Lemmy's hometown to host Motörhead album premiere

The premiere of the 40th anniversary edition of Motörhead's album Orgasmatron will take place in frontman Lemmy Kilmister's hometown.

A special listening party has been organised at No:6 Lemmy's Lounge bar in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, on Thursday from 19:00 GMT, ahead of the record's release on Friday.

It will be the latest in a long line of events held in the town since the unveiling last year of a statue of Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Fraser Kilmister and who died from cancer in 2015, aged 70.

The statue's sculptor Andy Edwards, part of the IFK Legacy CIC set up to honour his memory, told BBC Radio Stoke it would be an "exciting day" and it was a "privilege" to host the premiere.

As part of the event, a perfect replica of Lemmy's amplifier and cabinet rig, which he called Murder One, has been created and will be used to play the album through.

"We're going to see how loud we can go," said Edwards.

Since the statue unveiling, there have been a number of events held in Burslem to celebrate Lemmy.

These include Lemmy Encore, held in the weeks after the unveiling, and the Burslem Urban Rock Festival, which took place in May, with former Motörhead drummer Lucas Fox as the guest of honour.

A project is also under way to transform the vacant Queens Theatre into a music venue, to provide access to music skills development, showcase new talent, and celebrate the town's rock heritage.

Edwards said there were plans to host an even bigger, weekend-long outdoor festival in 2027 and praised the Burslem and metal communities for their passion.

Asked about the bar, he said: "It's where you go if you don't fit in anywhere else, that was the aim from the start.

"It was always going to be a special place because of Lemmy and the people who come in have made it even more special.

"It feels like the town has come together."

The University of Staffordshire recently announced that Edwards, whose other work includes statues of The Beatles and Bob Marley in Liverpool, would receive an honorary degree.

He described the recognition as a "huge honour" and said he was privileged to be entrusted with the work he was doing for the community.

"I accept these awards because I do work really hard and people in Stoke do work really hard," he added.

"I work for the community, that is true, and I accept it on their behalf."

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