Motorhead @ Enmore Theatre,Sydney (05 & 07/10/07)

Tue 9th Oct, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Motorhead have been rockin’ since 1975 and like a good bottle of booze, get better with age. I mean, fuck – vocalist and bassist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister is over 60, but performs like a 20 year old. He’s the original and founding member of Motorhead, and a definite rock legend – there simply is no other. Add one of the finest drummers of them all, Mikkey Dee, and the freakishly talented guitarist Phil Campbell, and what have you got? One of the most impressive rock n’ roll acts on the planet.

Motorhead’s first night at the Enmore was sold out and chock-full of fans young and old. The second night was less then half capacity, with about 1,000 enthusiastic fans going nuts on the floor. The set lists barely differed between the two nights, but no one cared, it’s Motorhead! The sound on the second night was slightly better, and the smaller crowd made for a more intimate pub-style night of rock – just the way to enjoy Motorhead.

Blasting of with the searing riffage doubleshot of Dr Rock and Stay Clean made it pretty damn clear we were in for something special. Motorhead showed no mercy with the likes of Killers, Metropolis and I Got Mine. Fucking unreal! The head pounding insanity of One Night Stand and Over The Top simply added to the carnage. The jackhammering onslaught of In The Name Of Tragedy threatened to tear the roof off the Enmore, that song is just plain heavy shit. A cover of Thin Lizzys toe-tapping Rosalie was a nice surprise. And holy shit, Mikkey Dee’s brutal drum solo in the middle of the fast-as-fuck Sacrifice was a thundering juggernaut straight from the bowels of Hell.

Just ‘Cos You Got The Power and Going To Brazil were perfect examples of Motorhead’s straight-up, flat-out rock. The sonic fury of Killed By Death sent the crowd (and myself) into a frenzy, and rightly so. But it was the jaw-dropping ballistic blast of Iron Fist that showed how tight Motorhead play, fuck they were good.

Both nights featured the same amazing encore – the super sleazy blues rock of Whorehouse Blues, followed by Motorhead’s signature tune, Ace Of Spades. Then the mighty Overkill was the ultimate blitzkrieg to finish the night.

All hail Motorhead, the loudest and proudest rock n’ roll act on the planet.