Motorhead day brings local bands to The Source in Carlisle

It's the 8th OF MAY!, The 8th OF MAY! In case you didn't know, the 8th of May is Motorhead day and what a better way to celebrate than brining local lads Löser to The Source in Carlisle to mark 50 years of Motorhead. Löser are not the only local band tonight with three of the four bands on the bill coming from Carlisle.

Kicking things off in style are Bay of Pigs. Originally starting out as a duo, this thrash inspired band have moved into a three piece by brining in Daz Evilehate on bass. Adding a bassist brings a whole new feel to the band polishing off their sound. Playing a mix of originals and covers these lads pull the surprisingly large crowd (for a Thursday metal night) though from the bar area and into the back room. The crowd are absorbed by the set handing out well deserved praise early and often. Closing out their set Daz exits the stage and the now duo rip into an instrumental song of just bass and drum with Sam Thorburn, normally the guitarist handling bass duties for this song. The set crescendos with a blistering cover of 'Creeping Death' by Metallica and a original song that was only written yesterday! A bold move not to end the set on a song that everyone will know but on one written so soon.

Next up another Carlisle band, Before the Gods take to the stage for only their second time playing live! Bringing a bluesy hard rock vibe, this quartet seems better suited to playing in pubs on a Saturday night than a stand alone show on a Thursday. Things started off a bit shaky after a prolonged sound check and they never really got out of the starting gates with a slight lack of organization, which was a shame because I have seen them play before and I know that they can do better than that. It was an unfortunate evening for these guys but with more shows under their belt a more polished show can be achieved.

Being the only band not from Carlisle, Ego Trip hit the stage. These west Cumbrians have come a hell of a long way since if first saw and shot their show in Whitehaven over a year ago. Now a solidified line up as a four piece these grunge merchants channel their inner Alice in Chains to provide a powerful and passionate performance with frontman Will Sherward switching from intense vocal pieces to messing around and enjoying his time on stage. These lads don't just pigeon hole themselves in the grunge scene, they also add metal elements with dirty heavy riffs that really gets the crowd going. Every time I see this band I cant help feel that they are right on the edge of something special. Keep it up.

Now its time for the main event. Löser head out to the stage. Continuing on their year long 'Searching for Guest Artist' tour, Löser have come back home for the last time this year. Being a Motorhead covers band you get exactly what you expect, no nonsense rock and roll. Hitting all the classics you would expect in the time frame allowed (the set had to be cut short due to venue curfews) they managed to rips through classics as 'Dr Rock', 'We Are The Road Crew', 'Born to Raise Hell', 'Ace of Spades' and 'Overkill' among others. Löser always seem to pull a large crowd in Carlisle regardless of what day of the week it is and tonight was no different. The crowd was vocal and active right from the start and kept it going for the whole set. Nights like this goes to show why Löser are one of Cumbria's premier Motorhead tribute acts.