Motorhead Gig Review, London 2010
I went to see Motorhead at Brixton Academy last night, and my ears are still ringing today! Seeing Motorhead is a rite of passage for any rock fan, and with a career spanning more than 30 years, Lemmy is generally considered a statesman of the scene. They have a large back catalogue of easily identifiable material and are known to play louder than anyone else, even to this day.
The show was billed as the “25-Year Reunion Tour,” but Lemmy was the only original member—the classic Motorhead lineup of Lemmy, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Animal” Taylor having long since gone their separate ways. At the age of 64, Lemmy is much older now, but his passion still remains, and his once fearsome attitude has been replaced by a more laid-back and jovial demeanour as he easily shares anecdotes and stage whispers with the audience. One of my favourite moments of the show was when the drummer left the stage to use the loo, leaving the frontman to fill time by engaging in banter with the crowd.
Putting things into perspective, it’s important to remember that although they are not as good as they once were, they are still far better than anyone else, and a Motorhead concert is a very special thing to witness and be part of. As mentioned earlier, every true rock fan should see Motorhead play live. I guarantee you will not be disappointed, and it is definitely an important one for me to tick off my list.
The support act was quite fun too; they had bleached poodle-perm mullets like Def Leppard. Disappointingly, their drummer had both arms, though. They had some great heavy metal lyrics too—at one point, I swear they sang:
If a wolf could talk
It would squark like pork
I’m a 70s man, out for the hunt
My mother like reptiles
My dad was a cunt
I’ll sit you down on my finger, baby
Overall, this was an incredibly satisfying gig and definitely one to cherish. Lemmy once famously said, “If you feel like you’re too old to rock ‘n roll, then you are,” and he proved last night that he’s not passed it just yet.