Hellfest originally erected a statue of the late and great Motörhead frontman Lemmy six years ago. Unfortunately statue began to succumb to the test of time an weather, and a new one needed to go up. Hellfest worked with French sculptor Caroline Brisset on a new version that saw the light of the day over the weekend, and it's glorious!
"Great statue/monument of Lemmy being presented at Hellfest, France," said Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee. "I can't wait to come back to one of my favorite festivals in Europe. See you all there on Thursday!" According to The Gallery, Brisset was approach by Hellfest organizer Ben Barbaud in November 2021 about the statue. "I said yes because it was a great project. And it was also quite a challenge to make such a big statue in such a short time."
The official Motörhead Instagram has also revealed that some of Lemmy's ashes are also contained within the statue.
"Our beloved Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister, founder of Motörhead, has had a portion of his ashes enshrined at this year's Hellfest Festival in Clisson, France within a new, giant statue of the man, and the official ceremony to recognize this unique memorialization will occur on June 23, 2022," said the band. "With band mates Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee present, it is the perfect moment to honor Lemmy's life. For fans that wish to share their own tributes, memories, experiences or pay their respects, can post using the hashtag #LemmyLivesAtHellfest."
Hellfest 2022 will take place in two parts this year – between June 17 and 19 (which happened over this previous weekend, and then again between June 23 and 26. Check out the full lineup here, whose acts include Dee's current band Scorpions, Nine Inch Nails, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica for this coming weekend.