Motorhead mark 40th anniversary of Overkill and Bomber with 1979 video

Motorhead in 1979 (Image credit: Fin Costello/Redferns - Getty)

Motorhead (opens in new tab)’s social media channels are showcasing a video clip which looks back at the year 1979.

The footage is introduced by the line: “We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for the following important news update… #Motorhead79.”

The video that follows shows clips of the band performing and is interspersed with news stories from the day, famous chart-topping pop hits from the end of the 70s and clips of the disco craze that swept the UK that year.

It ends with former BBC Radio 1 DJ David ‘Kid’ Jensen introducing Motorhead on Top Of The Tops, with the band then launching into Overkill.

The band’s website has also been relaunched (opens in new tab), but currently only shows Motorhead’s iconic Snaggletooth logo and the number 79.

Motorhead launched their second album Overkill in March 1979, with Bomber following close behind in October that year.

Could both albums be about to be remastered and re-released?

In April this year, a 40th anniversary 7-inch single featuring both Overkill and Bomber (opens in new tab), along with Too Late, Too Late and Over The Top was released through BMG.

Both 1979 albums featured Motorhead's classic lineup of Lemmy (opens in new tab), “Fast” Eddie Clarke (opens in new tab) and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor (opens in new tab).

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.