PHIL CAMPBELL On Performing MOTÖRHEAD Songs Without LEMMY: 'We Give It A Good Shot'

In a new interview with Heavy magazine, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell spoke about the upcoming Australian tour from his band PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS, in which he is joined by his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla. Asked how long it took him to be fully comfortable playing the MOTÖRHEAD songs on stage without MOTÖRHEAD leader Lemmy, who died in 2015, Phil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you just get on and do it. Even to this day, sometimes on stage I'll be playing and you'll have the feeling that that Lem is around or one of the other bandmembers are around. But you see the joy that people got on their faces in the crowd and you just get on and give it your best shot. But we do play them well, we do do them justice. It's never gonna be MOTÖRHEAD, obviously, without Lem, but we give it a good shot. It will be the only chance for especially younger Australians to hear some MOTÖRHEAD stuff with a bandmember playing them. We get a lot of youngsters coming to our shows anyway, if we're playing MOTÖRHEAD stuff or our own stuff. We get older MOTÖRHEAD fans bringing their young children to the shows. Basically, they're just turning them on to good live music 'cause there's so much crap about these days with the Auto-Tune voices and all that and people miming and stuff. We are the real deal, which is the way it should be."

Regarding what it has been like sharing the stage with his sons in PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS, which was formed in the aftermath of MOTÖRHEAD's dissolution, Phil said: "Yeah, it's great because I spent a lot of the boys' formative years away from them when I was so busy with MOTÖRHEAD. So it's great to be able to give something back and spend time with 'em and still go around the world in a another kick-ass rock and roll band. They deserve it. They're great players. The band is as tight as hell that we have now. So, they deserve it. They deserve to tread the boards. And it is a lot of fun. Yeah. I enjoy it."

PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS released their third album, "Kings Of The Asylum", in September 2023 through Nuclear Blast Records. It was PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS' first studio release to feature singer Joel Peters.

PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS were always going to draw a crowd at any discerning rock or metal festival. Led by one of the genre's most respected guitarists, the band emerged onto the 2017 touring circuit powered by a huge amount of good will, a smattering of MOTÖRHEAD covers and a handful of new songs that crackled with passion and swagger. Landing themselves a prestigious support slot on GUNS N' ROSES 2017 summer stadium run, the BASTARD SONS hit the ground running.

Fast forward to 2020 and, just like everyone else, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS had to cancel a lot of carefully laid plans when the global pandemic descended on us all. But as if to confirm their absolute dedication to blowing people's heads off with thunderous rock 'n' roll, the band refused to cancel plans to record a follow-up to their widely lauded debut. Recorded and engineered during lockdown by guitarist Todd Campbell, the second BASTARD SONS album, "We're The Bastards", was described in a press release as "bigger, better and even more raucously uplifting than its predecessor."

In October 2019, Phil Campbell released his first-ever solo record, "Old Lions Still Roar". The album, which had been in the works for more than five years, included guest appearances by Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST),Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER) and Alice Cooper, among others.

Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete a European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.