Nicko McBrain was Iron Maiden's drummer from 1982 to 2024 — four decades behind the most recognisable kit in heavy metal. Born Michael Henry McBrain in Hackney, east London, he arrived already seasoned: he had passed through Streetwalkers, the Pat Travers Band and the French group Trust, and made his debut on Piece of Mind (1983). His signature is a technical anomaly: McBrain does not use a double pedal. Everything that sounds like double bass in Maiden comes from a single foot, which imposes a different phrasing — more breathing room, swing rather than machine-gun bursts. That comes from jazz, which is what he listened to before metal, and it explains why his fills sound conversational where most drummers in the genre sound metric. The kit, set at unusual angles and almost wrapped around him, completes the picture. In December 2023 he suffered a stroke that paralysed his right side. He recovered enough to play again, but ended his touring activity at the show of 7 December 2024 in São Paulo — a symbolic close in one of the countries where the band has its largest following. He remained a member of Iron Maiden. Away from music he has run a ribs restaurant in Florida for years, and has been a practising Christian since 1999.
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