Stoke on Trent

On Friday May 9th 2025, one of Burslem’s most famous sons – Motörhead founder and bassist/vocalist Lemmy Kilmister – was 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 was filled with fun, friends, and some volume too. The ceremony commenced 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 also had refreshments, including a special Motörhead roast of the day.

The ceremonial festivities included a biker’s corteo accompanying the ashes, various speakers, and a roaring 21-rev salute which 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.

Later in the evening, Grumpy’s bar hosted 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.