I love Motorhead. Ever since I saw the "Killed by Death" clip one late night in the 1980's - "If you squeeze my lizard, I'll put my snake on you", best opening line ever - and their charismatic rendition of "Ace of Spades" on The Young Ones, I've had a bit of a soft spot. There was something about their look....and those brutal bass riffs.
It's 2011, and I'm heading to Club Nokia in downtown LA to see them for the third time (twice before in Australia - so annoyed I didn't go to that show at the Forum in Melbourne in 2007). Tonight, instead of some grungy fire-trap of a venue (hello Festival Hall), I'm walking into the uber clean and corporate Club Nokia, where my handbag is COMPLETELY searched and I have to walk through a metal detector - are you serious? Yes, going to a metal show now is like trying to get on an airplane. And you cannot leave the venue once you enter, so there goes any chance of getting a snack....
Oh well, luckily I actually enjoy watching Clutch!! After working at Tattoo Magic for several years, I grew to HATE THIS BAND, coz it's pretty much what I heard every day (love ya Geordie, wink!) But Friday night saw me really grooving to their bluesy rock that on occasions flirts with the funk. Woohoo! And Jean-Paul Gaster is one tasty jazzy drummer - so enjoyable.
But it's still Motorhead's show, and let's face it, most of the love in the room is for one guy - Lemmy. And his two band mates....but yeah, it's Lemmy.
It's a tour to promote their new record, "The World Is Yours", but there are plenty of older tracks sprinkled into the set list to keep young and old fans well pleased. My personal highlights are "Stay Clean", "Metropolis", "Over the Top" (blistering), "I Got Mine", "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch", "In The Name of Tragedy", "Just 'Cos You Got The Power", "Going to Brazil", "Killed by Death" (with guest appearances from Cherie Currie and Lemmy's son Paul Inder), "Ace of Spades" and then for encore "Overkill". I haven't heard the new record yet, but the new songs fit into the set perfectly, especially "Get Back in Line". As usual, they are LOUD, and the sound is often muddy where I am sitting, but I don't care - it's kinda what I expect. I don't want Motorhead to sound over clean, I want them to sound dirty. And I don't want Lemmy and Phil's banter to ever change - it's so "no fuss" and British.
I did take some photos on my phone, but they were appallingly poor quality. So had to pinch some off others:
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| Clutch in cool-mode |
You can talk about how old these guys are, but it's still like being hit in the face with a piece of concrete when you see Motorhead live. And they deserve every bloody accolade they get, including that huge pit full of fresh faced young fans that I saw on Friday night. Bless!
