Gig review: The Choir Boy, A Bullet Belt & Lemmy by Tim Atkinson – Saffron Waldren, 28 December 2017

It is December 28th 2017 two years to the day of the passing of his lord Lemmy; after a treacherous walk uphill on sheet and black ice, a Jack Daniels and Coke is in my hand and I am compelled (as I’m normally a gig photographer) to submit a review.

Earlier this evening we casually ambled from Fast Eddie’s bar area to be seated amongst many of Tim Atkinson’s personal Motörhead museum items in Fairycroft House, Saffron Walden’s Burston Hall named after the late great ex Motörhead guitarist Würzel.

Without giving Tim’s story away we are treated to his drive and love of music and his sheer bloodymindedness to make it in the industry. Tim’s obsession as a child right through until the current day for Motörhead is touched on. The revelation that Würzel not only hung out in my town but also the youth centre (which Tim has helped save from the normal property developers) that I used to go to as a youngster and that he used to sit outside with a beer where I would have certainly have walked past him doing so without noticing makes me w ant to kick myself.

The tales of Lemmy and Motörhead’s tolerance and patience with fans echos that which I have seen mentioned by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. We hear about how Tim actually got to work with his idols forming ‘Leader of Down’ with Würzel and after his death finishing the album with cameos from the then current Motörhead axeman Phil Campbell and Lemmy himself. At the very end sentence, Tim cracks with emotion, wells up and struggles to get it out to an ovation from everyone there. An incredibly warm and enjoyable evening which makes me not want to wait until the ‘Leader of Down’ album release in the summer to hear the project. This has a very good potential for a cracking autobiography if Tim wanted to write it or work with an author.

Review by Martin Porter

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)