Get Ready to ROCK! Review of gig featuring rock band Motorhead,Newcastle City Hall,3 November 2011

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MOTORHEAD
Newcastle City Hall, 3 November 2011

Diary - Sat 5th Nov, Motorhead at the Glasgow Academy, Family wedding in Malton, Yorks - nooooo !

Due to a clash of dates my wife Cat and I decided that we could have our cake and eat it by planning a night out in Newcastle on the way down to the wedding in order to catch the one and only Motorhead.

The gig was in Newcastle City Hall which is a proper old school concert venue, seated but with sparse stewarding hence the crowd 4 deep down the front. Took me back to my early gig going days at the Glasgow Apollo (insert your own venue and misty eyed memories here… ).

On entering the hall we were greeted with the loud, punk rock sound of UK Subs in full flight. The band may look like the queue at a prostrate clinic, but they still play with the same passion and drive as they had in their heyday.

A good number at the front of the stage were word perfect and sang along with every line whilst pogo-ing for all they were worth. The half hour set was proof that old punks don't die, they just get a bit older but no less entertaining.

Following UK Subs success we had another leading light of the punk era in the shape of Anti Nowhere League. Looking like they have aged a bit better than UK Subs, the Anti Nowhere League put on a top class, brutal display which drove the masses down the front over the edge, it's like the intervening 30 odd years had never happened.

Playing all the crowd favourites including 'I Hate People', 'Streets Of London', 'We Are The League' and of course the classic 'So What' the band went down a storm. I never thought of myself as an old punk, but I am now seriously considering giving it a go!

We were all here for one thing though, the six-legged noise machine that is Motorhead. I have read various reviews of Motorhead performances this year and most have been less than complimentary, Bloodstock springs to mind, so I was unsure if the band were starting to lose their edge, time for Lemmy to hang up the cowboy boots ?? After seeing this performance the answer is an emphatic no.

From the opening searchlights and sirens that led into opener 'Bomber' the guys were on fine form. Lemmy appeared to be in fine fettle and vocally he was as good as he ever gets.

'Damage Case' followed with Phil Campbell trawling the stage and playing some fantastic licks. The meat in the Motorhead sandwich is drummer Mikkey Dee. The guy is an absolute powerhouse behind the kit and his double bass drum work along with Lemmy's trademark basslines are a joy to behold.

The set was littered with classic tracks, the highlights being 'Killed By Death', 'Iron Fist' and 'Stay Clean'. There were also some more recent tracks including a couple from their latest album 'The World Is Yours' which fitted in well to the set.

Surprise of the evening was saved for the first encore which found Phil and Mikkey playing guitars and Lemmy on vocals for an acoustic version of 'Whorehouse Blues' which was excellent.

It was then back to full pelt for a blistering one-two of 'Ace Of Spades' and 'Overkill'. With the crowd on their feet, the band took a well deserved bow and were gone.

They may have the odd off night, but on this showing the band are still a force to be reckoned with and were well worth the journey, the wedding wasn't half bad either!

Review and photos by David Wilson