V Sloveniji se ta konec tedna obeta res veličasten metal vikend z dvema vrhunskima britanskima zasedbama! Večer pred ljubljanskim koncertom Iron Maiden, ki bo 28. maja 2023 v ljubljanskih Stožicah in je bil razprodan v dveh dneh, bomo pri nas namreč priča koncertu britanske hard rock in heavy metal zasedbe basista Steva Harrisa (Iron Maiden), ki sliši na ime British Lion! Koncert bo tako že to soboto, 27. maja 2023 ob 21.00 v ljubljanskem klubu Cvetličarna, prvi v okviru njihove poletne evropske turneje 2023! Vstopnice za koncert so v prodaji na www.eventim.si in na vseh pooblaščenih prodajnih mestih po Sloveniji in širše.
Pred koncertom smo zasedbi postavili nekaj vprašanj.
ROCKER.SI: Hvala, da ste si vzeli čas za Rocker.si. Kako izjemno, da turnejo začnete prav v Sloveniji! Kako je prišlo do te odločitve in kakšen je vaš odnos z našo državo? Predvidevam, da vam je všeč, ljudje vas več kot očitno obožujejo!
BRITISH LION: Za zasedbo British Lion je velika čast, da lahko igramo v Sloveniji! Srečo imamo, da Steve nastopa tukaj tudi z Iron Maiden, kar nam daje priložnost, da obiščemo vašo prelepo deželo.
ROCKER.SI: Kaj lahko pričakujemo od uvodnega koncerta turneje? Kakšen je občutek za vas? Ste pripravljeni? Z lahkoto pridete v tisti pravi ritem ali potrebujete vsaj nekaj koncertov, da ujamete pravo energijo?
BRITISH LION: Kot pri vsakem drugem bendu, več kot odigraš koncertov, bolj si povezan kot enota. Drži pa tudi, da se člani British Lion raje naslonimo na strast, spontanost in povezavo z našim občinstvom. Zame je to najpomembnejše. Pričakujete lahko strasten in drveč prvi koncert zasedbe British Lion!
ROCKER.SI: Skupaj ste že nekaj več kot deset, pa čeprav se za vas verjetno zdi še več? Delujete kot majhna družina, no, ali pa ne tako mala – lahko spregovorite o “roadie” družini, ki vas spremlja in potuje z vami? V zadnjih nekaj letih, ko nas je zadela pandemija, smo lahko začutili, kako pomembni so prav vsi povezani z zasedbo. Morda so tisti v zakulisju med tragično situacijo še najbolj nastradali. Bolj kot sami izvajalci.
BRITISH LION: Nedvomno imaš prav s tem, ko si rekel, da smo kot majhna družina. Zelo oseben odnos imamo z našo ekipo in močan tovariški duh. Naša ekipa danes je praktično enaka, kot je bila na naši prvi turneji, s posamezniki, kot so Tony Newton, naš tonski tehnik, in pa Robert Coleman, naš mojster luči. Pandemija je predstavljala težko obdobje za vse nas kot ekipo.
ROCKER.SI: Od zadnjega labuma ‘The Burning’ so minila tri leta, verjetno niste imeli niti priložnosti igrati ta material v živo?
BRITISH LION: Na srečo smo odigrali del turneje v Severni Ameriki, tik preden je prišel COVID-19. Čutili smo močan sunek, še posebej so trpeli koncerti v živo. Preostanek turneje je bil razumljivo odpovedan, zaradi česar smo bili prikrajšani predstaviti in promovirati album ‘The Burning’ ter se povezati z občinstvom preko naše glasbe. Smo pa nadoknadili zamujeno od konca karantene. Od takrat smo neprestano na poti.
ROCKER.SI: Kako se ta zasedba razlikuje od prejšnjih, katerih del ste bili
BRITISH LION: Zasedba British Lion mi je bila od nekdaj zelo pri srcu (vokalist Richard Taylor, op.a.). Gre za oseben projekt in je veliko več kot “samo bend”. Besedila, ki jih pišem, govorijo mojo življenjsko zgodbo in privilegij je, da lahko igramo v tako čudovitih državah, kot je Slovenija, ter pokažemo ljudem bistvo, ki se skriva znotraj British Lion. Neverjetna glasba, ki jo ustvarjamo, mi dovoljuje, da zlijem srce in dušo v prav vsako besedo in melodijo.
ROCKER.SI: Kakšno prihodnost vidiš za British Lion?
BRITISH LION: Upamo, da bomo še naprej neprestano na odrih z novim materialom.
ROCKER.SI: Vse dobro in se vidimo v Ljubljani!
*angleška verzija intervjuja
ROCKER.SI: How great is it that you’re staring your tour in Slovenia! How did that come about and what’s your relationship with our country? I imagine you like playing here, people sure love you.
BRITISH LION: It’s a great privilege for British Lion to be playing in Slovenia. We are very lucky that Steve is also gigging here with Iron Maiden as this gives us the opportunity to visit your beautiful country.
ROCKER.SI: What’s there to expect from an opening show of the tour, and what’s it like for you? Do you find it easy to get into groove or do you need a couple of shows of the tour to see where’ you’re at as a band?
BRITISH LION: Like any band, the more shows you play the tighter you become as a unit. However, British Lion are more about passion, spontaneity and connecting with our audience, and for me this is the most important thing. So, you can expect a very passionate and moving first show from British Lion.
ROCKER.SI: A little more than ten years you’ve been together but it must feel more than that, you are probably like a small family, or maybe not so small – can you talk a little bit about the »roadie family« that travels with you? In the last couple of years, as the pandemic hit us, we saw how important are the crew members, as they were affected the most by not being able to perform. Probably even more than the artists themselves.
BRITISH LION: You’re definitely right in saying that we are like a small family. We have a very personal relationship with our crew and a strong camaraderie. The crew has almost remained the same since our first tour with the likes of Tony Newton, our live sound engineer, and Robert Coleman, our lighting technician. The pandemic was a very difficult time for all of us as a team.
ROCKER.SI: Since your last album The Burning it’s been three years and because of the events you probably didn’t have the chance to perform it live?
BRITISH LION: We were fortunate to play a North American tour just before the first Covid pandemic. The pandemic had a big impact on us as a band, especially with live performances and touring. Being unable to tour particularly affected our ability to promote ‘The Burning’ and connect with our audience through our live music. However, since the end of lockdown, we have certainly made up for it by touring the album continuously.
ROCKER.SI: How is this band different from any other you’ve been involved?
BRITISH LION: British Lion has always been very personal for me and is much more than just a band. The lyrics I write tell my life story and it’s a privilege to be able to tour amazing places like Slovenia and show people what British Lion are all about. The incredible music the band writes allows me to pour my heart and soul into every word and melody.
ROCKER.SI: What do you see in future for British Lion?
BRITISH LION: We hope to continue touring and releasing new material.
ROCKER.SI: All the best and we’ll see you in Ljubljana!
