Harris will take British Lion on the road for a full UK tour this summer with dates starting July 29 in Harlow. "As Maiden fans know," says Harris, "the band is unable to tour this year so I thought I'd do some British Lion live dates and make it a full UK tour this time round so we could get to places we didn't get a chance to play during the previous tours.

"We have a lot of fun doing the British Lion shows and we're playing clubs again, to keep that same vibe and intimacy which the fans seem to love as much as we do. We have some new songs in the set-list, so are really looking forward to getting out there and seeing everyone!"

Iron Maiden's plans have been on hold for several months following word that singer Bruce Dickinson was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue that needed to be removed. Dickinson underwent surgery and chemotherapy this spring and was given the all-clear last month that the cancer had been successfully addressed.

On July 3, Iron Maiden will be presented with the 2015 O2 Silver Clef Award by UK charity Nordoff Robbins at their 40th anniversary gala, in recognition of the band's "outstanding contribution to UK music."