Iron Maiden fans, get those battle jackets ready and clear some space on the bookshelf because the mighty Nicko McBrain is heading out to meet the Maiden faithful! 📚🔥
The legendary Iron Maiden drummer has announced a special UK book signing tour for October 2026, giving fans at five locations across the country the opportunity to meet one of heavy metal’s most recognisable and downright lovable characters.
And yes… we’re expecting queues containing enough Maiden shirts to make the merch stand at Donington look underdressed. 😂🤘
The appearances celebrate the arrival of Nicko’s eagerly awaited autobiography, Hello Boys and Girls!, which is officially released on 22 October 2026.
📚 HELLO BOYS AND GIRLS!
After more than four decades behind one of the most famous drum kits in heavy metal history, Nicko has finally put his extraordinary story down on paper.
Published by HarperNonFiction, Hello Boys and Girls! promises to take fans behind the curtain of Nicko’s remarkable life and career — from his early days growing up in London and working his way through the music scene to becoming the drummer in one of the biggest metal bands the planet has ever produced.
We’re talking Maiden.
We’re talking touring madness.
We’re talking studios, stadiums, friendships, setbacks, ridiculous stories and enough heavy metal history to fill Eddie’s passport several times over.
And knowing Nicko, we’re fairly certain there’ll be plenty of laughs along the way too.
The autobiography will be released in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats on 22 October. 🤘📖
🥁 FROM POTS AND PANS TO IRON MAIDEN
Nicko’s story is properly rock ‘n’ roll.
Born Michael Henry McBrain in Hackney, East London, in 1952, the future Maiden sticksman started out hammering away on his mum’s pots and pans before eventually getting his first proper drum kit.
After working his way through London’s music scene and playing with acts including Streetwalkers, the Pat Travers Band and Trust, everything changed in 1982.
Nicko joined Iron Maiden.
One year later came his recording debut with the band on 1983’s monumental Piece of Mind.
And what an introduction.
From “Where Eagles Dare” onwards, that unmistakable McBrain drumming became part of the Maiden machine.
Over the following decades, Nicko became far more than simply the bloke sitting behind the kit.
He became one of the band’s great personalities — a huge character loved by generations of Maiden fans around the world.
❤️ A NEW CHAPTER FOR NICKO
Nicko announced in December 2024 that he was stepping away from touring with Iron Maiden following the conclusion of The Future Past World Tour, having previously suffered a stroke in 2023.
He remains part of the wider Maiden family while Simon Dawson has taken over touring drum duties.
But retirement from the road certainly hasn’t meant disappearing quietly into the background.
Far from it.
Nicko’s autobiography is arriving alongside a major run of spoken-word shows across Europe, Ireland and the UK, where he’ll be sharing stories from his incredible career directly with audiences.
Several of those UK shows have already sold out.
Basically, people still absolutely bloody love Nicko McBrain.
As they should. ❤️🥁
🎤 AN EVENING WITH NICKO MCBRAIN
Following the book’s release, Nicko will head across Europe before bringing his spoken-word show to Britain.
The UK and Ireland dates include:
🇮🇪 18 November – Ambassador Theatre, Dublin
🇬🇧 23 November – Glee Club, Birmingham
🇬🇧 26 November – Bush Hall, London
🏴 28 November – The Gate, Cardiff
🇬🇧 30 November – Komedia, Bath
🇬🇧 1 December – Academy 2, Manchester
🏴 3 December – Òran Mór, Glasgow
And yes…
CARDIFF! 🐉🤘
Lovely stuff.
A Welsh date always gets an extra thumbs-up from Riff Report HQ.
The evening shows promise stories from behind the Maiden drum kit alongside memories from Nicko’s childhood, early musical career and the extraordinary highs and lows of life inside one of Britain’s greatest musical exports.
🤘 MORE THAN JUST A BOOK SIGNING
That’s what makes these October appearances particularly special.
You’re not simply getting the opportunity to pick up another rock autobiography.
You’re potentially standing face-to-face with a bloke who helped soundtrack more than 40 years of heavy metal history.
Think about the albums.
Piece of Mind.
Powerslave.
Somewhere in Time.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
Brave New World.
Senjutsu.
Think about the tours.
The stadiums.
The festivals.
The giant Eddies.
The planes.
The pyro.
The thousands upon thousands of fans screaming along to “Fear of the Dark”.
Nicko was sitting behind the kit through an enormous chunk of it.
That’s some serious metal history right there, mun. 🤘🔥
📖 ONE FOR THE MAIDEN COLLECTION
For Maiden collectors, Hello Boys and Girls! already looks destined to become one of the essential books connected to the band’s history.
But having the opportunity to get a copy signed by Nicko himself?
Now we’re talking.
Expect these signing appearances to attract plenty of attention, particularly with only five UK locations announced.
If you’re planning on attending one, we’d strongly recommend checking the individual signing arrangements beforehand, including whether copies need to be purchased from the participating retailer and whether tickets or wristbands are required.
Because turning up after travelling halfway across Britain only to discover you’ve missed the queue would be about as enjoyable as standing behind a seven-foot bloke at a Maiden gig.
We’ve all been there. 😂
🥁 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
Nicko McBrain remains one of the great characters of British heavy metal.
Brilliant drummer.
Fantastic storyteller.
Absolute Maiden legend.
And now fans are getting another opportunity to celebrate his extraordinary career — first through Hello Boys and Girls!, then through the October signing appearances and his upcoming spoken-word tour.
From hammering his mum’s kitchenware as a kid to sitting behind the kit for one of the biggest heavy metal bands in history…
That’s one hell of a story.
And now Nicko gets to tell it himself.
Hello boys and girls indeed! 🤘🥁📚
Up the Irons! ⚒️🔥
The Riff Report Blog
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies. 🐉🤘
