A real sense of occasion opened the British Lion week-long sold-out residency at Cart & Horses. Expectations were high given the history between bands and venue, and the evening was a triumphant celebration.
British Lion – Stray – Tony Moore
Cart & Horses, London – 15 December 2025
Words: Liz Medhurst
Photography: Steve Ritchie
There is an obvious thread which connects the three acts on tonight’s bill, and that is Iron Maiden history. Headliners British Lion are the band formed by Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris, also including Simon Dawson, who, as of this year, is also Maiden’s touring drummer.
Main support Stray have a long connection too, as Iron Maiden covered All In Your Mind from their debut album as the B side to Holy Smoke in 1990, with Harris being a Stray fan for many years before then.
Tonight’s opener, Tony Moore, was the original keyboard player in Iron Maiden before the band dispensed with this instrument, and Harris has been continually supportive of Moore’s solo work.
On top of this, add in that the venue itself is where Iron Maiden played their very first residencies between 1976-78, and the previous day saw a sellout gig from British Metallers Absolva, who double up as the backing band for ’90s Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley and our theme is well and truly established.
Away from the obvious, though, there is so much more to tonight, and it must be remembered that each act is a draw in its own right. All those Maiden connections stem from the early days, and in many ways, this was a back-to-basics evening, a celebration of live music, grass-roots venues and the very best of humanity wrapped up in one hell of a good time.
The most important link, summing up what tonight was all about, is connection, community and damn good songs.
Tony Moore
As per the previous tour, opener Tony Moore returned for another selection of songs from his multi-sensory immersive production Awake, alternating between live keyboards and guitar, using additional tracks and accompanying each track with a full colour, vibrant graphic display.
Moore’s songs are full of hope and reflection and quite profound in places, too, and he makes everything super accessible by wrapping things up in layers of earworm melodies and influences ranging from Pink Floyd to Bowie to Alice Cooper.
With memorable tracks including Hopium and Just One Night, it’s Crazy In My Shed which lingers longest, Moore donning a covetable pink fluffy coat to round off a set that was as entertaining as it was thought-provoking.
Stray
Stray are also no strangers to sharing a stage with British Lion, having supported on the 2023 tour. It is another match made in heaven choice as the progressive hard rockers have the songs, the choruses, the riffs, the top musicianship and the banter with the crowd.
The songs Black Sun and Living The Dream from latest album About Time sound every bit as fresh and relevant now, they could fit perfectly on their ’70s classic albums.
This hour-long set under the direction of bona fide legend Del Bromham showcased a band that has never lost its touch. With Del, along with Pete Dyer on additional guitar and vocals, all underpinned by the glorious rhythm section of Karl Randall and Colin Kempster, bangers such as Percy The Pimp, Jericho, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue were real crowd pleasers.
Spirits were raised even further for I Believe It with Simon Rinaldo’s lush keyboards standing in for the London Symphony Orchestra and also elevating the already epic All In Your Mind to a psychedelic maelstrom, leaving us very much wanting more.
Stray return to Cart & Horses in March for a headline set, so not too long to wait.
British Lion
British Lion began their five-day residency here on the very stage where it all began fifty years ago for Iron Maiden. Ok, not the actual stage, if we are going to be strictly accurate, as there was not a basement venue in those days.
But hey, c’mon, “almost directly underneath the actual spot” does not have the same ring to it. The Lions have proved that they are a true force to be reckoned with in the hard rock world, even if the initial attraction came from Maiden fans, confirmed by the dropping of Harris’s name for second album, The Burning, in 2020.
It is absolutely not all about ‘Arry, though. This is a true band, and the talents of guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, singer Rich Taylor and drummer Simon Dawson shine.
This intense hour-and-a-half set was seriously high value. It is packed, it is hot, everyone is singing along and cheering loudly, the strobe lights add to the atmosphere, and in this small corner of East London, all is right with the world.
These songs are tight, varied, and hook-laden with the trademark flourishes of drama ranging from the Celtic overtones of Spit Fire to the prog overtones of Legend, the hammering thunder of Father Lucifer and the inspiring These Are The Hands.
As Taylor declared, this band truly does represent “the beating heart of rock ‘n’ roll.”
Harris may have no need to play venues of this size, but watching him on the stage, it is clear that he means it when he says that he loves to play, backed up by the number of decent-length tours that British Lion have racked up over the years.
He is positively revelling in the up close and personal space, with the band close and the crowd barrier in touching distance without having to stretch.
With the inclusion of songs 2000 Years and Wasteland not yet on any album, it is clear there’s plenty in the tank yet and long may this lion roar.
