, there are four constants in life which never deviate. Births, deaths, taxes and Airforce putting on a great show.
Starting proceedings was that old faithful, Fight Among The Shadows. Straight from the “get-go”, Lino goes into “beast-mode” with his vocal range and power. With Die For You following up, again, the Airforce frontman hits notes that nobody has any right to hit.
Tony Hatton was superb on the bass as always, locking in with Doug Sampson’s drums tighter than a snug pair of budgie smugglers.
Audience interaction was the name of the game, and Son Of The Damned was no exception as the crowd bounced back and forth with Lino before audience favourite Life Turns To Dust fired up. With Chop Pitman’s understated, laconic style, this track showcased just how good a guitarist he is.
Lino then took the opportunity to talk affectionately about Paul Di’Anno, including a brief nod to his final South American tour, where he joined Airforce in Medellin and Bogota.
Then the opening to The Reaper blasts out of the monitors. Pitman’s fretwork is so on point. He is more reliable than an atomic clock. As for the solo with pinched harmonics and little dives, awesome. Another crowd favourite, The Fury, from the Acts Of Madness album, followed and yet again, Lino’s soaring vocals defy belief and medical science. How the singer reaches some of those notes is a mystery. He makes Freddie Mercury sound like Silent Bob.
My own personal favourite fired up with the familiar sound of an air raid siren. The “rat-tat-tat” of Sampson’s drums, an almost Celtic opening riff, and Tony Hatton’s hand sliding up the bass’s fretboard, it can only mean one thing. Heroes.
A rare instrumental from the boys was obliterated as Lino bunked off school for a quick pint of Trooper.
The pace slowed down slightly as Lost Forever fired up, with its gentle but dark undertones. This was tempered by the tenth track in Airforce’s set, Fight. The opening riff flying from Pitman’s Brian Moore guitar and the driving rhythm section made this another crowd-pleaser. The crowd were going mad, shouting Lino, Lino, Lino, as the vocalist lapped up the adulation.
Then came yet another fan’s favourite. Sniper was one of the tracks recorded by Airforce with Paul Di’Anno featuring on vocals. The slow galloping bass, the chants of “hey, hey, hey”, and the “dirty” guitar intro are positively guttural. It really is amazing how Pitman gets such a huge sound from his guitar and rig.
Then it came. Possibly the longest hold of a single note from a vocalist that I have ever heard, it seemed to go on forever. In fact, you could have made a cup of tea and boiled two eggs by the time that final note had ended.
Westworld then followed, before Lino spoke about something special occurring at the end of the final number. Another huge crowd-pleaser then lit up the audience. Band Of Brothers, with its gorgeous staccato fretwork and solid as rock rhythm section, got the packed house jumping around and moshing like they were 18-year-olds.
Then both Pauls were honoured with a lovely tribute before the final number, Finest Hour, kicked off. “Fight fire with fire” was the chant and everybody joined in.
Then came the surprise. A special video created for Airforce’s version of Strange World was shown on the big screen at the Cart & Horses. The video, produced by Lee Heffron, is visually stunning, and the band look amazing.
All in all, it was an amazing evening, full of emotion. It was also wonderful to see the venue completely packed with people all wishing to do one thing. To pay tribute to the two Pauls.
