Nicko McBrain: From Iron Maiden’s Drum Stool to Malta Metal Weekend
For more than four decades, Nicko McBrain was the man behind the drums of Iron Maiden. Now, with his first autobiography and a new spoken-word tour, the legendary drummer is bringing the stories of his remarkable career to Malta.
The second edition of Malta Metal Weekend, taking place from 13 to 15 November 2026, will feature three days of heavy metal, but the festival will also offer something considerably different from the usual concert experience.
On Sunday, 15 November, legendary Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain will appear at the CDC Hall, InterContinental Malta in St Julian's, for An Afternoon with Nicko McBrain.
The special event forms part of McBrain's 2026 spoken-word tour, launched to coincide with the publication of his first autobiography, Hello Boys and Girls!. For fans of Iron Maiden and heavy metal history, it offers an opportunity to hear one of the genre's most recognisable musicians tell his own story.
From Hackney to the world's biggest stages
Born Michael Henry “Nicko” McBrain in Hackney, East London, in 1952, McBrain developed his passion for drums at an early age. His first percussion experiments famously involved his mother's pots and pans, before his father bought him his first drum kit when he was 11.
His early musical influences extended well beyond heavy metal. He played in school and wedding bands and developed a strong interest in jazz alongside rock and roll. Before joining Iron Maiden, he worked with acts including Streetwalkers, Pat Travers and Trust, as well as undertaking session work in London's Soho.
In 1982, his career changed dramatically when he joined Iron Maiden, replacing drummer Clive Burr.
His recording debut with the band came on 1983's Piece of Mind, beginning a relationship that would last more than four decades.
McBrain would go on to record 14 Iron Maiden studio albums and numerous live releases, while performing to audiences around the world. During his time with the band, Iron Maiden developed from one of Britain's leading heavy-metal groups into one of the biggest and most enduring bands in the genre.
But Nicko was never simply the drummer sitting behind the rest of the band.
The man behind the kit
McBrain's distinctive drumming became an important part of Iron Maiden's sound, combining power and precision with influences from jazz and earlier generations of rock drummers.
Yet it was his personality that made him particularly popular with fans.
His unmistakable laugh, huge grin, humour and ability to tell a story turned him into one of Iron Maiden's most recognisable characters. He could entertain an audience without ever touching his drum kit.
That talent for storytelling is now becoming the centrepiece of the next chapter of his career.
Hello Boys and Girls!
Scheduled for publication on 22 October 2026, Hello Boys and Girls! is McBrain's first autobiography and will be published by HarperNonFiction in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats.
The book looks beyond the familiar Iron Maiden story.
McBrain takes readers back to his childhood and early career, his years as a working musician before Maiden and the many musicians he encountered before eventually joining the band.
Naturally, his 42 years with Iron Maiden form a major part of the story, with the book promising memories of recording, touring and the backstage world surrounding one of heavy metal's most successful bands.
There is also a more personal side. The autobiography covers the highs and lows of McBrain's life, including his health problems, recovery, faith, classic cars and his life away from Iron Maiden.
The timing makes the book particularly significant. McBrain announced his retirement from touring with Iron Maiden in December 2024, bringing an end to an extraordinary period that had begun when he joined the band in 1982.
Hello Boys and Girls! therefore provides McBrain with the opportunity to look back on that journey in his own words.
It should be noted that the book has not yet been released, so genuine independent reviews of the finished autobiography are not available yet. Current descriptions and coverage are based primarily on advance information from McBrain, Iron Maiden and the publisher.
From autobiography to spoken-word show
McBrain isn't simply releasing the book and leaving the stories on the printed page.
His An Evening with Nicko McBrain tour begins in Frankfurt on 26 October, only days after the book's publication, before travelling through Europe and the United Kingdom.
The format is neither a conventional concert nor simply a book-signing session. Instead, it combines storytelling, conversation, humour and audience interaction, with McBrain discussing his childhood, career, Iron Maiden experiences, life on the road and some of the more personal chapters of his life. Some venues have also indicated that the evening will include audience Q&A and material relating to his drumming.
For a musician who has spent 42 years communicating with audiences from behind a drum kit, it is an interesting new way of performing.
This time, the stories take centre stage.
An Afternoon with Nicko McBrain in Malta
Maltese fans will have their opportunity on 15 November, when McBrain arrives at Malta Metal Weekend for An Afternoon with Nicko McBrain.
The event starts at 15:00 at CDC Hall, InterContinental Malta, St Julian's. Unlike the festival's concerts, this is a separately ticketed, seated event centred on conversation and storytelling.
The timing is particularly appropriate. By the time McBrain reaches Malta, Hello Boys and Girls! will have been available for several weeks, allowing fans to come to the event already familiar with his story — while giving them the chance to hear him expand on it personally.
For longtime Iron Maiden followers, this is a chance to hear first-hand memories from a musician who was present for some of the most important chapters in the band's history.
For younger metal fans, it is an opportunity to hear directly from someone who spent more than 40 years at the heart of one of heavy metal's defining bands.
And for everyone else, there is the simple attraction of spending an afternoon with one of rock's great characters.
A different side of Malta Metal Weekend
The inclusion of Nicko McBrain gives the 2026 Malta Metal Weekend an additional dimension.
The festival will naturally be about live heavy metal, but An Afternoon with Nicko McBrain offers something that a concert cannot: the chance to hear the stories behind the music directly from the musician who lived them.
From a young drummer in East London, through the clubs and studios of London's music scene, to the world's biggest stages with Iron Maiden, McBrain has lived a remarkable musical life.
Now, with Hello Boys and Girls!, he is putting that life on paper — and with his spoken-word tour, he is taking those stories back to audiences.
On 15 November, Malta gets to hear them first-hand.
TICKETS & EVENT INFORMATION
An Afternoon with Nicko McBrain
Date: Sunday, 15 November 2026
Time: 15:00
Venue: CDC Hall, InterContinental Malta, St Julian's
Official event information: Malta Metal Weekend — An Afternoon with Nicko McBrain
Malta Metal Weekend 2026
13–15 November 2026Eden Arena, Malta
The festival offers individual day tickets as well as a three-day ticket covering the entire festival.
Festival tickets: Malta Metal Weekend 2026 — Tickets
Festival website: Malta Metal Weekend official website
Important: The Nicko McBrain event is separately ticketed from the main Malta Metal Weekend concerts. Fans wishing to attend both should purchase tickets for the festival and the Nicko McBrain event separately.
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