HEAVY metal stalwarts Iron Maiden bring The Book Of Souls World Tour to Leeds First Direct Arena tonight as one of 11 British dates in May.

Founder member and bass player Steve Harris says: "As it’s been so long since our last full UK arena tour...we’re really looking forward to it, especially visiting places we haven’t been to for a very long time like Leeds, where we haven’t played since 2005.

"The whole band is really enjoying this tour and although we love playing festivals and stadiums, it's terrific to return to the intimacy and atmosphere of arenas. The songs from The Book Of Souls album and the new Maya-themed Eddies and stage sets have gone down really well and fan reaction has been amazing. And of course we know our fans appreciate us playing a lot of the older songs too, which we'll continue to do."

The Book Of Souls World Tour opened in Florida in February 2016 and has since visited 36 countries using the band's new 747 jumbo jet Ed Force One, piloted by singer Bruce Dickinson. He flew the band, crew and 22 tons of equipment over 61,500 miles across six continents during the 72-date first leg of the tour, playing to around 1.5 million fans.

The Book Of Souls is Iron Maiden’s first double studio album and entered the charts in the number one spot in more than 40 countries. Check ticket availability for tonight at ticketmaster.co.uk or ironmaiden.com/tours