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IRON MAIDEN's NICKO MCBRAIN To Perform At MOUNTBATTEN FESTIVAL OF MUSIC At London's Royal Albert Hall

January 4, 2024

Audiences at this year's 52nd Mountbatten Festival Of Music (MFM) at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England in March are in for an extra special treat when global drumming icon of IRON MAIDEN fame, Nicko McBrain, takes to the stage to join The Massed Bands of His Majesty's Royal Marines.

The heavy metal musician will be part of the three concerts that will offer fans a once-in-a lifetime experience during the evening concert on Friday, March 8; and the matinee and evening shows on Saturday, March 9 2024.

With 100 musicians drawn from the five Royal Marines Bands, alongside their world-famous Corps Of Drums, the spectacular concerts showcase the outstanding versatility of some of the world's finest military musicians.

Commenting on what might seem an unlikely combination of talents, Nicko says: "It is such an honor to be invited to perform with the Massed Bands of His Majesty's Royal Marines at the 2024 Mountbatten Festival Of Music. I feel so humbled to be a part of this fantastic event. I look forward to seeing you all at the Royal Albert Hall in March to enjoy rockin' out to some MAIDEN ditties along with a few fantastic surprises!"

The Mountbatten Festival Of Music is a major source of fundraising for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines charities and the Young Lives vs Cancer charity and takes the audience on an exhilarating ride through the world of music, often premiering spectacular new arrangements and compositions, unique to this event. When combined with traditional military marches, music from the big screen, superb solo items, all accompanied by spectacular lighting effects, the Mountbatten Festival Of Music has packed out the Royal Albert Hall annually for over 50 years.

Nicko suffered a ministroke in early 2023 and has been recovering ever since.

When Nicko first went public with his stroke in August, the drummer said in a statement that the episode left him "paralyzed" down one side of his body and "worried" that his career with the band was over.

Four years ago, McBrain was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer and opened up about it in a single interview in 2021 but otherwise kept it mostly under wraps. The musician received his cancer diagnosis after undergoing an endoscopy at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University Of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine. Within a week, McBrain's cancer was surgically removed and he now gets check-ups every few months to make sure the cancer hasn't returned.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie (courtesy of Wilful Publicity)

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