Former Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell doesn’t let his sons drink before they play a show, he revealed.

He formed the Bastard Sons with his kids Todd, Dane and Tyla after Lemmy Kilmister’s death in 2015 brought an end to Motorhead. In a recent interview with Classic Rock, he reflected that times have changed.

Asked how strict he was on the road, Campbell replied: “Well, as long as they’re not drunk before the show. Some of them may have a bottle of beer half an hour before they go on, which is totally acceptable. Y’know, with Motorhead, with me and Lem, there was more than a bottle drunk. Different band, different days.”

On the topic of the Bastard Sons name, he explained: “I don’t actually call them bastards, I call them by their first names. [Singer] Neil [Starr] came up with that band name. My wife wasn’t pleased at all. She’s still not over the moon about it.” But, he added, "it seems to have taken off. They’re even saying the name on certain radio stations now – after the watershed. We know we’re not going to sell as many records as Take That. We know our limitations.”

Campbell agreed that “Motorhead D.N.A.” remained within his new music. “I can’t just change my soul overnight,” he argued. “”It gives a nod to Motorhead, but it’s a different dynamic. … Because of all the generations in the band, we’re taking in all those different influences.” He added that Starr “wouldn’t be able to tell you the name of a Sabbath album or the singer with Deep Purple. … He comes from an entirely different musical viewpoint. They keep me on my toes.”

 

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