MOTÖRHEAD launches 50th year with key 'Motörhead For Life' events
23-01-2025
MOTÖRHEAD, the multi-generational soundtrack and lifestyle for millions worldwide, will celebrate its 50th year in 2025, and in honor of this historic milestone, a series of releases and events will take place throughout the year. Having played live to millions of fans, and sold over 25 million albums in their career, the Grammy Award-winning MOTÖRHEAD are as popular as ever as their golden jubilee commences. In 2024, the band enjoyed a brand new U.K. top 10 single in October with “Lawman”, racked up over 320 million streams globally, numbered 20 million listeners on Spotify, and garnered over 112 million views on YouTube. And starting with a very special release to be announced in May, the year 2025 will be a celebration that confirms MOTÖRHEAD is for life and Lemmy is forever.
“It’s incredible to know that our music, and all it stands for, continues to resonate with so many people,” says MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell. “Of course, we’re enormously grateful to still be appreciated like we are, and truthfully, the music remains as vital and important as ever because there’s a unique energy and honesty to it that we will all always need.”
“It’s a remarkable story, the connection we have with our fans can only be described as family and it’s so exciting to see the family still growing,” says MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee. “But it also makes sense, because people know who we are and what the music is about. MOTÖRHEAD has always stood for doing it OUR way, it’s timeless, and continues to inspire people to take that path.”
Kicking off the celebrations will be special 50th anniversary, limited vinyl editions of MOTÖRHEAD‘s breakthrough albums “Overkill”, “Bomber” and “Ace Of Spades”. These are all cut as half speed masters, pressed as special color configurations and all include an exclusive poster and released on February 28.
Then on May 8, International Motörhead Day, a very special “Lemmy Forever” ashes event will take place — the unveiling of a Lemmy statue in his birthplace of Stoke-On-Trent. The sculptor of the piece is renowned British artist Andy Edwards (who has previously done statues of THE BEATLES, Bob Marley and THE BEE GEES, among others), and MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell will place the ashes and lead the celebrations.
Edwards says: “This new statue of Lem is special, not just because I share the same birthplace as him or because of how much he personally means to me, but because it’s so important to have a permanent international landmark celebrating him where he was born. Lemmy gave me joy, confidence in myself, and energy, and he’s also an avatar of the original spirit and power of rock and roll. I really hope it will become a meeting place for people from all over the world to take the journey to.”
MOTÖRHEAD manager Todd Singerman states: “To be able to see Lemmy further immortalized in his place of birth by Andy’s amazing statue is a huge deal. This man left the building 10 years ago, yet he remains not only with us, but is even more popular than ever. It’s because Lemmy stood for honesty, integrity, inclusion, and making the greatest, loudest rock’n’roll possible. Let’s face it, there is only one Lemmy and the world continues to celebrate him and his music loudly and proudly.”
To whet your appetite for a year of MOTÖRHEAD celebrations, you can now watch a new, HD version of the band’s first-ever TV performance from October 25, 1978 on the BBC‘s flagship “Top Of The Pops” show, performing “Louie, Louie”, below.
Back in November 2016, Rainbow Bar & Grill dedicated its patio to Lemmy and re-named it “Lemmy’s Lounge.” It was a fitting gesture from the Rainbow, as when Lemmy wasn’t touring or recording, the majority of his waking hours were spent on said patio. There was already a life-size bronze statue immortalizing Lemmy at the Rainbow, which attracts fans from all over the world, and Lemmy’s Lounge allows hardcore fans and casual patrons alike to sample the wares and atmosphere that Lemmy loved so much.
To celebrate Lemmy’s Lounge, Roxy owner Nic Adler and Goldenvoice‘s Paul Tollett kindly agreed to allow the painting of a celebratory mural commemorating the life of Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD on the side wall of the Roxy, opposite Lemmy’s Lounge and statue.
According to Visit West Hollywood, Lemmy loved the Rainbow so much that he moved to West Hollywood to be closer to it. In the last two decades of his life, he was a daily fixture at the Rainbow whenever the band was not on tour, and he was often seen playing the bar’s video poker machine.
Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.
MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy‘s poor health, although the band did manage to complete the aforementioned European tour a couple of weeks before his death.
In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, “Lemmy”, will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, “Lemmy”.
A custom-made urn containing Lemmy‘s ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
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