motorhead – SMART

Motorhead and The Count Bishops – Hastings Pier 30th July 1977

December 13, 2022December 13, 2022 by Alan Esdaile

ticket supplied by Eric Cawthraw

autographed poster supplied by Peter Houghton

Tim Bruce….Was my first proper gig too. Before i went my mum warned me to ne careful of loud music . “Yes mum”. Opening act…… Motorhead!

John Laidlaw….Hah! First gig I ever saw – brilliant stuff. So loud I ended up behind the PA stack stage left… it was quieter there.

Andy Gunton….Not wishing to be pedantic. But shouldn’t that be The Count Bishops? I know both bands were on the Chiswick label around that time.

Alan Esdaile Johnny Mason… Yes your right Andy. Should be Count Bishops but I don’t remember seeing them.

Dave Arnold….I roadied at the Hawkwind/Motorhead gig, an amazing night

Ken Copsey….I went to this gig with Dave Blackman. I think there was only about 50 people there. Pretty certain The Count Bishops didn’t play. The Teenbeats later supported the Count Bishops at The Nashville . I can remember playing on stage and realising Gary Moore was watching us. Ever so slightly intimidating for a 17 year old!

John Storer…..The Count Bishops definitely played that night and were so good that I went out a couple of days later and bought their first album (which was released on 10″ vinyl). I also seem to remember that Motorhead were exceptionally loud. I don’t remember it being that poorly attended, either, although this was at the time that my musical tastes had diverged from most of my mates who were dismissive of punk and pub-rock. I do recall that I had given all my pre-punk records (a lot) to my sister in exchange for her copy of the Ramones debut album!

Phil Gill… Stallion played an all-nighter at the Lyceum in September 1976, with Stray, Dirty Tricks and Motörhead. For whatever reason, we all shared a large communal dressing room. Lemmy was charming, funny, gregarious, generous and completely down to earth. Great fun, completely rock & roll and above all, the real deal.

Eric Cawthraw… I’ve just found the ticket to this gig in my Motorhead – Motorhead album. What gets me is that it is made to look hand written and the ticket number definitely is. It looks very civilized – disco, booze and food. Food!? Crisps and peanuts more like – I don’t remember food! For Motorhead it should have been raw meat and Bourbon…..perhaps it was!

John Storer… Another great gig! Eric? Did you miss the canapes they were serving just outside the bar?

Motorhead Fast Eddie Clarke dies

January 12, 2018January 12, 2018 by Alan Esdaile

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42650076

Chris van Rock… Absolutely gutted to hear the sad news of the death of ‘Fast ‘ Eddie Clarke of Motorhead … the remaining member. The fastest and loudest …. some great memories of them at Hammersmith which they made their own. Never metal , never punk …. just Motörhead. RIP … 3 mad bastards in spirit now

Alan Esdaile… They are all gone now. R.I.P. Eddie Clarke.

Dennis Torrance… Rest in peace but somehow think they will be rocking

Chris Giles… Eeek another one……there will no one left soon

Joe Knight… Gonna be a Big party up there 😎Rip

Lemmy from Motorhead dies.

December 30, 2015 by Alan Esdaile

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35192060

Chris Giles… R.I.P. Lemmy

Alan Esdaile.. R.I.P. Lemmy.

Jim Breeds… Shocked 🙁

Nigel Ford… First saw Ian “Lemmy-a fiver” Kilmister as part of HAWKWIND on the pier early 70’s , then in ’75 blowing them offstage as their support , again in the Pier Ballroom. They returned just a month later as headliners. So impressd with them I travelled to Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall and Brighton soon after to see them and while waiting to go into the Top Rank over there an exit door flew open right by us and out he came to a rough old BMW parked right there to get something and my friend and I exchanged plesantries with him as he came back in.
Many gigs since including my only visit to Folkstone Leas Cliff Hall a few years ago mainly to see IN FLAMES but also GIRLSCHOOL (whom I’d also seen a couple of times back in their heyday) and a brilliant set again by Lemmy, Phil & Mickey but it really was painfully LOUD for my old ears!!
R.I.P. LEMMY.

Chris Giles… I’m in shock. Couldn’t believe when I first read it Lemmy R.I.P.

Alan Esdaile… Very shocked to hear the news. I did know he has been ill for awhile but I thought he was invincible. Brilliant memories of seeing Hawkwind and ear shattering Motorhead. Even though the ears were ringing for days, it didn’t stop me from going back again to see them.

Dave Nattress… Another very sad day, saw this on the news a couple of hours ago. Lemmy’s gone as has a part of so many of us who have grown up following him. A heavy day to get through. RIP doesn’t say enough – maybe keep on rocking and giving serious hell wherever you are might be more appropriate.

Chris Giles… Yep and turn the volume up and play his music loud

Eric Cawthraw… Like many of you seen Lemmy in both Motorhead and Hawkwind. Just going to get my 12″ single of Motorhead out and demolish the front room with a wall of sound! After all that Jack Daniels – if it’s a cremation – it will take a week to put him out. That sounds irreverent, but I’m sure that’s the sort of exit he would want. One thing you can credit Lemmy with was his total commitment to his music and followers – let’s hope there’s a crate of Bourbon waiting at the Pearly Gates.

Graham Belchamber… A great story about Lemmy from Neil Finn of Crowded House/Split Enz fame… Two days after the news of Stevie Wright’s death, we learn of Lemmy’s passing. Neil related this story today:
“dawn check in, Montreal 1981 with Split Enz , a tour bus pulls up outside , Its Motorhead. Lemmy emerges like a marauding Viking, leapfrogs the reception desk and kisses the receptionist full on the mouth. Its bad behaviour but we were impressed… and so Lemmy… may you leapfrog the devil and give St Peter a kiss.”

Colin Bell… Another great loss, remember being in Bluies in Canterbury (Andre and Alan will remember the club!) Lemmy doing Silver Machine. A true one off guy RIP.

Tony Court-holmes… missed but never forgotten rip good rocker hope to meet you. Another star in the sky with a bottle of jack daniels

Clive Richardson… Remember seeing Motorhead first gig at The Roundhouse Chalk Farm London. Very sad news.

Jeff Chuzz Balcombe… SAD SAD day, R I P Lemmy

Carol Arnold… sad news

Philip John… Lemmy Kilmister RIP. A good summing up from John Walsh & Ruth Booth in the Independent. Lemmy was probably one of the last of the old school heavy rockers and one of the best.He will remain a legend. One little known fact :- Lemmy appears as Count Motorhead in a book entitled The Time Of The Hawklords, written in 1976 by Michael Moorcock & Michael Butterworth, part of a sci-fi trilogy where ‘Hawkwind saves the world. he unfortunately doesn’t appear in the follow up book as he’d been fired from the band .