Metalheads mark 40th anniversary at Lemmy statue

Nicole and Andreas Roth made the pilgrimage to see the Lemmy statue, where some of the rock star's ashes have been placed

A metal music-loving couple from Germany have visited the statue of Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister as part of their 40th wedding anniversary.

Andreas and Nicole Roth who have both been metalheads since they were in their early teens, got to see Motorhead numerous times, the earliest being in 1982 when they were just 14.

They instantly fell in love with metal music and have devoted their lives to seeing as many bands as they can.

Motorhead was "the start of everything" for them, Mr Roth said, as they went on to explore the genre widely, but only managed to get close to Lemmy once.

"There was a large concert venue in Dortmund, he was just two blocks away from me standing with Twisted Sister and Biff from Saxon," he said.

He recalled being just 15 at the time and waving at Lemmy, whom he then saw "waving back instantly".

The 2.25m bronze-cast statue of the Motörhead frontman was uncovered in the singer's hometown of Burslem, in May this year

The pair now live in a town just outside Dusseldorf and linked the struggles of their home to the issues experienced by the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent.

Mr Roth called the statue of Lemmy "a good thing to have", as it helps to attract more people to the town.

Since the statue was put up in May, the visitors' book has received signatures from more than 60 different nationalities.

Andy Edwards the sculptor of the statue said it had become "a great project for bringing people together".

"It's only when you see a reaction from people outside of the area and how impressed they are with what we are trying to do that it gives you that confidence," he added.

Andy Edwards, sculptor of the Lemmy statue, has been shocked by how far people are traveling from to visit his work

As for Mr and Mrs Roth, they initially started their trip in Manchester to see Saxon.

A day later, they went to see the band again in Sheffield before moving on to Birmingham to see the Ozzy Osbourne memorabilia.

Now the pair have finished their Burslem leg, they will be heading to London to see Saxon for a third time, for their show at the Hammersmith Apollo.