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MOTORHEAD Brighton Centre
28 November 2010

Just 24 hours earlier Motorhead had almost razed the Brixton Academy to the ground by shattering it's foundations playing at an ear splitting volume.

Tonight Lemmy and the gang turned it down to 10 at the end of a fifteen date UK tour - ending on the south coast. After paying some family members a visit for a Sunday roast, who lived nearby, I thought I'd come along to Brighton for my second dose of Motorhead for the weekend and sink my teeth into a stick of rock.

I've never taken any notice of German rockers Skew Siskin before and wished I had on this evidence. Fronted by the female husky tones of Nina C. Alice the band rocked through an uplifting set of classic Krokus-induced tunes spiked with the energy of punk.  Raucous stuff.

What got me through the door at an early time was to see former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe. Since the disbandment of the Rocks, Monroe has wasted little time in surrounding himself with what many believe to be even a hotter band.  Former Hanoi Rocks bassist Sam Yaffa is still loyally with his old frontman but the inclusion of New York Doll Steve Conte and Wildheart Ginger gives this special band a real gang mentallity.

Rocking through a set that consisted of Monroe's entire career that only included a couple of Hanoi Rocks numbers but also material from his solo albums and the often forgotten tracks from his Jerusalem Slim and Demolition 23 projects with 'Hammersmith Palais' being a belter of a song.

Monroe was being every inch the rock star holding his mic-stand way high above his head and throwing his mic-leads around his neck and when not playing the saxophone was busy high kicking.

Things could of turned a little nasty.  Ginger already with his left leg in plaster was ready to break a few more bones when somebody from the crowd decided to throw a pint of beer in his direction covering his guitar in sticky liquid.

Ginger not only raised the middle digit but continued to give the daggers to the culprit and offer him outside, ''When you've got hair on yer bollocks, come up and see me'', it could've turned into a Brighton beach nightmare, but Monroe calmed the Ginger one down and saved the day with the sunshine of the Malibu variety instead. Dead, jail or rock 'n roll is the only way for these boys.

''We are Motorhead, and we play rock 'n roll'' informs Lemmy as the band launch into a set that is very similar to the same set that they've been playing for so many  years now. Now don't get me wrong.  I never tire of watching a Motorhead show, it is one of Britian's greatest rock institutions with Lemmy being one of the most iconic front men ever.

However with so many great songs in their roster, past and present, do we really need to hear 'Stay Clean' and 'Metropolis' yet again when they could play something from the golden years like 'Dead Man Tells No Tales' or the excellent bass driven 'Stone Dead Forever', or even the signature tune 'Motorhead', a top ten hit in the UK?

Do we really have to keep hearing latter day songs like 'Going To Brazil' or 'In The Name Of Tragedy' when we could have 'Deaf Forever' or 'Orgasmatron', please Mr.Kilmister can you vary the great choices of songs you have from a 35 year career?

My only rant about Motorhead out of the way, this was once again spill your beer down your trousers time and to let your ears bleed.

Someone in the audience goaded Lemmy to hurry up 'C'mon! What d'ya mean c'mon?'' growled back Lemmy, ''We've come 6,000 miles to be here' before being corrected by Phil Campbell that they've only travelled from Brixton the night before, Lemmy was speechless and puzzled, priceless stuff that had me roaring with laughter into my beer.

Al Pacino had the words 'The World Is Yours' emblazoned across a globe in his mansion in the film 'Scarface' and old wartface has used those words for the title of the new album by Motorhead.

Two songs from that forthcoming album were played 'Get Back In Line' and the harder driven edge of 'I Know How To Die' showing that Motorhead have lost none of their snarly bite.

'Killed By Death' sees some flame throwing antics from some scantilly clad ladies but it's the apocalyptic ending of 'Overkill' that makes you realise that Lemmy would walk through the fire and rise from the ashes of Armageddon and be the leader of a new world order.

Set list: We Are Motorhead / Stay Clean / Get Back In Line / Metropolis / Rock Out / Over The Top / One Night Stand / The Thousand Names Of God / I Got Mine / I Know How To Die / The Chase Is Better Than The Catch / In The Name Of Tradegy / Just 'Cos You've Got The Power / Going To Brazil / Killed By Death / Ace Of Spades.....encores ...Born To Raise Hell / Overkill

Review by Mark Taylor