THE bassist for one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time is making a special appearance on the Isle of Wight next year.

Steve Harris, best known as the bassist and a founding member of Iron Maiden, is heading to Strings Bar and Venue on January 20.

He is bringing his hard rock and heavy metal band, British Lion, to the Newport venue.

“Steve formed the band to play in small venues, as opposed to the large arenas typically played by Iron Maiden,” said a spokesperson for Strings.

“Also, as an outlet for shorter hard rock-oriented songs in which he can experiment with different bass guitar styles.

“The band also includes singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, and drummer Simon Dawson.

“This is awesome, and we can’t wait!

“Tickets are on sale now, grab yours whilst you can.”