Airforce - The Carlisle, Hastings - Thursday 7th November 2024

Airforce, a Traditional Metal band, was formed in the North East of London in 1986, when Steve Harris from Iron Maiden introduced his former drummer Doug Sampson to guitarist Chop Pitman. Tony Hatton, an ex-bandmate of Chop, joined forces on bass soon after. Airforce gigged together for over 10 years with various vocalists, including Sam Sampson and Rolf Prommel.
After disbanding in 1997, Airforce took to the stage once again in 2008 with Chop Pitman being the only original member involved. The band underwent a number of line-up changes over the next 8 years until 2016, when the retro-spective album "Judgement Day" was released. This album marked the return of the original Airforce line-up of Chop Pitman, Doug Sampson and Tony Hatton, with new recruit Dilian Arnaudov on vocals. 
With line-up complete, Airforce released several EPs, including songs with guest appearances from former Iron Maiden vocalists Paul Di’Anno and Paul Mario Day. Their most memorable live performances include North American tours which won loyalty of new fans, as well as the appearance on Hills of Rock festival in Bulgaria, where they played on the same bill as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. 
In March 2019 the band’s show in Poland was broadcast live on the internet and later released as the live album. This show marked the debut of Portuguese singer Flavio Lino, who joined Airforce later that year as the permanent vocalist. The new album Strike Hard with Lino on vocals was recorded and released in
2020. 
The band continued to tour the UK as well as taking their show to other countries, both in Europe and across the Atlantic, including some festival appearances and three successful tours supporting Steve Harris’ British Lion in 2021, 2022 and 2023. 
When you hear the air-raid siren, you'll know the hour of Airforce has arrived.