Maiden outing for lads’ cinema tale of luring rock heroes to city

Schemers recalls real-life story of how three pals set up gig by legendary band in Dundee way back in 1980

Dundee-made film Schemers celebrates the 40th anniversary of an epic Iron Maiden gig organised by three city lads from the council schemes.

Ahead of the film’s UK-wide release today, lead actor Conor Berry has been looking back on the event.

The heavy metal legends Iron Maiden were a band in their infancy when they appeared at Dundee’s Caird Hall in 1980.

The gig came about thanks to three wheeler-dealer working-class lads from the council schemes.

Described as “a madcap caper with something to say”, Schemers tells the true story of how dreamer Davie McLean (played by Edinburgh actor Conor) turns to the world of music promotion to avoid a factory job.

As Davie and his pals Scot and John lurch from one cock-up to the next, they find themselves deep in debt to a violent gangster.

The only way out of their mess involves sweet-talking Iron Maiden into appearing.

The film, said to be a “love letter to Dundee”, is filmed in city locations, including Groucho’s record store, Clarks bar, Beat Generator, Magdalen Green bandstand, the Caird Hall – and along Broughty Ferry’s waterfront and in the schemes of Fintry, Whitfield and Lochee.

Bangkok-based Davie, 65, who is the film’s director and has a house in Broughty Ferry, went on to have a hugely successful career in the music business.

When Iron Maiden’s huge tour bus pulled up outside the Caird Hall on June 12 1980, Davie and his pals were in for a shock.

In their panic to organise the event, they had only sold 200 of 2,000 tickets and Davie had not even read the contract, which was stuffed down the back of his sofa in Whitfield.

“Where’s the crew? the catering?” demanded manager.

Davie had no choice but to get his mum to rustle up vast quantities of food and booze and draft in random drunks from the street to become “crew” members.

He’d also forgotten to put up any promo posters, so it was a frantic rush to sell the remaining tickets.

“I feared the gig would be a total shambles,” Davie told The Courier.

“We’d done absolutely no promotion and I’d only sold 200 tickets in advance. “We were absolutely useless. “The band were up-and-coming – they weren’t as huge as they became

Where’s the tour

– but they weekend.”

Iron Maiden have also reminisced about the Dundee gig in a tweet supporting the UK cinema release of Schemers.

For Conor, whose portrayal of Davie landed him the Best Actor Award at the New York International Winter Film Festival 2020, it has all been a bit of whirlwind.

The 26-year-old auditioned for the role in 2016 after seeing the casting call on Facebook.

“I’ll be honest – I’d Dundee,” he reveals.

“The first time I went there was for the audition, but I’ve been there so many times over the past four years that I’ve fallen in love with the city. It’s become a part of me now.”

While Conor enjoyed “dotting around Dundee”, he became a big fan of the Ferry, hanging out at Davie’s house.

“Often, after filming, or on days off or weekends, I’d go down there and spend time with Davie,” he says.

“It’s so beautiful there, went to number four never been by that to the water. I absolutely love it. I got to know Davie pretty well. During the shoot, he was never intrusive with what I was doing.

He didn’t put any pressure on to tell me what to do, or how to be.

“He was very open to what I was doing and just letting me work, which was the most comforting thing.

“That was my main worry – playing a real guy and his own story.

“I feared it could be a disaster if I didn’t do what he wanted but he was really chilled out about it.”

When Maiden played the Caird Hall in 1980, the band was fronted by singer Paul Di’Anno, before Bruce Dickinson took over and propelled them to stardom.

Di’Anno, who fronted the metal legends on their self-titled debut album and its follow-up Killers, took to the stage to be greeted by a sea of cheering fans clad in denim and black T-shirts.

The band opened with The Ides of March and finished with I’ve Got the Fire.

“Where’s the car? Where’s the catering?’ demanded the tour manager. Davie had no choice but to get his mum to rustle up vast quantities of food and booze

Three amigos . . . Conor Berry as Davie and Grant Robert Keelan as John gets organising in red phone box; Conor as Davie in a poolroom still from the film; and the three lads dreaming big on Broughty Ferry waterfront.