Born to Lose, Live to Win and then some!
So here we are, 30 years on and Motorhead are still going and still putting their contemporaries to shame! There's not much that hasn't already been said about Motorhead but 18 years on from my first Motorhead gig it's joyous to see that they can still virtually sell out a venue as big as the Apollo.
It really is a sight to behold when the band hit the stage and a thousand plus arms are raised in honour accompanied by a deafening cheer. These guys are the true embodiment of rock and roll, metal, call it what you will! Nobody does it better, louder or harder than Motorhead and tonight they truly lay down the gauntlet to all those that have followed in their wake.
If there's criticism to be had it's that the set list differs little from their Download set or the Stage Fright DVD apart from the welcome addition of 'Fast and Loose' from the 'Ace of Spades' album. From the opening bars of 'Doctor Rock' Motorhead put on a stunning display that shows they have lost none of their enthusiasm or their talent for writing in your face out and out punk/metal anthems. The newer songs such as 'Killers' and 'In the Name of Tragedy' sit perfectly alongside the older classics and you'd be hard pushed to find as talented musicians amongst any of the new pretenders to the metal throne.
Sure it's familiar fayre but it's done with such gusto and energy that you can't help but get carried along with them time after time. Credit to the crowd when Phil Campbell tells them they're looking for the loudest crowd in the world and initiates a mass audience roar, it's deafening and Lemmy duly surmises that they're probably up their in the number two slot. There are humourous moments too, not least when the lights go out mid song or when Lemmy dedicates 'RAMONES' to the sorely missed band exclaiming that it's not his fault they all went and died!
It's also no secret that Lemmy rates drummer Mikkey Dee as the best drummer in the world and when he plays a lengthy drum solo in the middle of 'Sacrifice' there's no case to argue, a truly awesome display that is greeted with an ecstatic crowd reaction and rightly so. Other highlights of the main set include 'Going to Brazil', 'Killed By Death' and it's great to hear 'Iron Fist' included as it was missed from the Download set due to time constraints no doubt.
The encore is a little special as Mikkey and Phil don acoustic guitars, whilst Lemmy switches to vocals alone for a rapturously received version of 'Whorehouse Blues'. All too soon we're down to the last two songs and what Motorhead show would be complete without 'Ace of Spades'? The crowd go nuts and nobody here tonight will surely ever get tired of watching the band tear through their signature tune? As ever the finale is the once again brutal powerhouse that is 'Overkill', this song has more than stood the test of time as the benchmark for all that was to follow, in a word, intense! Motorhead take it to the limit every single time without fail, an outstanding performance in front of an adoring crowd, quite simply Motorhead fucking rock! End of.