The sons of the legendary Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell will celebrate their father’s life and enduring musical legacy with special memorial performances at Hella Rock and Chepstow Castle.
by Paul Cashmere
Phil Campbell’s Bastard Sons have confirmed they will return to the stage to honour the legacy of their father, Phil Campbell, following the Motörhead guitarist’s passing in March. The band, comprised of Phil’s sons Todd Campbell, Dane Campbell, and Tyla Campbell, alongside vocalist Joel Peters, will headline the Hella Rock Festival on September 5, 2026. The event is set to take place at the HMV Empire, an independent venue located in the heart of the Coventry city centre. This appearance follows a previously scheduled performance where Phil Campbell was intended to lead the group before his death at age 64.
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The significance of these concerts extends beyond a standard festival appearance, marking a transition for the ensemble as they navigate the future without their founding patriarch. For the rock community, the loss of Campbell represented the end of an era for the Motörhead lineage. The family has acknowledged that while the emotional weight of his passing remains raw, the decision to proceed with the concerts was made to provide fans with a dedicated space for remembrance. By stepping into the headlining slot, the younger Campbells are maintaining the sonic traditions established by their father, ensuring the high-energy output associated with his tenure in one of the world’s loudest bands continues to resonate.
The Hella Rock Festival has been restructured to serve as a comprehensive tribute to the late guitarist. Attendees at the Coventry event will find Phil Campbell’s iconic guitar rig on display, providing a tangible connection to the equipment that defined his aggressive tone for decades. The venue will also feature tour backdrops spanning his entire career and a memorial book for fans to document their experiences and messages. James Pilling, the festival director, noted that the organisation worked closely with the Campbell family to ensure the tribute met the expectations of the rock community. In addition to the main stage action, the festival will introduce the Road Crew Stage for acoustic sets and has partnered with Road Crew Beer to reflect the Motörhead lifestyle.
Phil Campbell’s career was defined by a remarkable 31 year run with Motörhead, joining in 1984 following the departure of Brian Robertson. Although Lemmy Kilmister originally sought only one guitarist, the roaring synergy between Campbell and Michael “Würzel” Burston led the frontman to hire both. Campbell’s debut with the band was a baptism by fire, appearing on the British comedy series The Young Ones just one week after his audition. He went on to record 16 studio albums with the group, including the seminal Orgasmatron, 1916, and the 1993 powerhouse Bastards. Following the death of Lemmy in 2015, Campbell eventually shifted his focus to the family-centric project, Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons, releasing Kings Of The Asylum as their most recent studio effort in 2023.
The current landscape of heavy rock touring remains volatile, evidenced by the recent last minute cancellation of the Scorpions “Coming Home” tour in India. While fans in the subcontinent deal with the disappointment of health related postponements for the German legends, the Campbell family’s commitment to their 2026 dates offers a different narrative of resilience within the genre. The “Other Side” of these memorial shows is the reality of a band continuing without its namesake, a move that often divides purists but, in this instance, is being framed as a direct bloodline succession. The sons had originally planned a full 2026 itinerary and have indicated that more dates will be announced as they determine the long term path for the group.
Looking forward, these memorial concerts at Chepstow Castle and Hella Rock represent a celebratory closing of one chapter and the potential beginning of another. The inclusion of acts such as Tailgunner, King Kraken, and Silveroller on the Coventry bill ensures the festival remains a vital showcase for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, a movement Campbell helped champion during his early days with Persian Risk. As the Campbell brothers prepare to deliver a set heavy on Motörhead classics and their own original material, the focus remains on the “need to know” reality, the music that Phil Campbell spent five decades perfecting will not fall silent.
Phil Campbell Memorial Dates
August 22 2026, Chepstow, Chepstow Castle
September 5 2026, Coventry, HMV Empire
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