Motörhead

★★★★★

No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith – 40th Anniversary Box-Set BMG / SANCTUARY. CD/LP

The apogee of their “everything louder than everything else” motto.

A UK Number 1 with a bullet (belt) in June 1981, No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith still stands as the definitive document of Motörhead’s very British din. If you were one of denim and leather’s great unwashed, experiencing their frantic, no frills wattage live was a cherished rite of passage. It was also a bit like salmonella: something to feel in your guts and survive. Newly expanded to include soundcheck recordings and the entirety of the Newcastle and Leeds gigs from which the original tracklisting was culled, this 40th anniversary celebration speaks of a grubbier, dingier UK, but there’s also a notably egalitarian aspect to the band’s electrifying, amphetamine-fuelled performances. Lemmy’s do or die stage presence is all about inclusivity, and who but Motörhead would pen We Are The Road Crew, a raucous and heartfelt tribute to their indefatigable enablers.