Drama club joins in knitted postbox topper craze with VE Day theme ahead of latest show
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Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Former Iron Maiden lead singer Paul Mario Day dies aged 69
Steve Charnock Published July 31, 2025 9:42am Updated July 31, 2025 9:42am Link is copied Comments Paul Mario Day, the original lead singer of the hugely adored heavy metal band Iron Maiden - and a key early stalwart in 70s and 80s UK rock music - has sadly died at the age of 69, following a battle with cancer. News of his death was confirmed by former bandmates in More, the group he founded after Maiden. They called him 'a huge part of the new wave of British heavy metal' and 'a well-loved figure in British rock music' (Picture:/Hulton Archive) Day was recruited by Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris in late 1975, becoming the band's very first frontman. He sang at their debut gig in Poplar, East London on 1 May, 1976, and performed regularly at a local pub in Stratford as the band built their early reputation. Despite being part of the band's formative period, Day's tenure was pretty short. He left Iron Maiden after just ten months, with the band claiming that he lacked the kind of showy stage presence they felt they required in order to push on as a group. His successor Dennis Wilcock also lasted less than two years for similar reasons. The band's fortunes changed with Paul Di'Anno and later Bruce Dickinson, who would become the group's defining voice (Picture: YouTube/Metal Talk) In a 2019 interview, Day reflected on his departure from the band: 'Steve was saying, 'You've got to get better. You've got to be more in the audience's face. You've got to be commanding. You've got to be a hero.' And I agreed with him, but I didn't actually know how to make that happen!' (Picture: Jo Hale/Redferns) 'I got a warning for maybe three months: 'Get it together. Get it together.' And I wanted to, I just didn't know how to do it. So the funny thing is, the worst experience was the best lesson because when I got that notice and I felt so gutted, it changed me. Iron Maiden at that time were nothing, honestly … What Steve was doing was trying to make the band big. He knew what he wanted. What he wanted is what he got. He got one of the biggest bands on the planet. As much as it hurt, as much as it upset me, I learnt a big lesson that day. I really did. I used that emotion, I guess, in my singing…' (Picture:/Hulton Archive) After Maiden, Day went on to form More in 1980. The band played the Donington Monsters of Rock festival the following year and opened for Iron Maiden on their Killers tour. He later fronted Wildfire and joined a reformed version of glam rock group Sweet. 'We needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition we looked no further,' said Sweet guitarist Andy Scott (Picture: ROMEO BOETZLE/AFP via Getty Images) Day eventually relocated to Australia, where he continued to perform and record music. In his later years, he was cared for in a hospice. He is survived by his wife Cecily (Picture:/Hulton Archive) Next Gallery
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
Scots grafitti artist brings walking route to life with new Pictish warrior mural
A mural created by artist Andy SGM of a Pictish warrior and his trusty dog has appeared on an underpass. Walkers between Tullibody and Menstrie have been flocking to see the village's latest art installation – a graffiti mural of a Pictish warrior and his trusty dog. The vibrant piece appeared on an underpass along the Tullibody- Menstrie pedestrian and cycle path following a week of work to create it. He created the piece on an area which had already been covered with grafitti. It was created by Scottish Graffiti Murals, run by street artist Andy SGM. Andy says he has been blown away by the reaction to the mural and he explained to the Stirling Observer how he created the piece. He said: 'It's a plan I have been mulling over in my head since around April last year. I had been making regular trips to the lochs and forests of the central belt and the west coast to serve as a bit of natural healing, as I was going through a bit of a rough patch – and I ended up doing these day trips where I would just sit beside lochs and in forests and get some down time to sort myself out. 'In the lead up to April last year, my mural business was on its knees and I was faced with a choice of continuing to just paint everything and anything for anybody, not be fulfilled artistically, be up against strong competition, quite possibly fail and have to give up – or actually starting to be a real artist and start painting what I want and make a real go of it. 'I chose the latter and chose to fight and try and carve my own path out. Sitting in the woods one day I asked myself 'what will I paint? what will I do?' and suddenly the answer was all around me. Nature, wildlife, the forest. 'I began to think of the animals we have here, then I thought of the animals we used to have – wolves, bears, lynx – and I thought these would be great to paint and also it kept it in this area of the world.' Andy then turned his attentions to people and Scotland's ancient ancestors, including the Picts, Gaels and Vikings. 'They all shared so much. I thought about their connection to the land, their connection to the wild animals, the myths they had, their religions, their style of carvings – and that coupled with the forest wildlife seemed like such a unique and interesting subject matter to paint murals of', Andy added. 'There was so much material there with depicting portraits of them, the mythology and lore they had and it all connecting back to nature. 'I began only uploading videos of the forest, and work that was nature based to my social media to start paving the way – with the thought of doing a huge tribute to an ancient Pict once I was ready to start painting these portraits. So that mural in Menstrie really is a benchmark for me to symbolise the start of something new. 'It also ties in with the history of the area, as it's a tribute to all of the ancient ancestors who lived across Scotland, Pictish, Viking, The Caledonian tribes." Andy, originally from the Stirling area, moved to Glasgow before living abroad. He then returned back to Glasgow before more recently settling back in Stirling 'for the foreseeable future'. He added: 'I started off with and continued to do calligraphic graffiti pieces up until about 2022, painting under the name 'As One' for years – but now I'm pushing myself in a new direction, simply using my name Andy – and SGM – so Andy SGM.
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
'Well-beloved' original Iron Maiden singer dies aged 69
Day was only a member of Iron Maiden for a short time between 1975 and 1976, before being replaced by Dennis Wilcock, whose stint was also brief. Paul Di'Anno, who died last year, was later anointed as their frontman, performing on their first two records before Bruce Dickinson joined the fray. His former band, More, announced his death in a social media message published on July 29th. Paul Mario Day, the original singer of Iron Maiden, has passed away at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer. The British-born vocalist also fronted bands like More, Wildfire and Sweet, leaving a strong mark on the NWOBHM scene. His passing was confirmed by Sweet guitarist… They shared: 'We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great MORE vocalist Paul Mario Day. "Paul was a huge part of the (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) from his time in an early version of Iron Maiden and of course his fantastic performance on the Warhead album.' More said of Day's legacy: 'He was a well loved figure in British rock music and played many memorable shows not least the legendary 1981 Monsters of Rock show at Castle Donington with AC/DC, Whitesnake /David Coverdale as well as tours with Iron Maiden Def Leppard and many other legendary artists.' Recommended reading: The group then vowed to honour him at future shows, adding, 'It's an honour for us to continue to play his music and we will always think of him every time we hit the opening notes to 'Warhead'. "We send our deepest condolences to Paul's family and friends and also the many fans around the world who love his music.' No cause of death has been revealed.
