On Friday May 9th, one of Burslem’s most famous sons – Motörhead founder and bassist/vocalist Lemmy Kilmister – will be honoured and further immortalized during the Lemmy Forever Stoke-On-Trent Ceremony.
With Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell attending to place Lem’s ashes in a magnificent statue created by local sculptor, and huge Motörhead fan, Andy Edwards, the day is going to be filled with fun, friends, and some volume too. The ceremony will commence in Burslem town center at approximately 4pm, with friends invited to come early and make a day of it by enjoying some pre-ceremonial Motörhead beverages at the various site-adjacent hostelries including Old Post Office bar and Ale House, while the Market Place Café will also have refreshments, including a special Motörhead roast of the day.
Some of the ceremonial festivities will include a biker’s corteo accompanying the ashes, various speakers, and a roaring 21-rev salute which will hit the skies in ceremonial reverence! The statue itself captures Lemmy in all his live glory from the 1981 era, which saw Motörhead headline the Heavy Metal Holocaust just down the road at Port Vale Stadium back on August 1st 1981.
Here are some more details on what people can expect and some of the services which will be available on the day:
The Bare Walls Art Gallery next to the statue will be displaying an installation featuring rarely seen photographs of Lemmy in their space along with other memorabilla.
Later in the evening, Grumpy’s bar will host A Night of Music to Celebrate the Life of Lemmy, hosting the Motörhead tribute band Motörwrecked, as well as hosting an auction of exclusive items supplied by Motörhead’s record label and merchandise companies. The auction is practically sold out, but we have held back a very limited number of wristbands for people to get on the day, available on a first-come-first-served basis on the day from the event office, which can be found at The Old Post Office Bar, and costing £10. No sleep til Grumpys! There will also be exclusive merchandise available at The Old Post Office.
Music Mania will also be hosting an event at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Hanley from 7.30pm to 10.30pm featuring Motörhead tribute band Motörheadache, with tickets at £18. CLICK HERE for further details
For those driving to the event, parking will be available at Port Vale Football Club, a 7 minute walk away, and if arriving by train, Ace Taxis will be available to get from the station to the event via 01782 822228.
For those who need accommodation, special rates are available at the DoubleTree by Hilton Stoke-On-Trent via Lemmy2025 rates. Call +44 1782 609988 or go here for more info.
