The much-heralded statue hometown statue of late Motörhead founder Lemmy will be officially unveiled during a ceremony in Burslem, Staffordshire, next week.
The statue, which got the go-ahead from Stoke City Council last year and was paid for by Motöhead's management, will be unveiled during the Lemmy Forever ceremony on May 9. The event will be attended by Motöhead guitarist Phil Campbell, who will place some of Lemmy's ashes in the statue.
“Lemmy was a personal hero to me,” sculptor Andy Edwards tells the BBC. "The reason for making this statue is to give other people that pleasure that I’ve had in thinking back, those memories at Victoria Hall, Bingley Hall and Vale Park."
The statue shows Lemmy as he appeared at the Heavy Metal Holocaust in Port Vale, a few miles north of Stoke, in 1981, and includes his iconic Rickenbacker 4001 bass.
“I put those details in because if you don’t, people sense there’s something not quite right and they don’t hang around as long," says Edwards. “You want people to hang about because you want people to go back in time and get their imaginations going."
The ceremony will commence in Burslem town centre at approximately 4pm on May 9.
Proceeding will continue with a celebration at Grumpy's Bar that includes an auction of items supplied by Motörhead’s record label and merchandise company, and a performance by Motörhead tribute band Motörwrecked. Tickets are £10 and can be purchased at The Old Post Office Bar.
The day will be rounded off with a performance by another Motörhead tribute band, Motörheadache, at the Mitchell Arts Centre in Hanley. Tickets are on sale now.
Lemmy’s ashes have also been scattered at the German metal festival Wacken Open Air, and enshrined at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Los Angeles earlier this year.
In addition, ashes are held at Rock City in Nottingham and at the Stringfellows adult entertainment club in London. They will also be displayed at the Bloodstock Festival annually.
