Adrian Smith on Iron Maiden: 'It was good, honest, hard work'
As a documentary arrives covering half a century of Iron Maiden, the band’s mild-mannered axe-wielder Adrian Smith tells James Mottram that the buzz of performing is still strong after all these years
In case you hadn’t noticed, Iron Maiden are having a moment. In its final season, Stranger Things featured ‘The Trooper’, the British heavy metal band’s 1983 song. Even better, a semi-naked, red-hued Ralph Fiennes cavorted around to ‘The Number Of The Beast’ in zombie drama 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. All of which is good for the Iron Maiden members who celebrated 50 years together in 2025, and this summer embark on their biggest ever world tour including a headline slot at Knebworth.
Ahead of that comes Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, a documentary charting the band’s evolution since forming in 1975. ‘It’s a great document for us to have of a very important part of our lives,’ reflects Adrian Smith, with typical reserve. The guitarist may be a tornado on stage, but in person he’s low-key. ‘Watching the film was emotional. I think it would be for all of us. It’s like a document of 50 years of your life.’
In the film, Smith is joined by his bandmates (bassist and founding member Steve Harris, singer Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain and fellow guitarists Dave Murray and Janick Gers) as they recall their life and times. Celebrity contributions include Kiss singer Gene Simmons, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and, believe it or not, Spanish actor Javier Bardem, a hardcore fan who even recites the lyrics of ‘Run To The Hills’ (‘all sorts of people like the music,’ Smith grins).
Certainly, the doc makes the case for Iron Maiden’s enduring legacy, with new generations discovering their work (to date: 17 studio albums, 13 live albums, plus assorted EPs, with the most recent LP being 2021’s critically acclaimed Senjutsu). ‘We’re getting new fans all the time,’ Smith says. ‘We have a lot of young fans as well as people our age. It’s great to have that new blood, a new energy. It’s inspiring.’
While the Malcolm Venville-directed film does a fair job of charting the ins and outs (even Smith left for nine years before returning in 1999), it also pays heed to how Iron Maiden built its unique identity. ‘It was never a question of getting mass exposure in the media or having a couple of hit records,’ says Smith. Rather, it was relentless touring. ‘We’ve always taken our music to the people. It was good, honest, hard work, and we built up the following like that. I think that’s always been a mainstay of the way that we do things.’
One thing is clear: the band has remained as tight knit as a family. In December 2024, McBrain (who suffered a stroke a year earlier) played his last live gig with the group. Smith calls learning of his bandmate’s illness ‘one of the low points of my career’. With that global tour on the horizon, Smith clearly has no wish to hang up his axe. ‘Walking out with Maiden, doing stadiums, is an unbelievable feeling.’
Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition is in cinemas from Thursday 7 May.