Motörhead – Hammersmith Apollo 22/11/2008

No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith!

With Danko Jones/Saxon supporting
(Apologies for the quality of the photos)

Motörhead have to be one of the most powerful veteran bands still performing live. Still going strong at 62, it is remarkable how founding member Lemmy (vocals, bass) hasn’t lost any of the energy he possessed live since the band’s glory days in the early 80’s.

As one of the forerunners of thrash, and pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Motörhead have had a long established career, having produced 20 studio albums since forming in 1975. Although the line-up has changed countless times since then, with Lemmy being the sole original member, the rest of the current line-up of Phil Campbell (guitar) and Mikkey Dee (drums) have been the longest serving band members (excluding Lemmy of course), and while long-time fans might consider Lemmy, "Fast" Eddie Clarke and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor to be the classic line-up, the current band gel as well as ever before, and continue to carry on the Motörhead sound.

The Hammersmith Apollo is a very special venue to the band, as one of their most classic albums: No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith was recorded there live back in 1981 – a record that has been hailed by critics as one of the greatest live albums of all time, so it was quite exciting to be there to watch them hopefully play at that quality again!

Arriving at the Apollo dead on 7pm, when the doors opened, I was initially a bit confused, as the venue’s staff told me they weren’t accepting members of the guestlist in until 7:30, meaning by the time I arrived back, I needed to stand in line with ticket holders. By the time I got in, it was 8pm and I’d missed Danko Jones, the first opener, so unfortunately there’s not much I can say about them!

As I entered the stalls, making my way to the front of the stage through a mass of rockers of all different ages, I was just in time for the second band to hit the stage – Saxon - another of the bands arising from the new wave of British heavy metal, and actually a band that had toured with Motörhead before, back in the 80s.

Although I am not too familiar with Saxon’s work, I had heard that the band had inspired many of the situations and rock band traits in the 1984 rock mockumentary This Is Spýn̈al Tap with the actors/writers involved in the film actually having travelled with them on tour to research for the movie. I can certainly see why, as the band’s antics on stage incorporated so many of the heavy metal clichés that Spýn̈al Tap mimicked to a tee. Having said that, the crowd seemed to love them, and despite the somewhat cheesy nature of their performance, Biff Byford’s screeching rock vocals (though rather bombastic and over-the-top) were as strong as ever.

Finally – the big guns! Motörhead rocked on stage and promptly started playing a batch of songs from their impressive (however daftly titled) new album Motörizer, without lacking any of the drive and power they possessed thirty odd years ago. Lemmy, as always was stood in his trademark position with his head held up high to reach the microphone, wearing his amazing hat that only Lemmy can pull off!

Throughout the performance, it was hard to believe that Lemmy is 62. His growling vocals have not diminished at all, and his unique bass style was on equally top form the entire evening.

It was quite a surprise towards the end of the gig, when four rather attractive ladies appeared on stage with the band, dancing and blowing fire through their mouths in somewhat revealing outfits. As the song progressed, the girls would go on to reveal more and more, including booby tassels! It was a laugh as the song came to an end they approached Lemmy and started kissing him – the dirty old bastard!

Mikkey Dee was terrific all night, and with the distraction of the speedy guitar and bass, the quality of the drums can sometimes be overlooked, which is why his drum solo was particularly impressive, lasting at least 5 minutes (there’s some on YouTube – check it out!) Severely beating his huge kit at an insane speed with his lengthy grey hair flying everywhere, it’s amazing the ex King Diamond drummer was still able to keep going consistently for about another half hour after!

Motörhead’s interpretation of the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen was one of the highlights of the night, with Lemmy’s voice being well suited to one of punk music’s most infamous songs. Obviously, Ace of Spades the band’s biggest hit, was played on the encore, and the crowd went crazy – as always, it was a brilliant performance and after so many years of performing, you could tell the band still love playing it.

Although initially a bit disappointed that I missed the opening band, and not so impressed by Saxon, Motörhead’s performance more than made up for it and I was left wanting more. It must have been the loudest gig I’ve ever been to as well – I wouldn’t be surprised if the band have had some loss of hearing over the years if they always play at that volume! Although, I was right up at the front near the speakers.

It seems like Motörhead are going to go on forever, so if you get the chance, I recommend seeing them because they’re as strong on stage as ever before. It was a brilliant night!